Migraines are ruining my life

[bryceQ]

I am 36. For the past 4 years or so I have suffered debilitating migraines. From a couple a month to multiple days a week. I am a carer for my disabled child and have a lot of responsibility I can’t change.

i have tried propranolol, botox, piercings, acupuncture.
I dont drink alcohol, drink decaf coffee, loads of water, healthy diet.
have been on pill / not on pill.
practice yoga & mindfulness

i rely on sumitriptan but even that doesn’t always stop them.

I feel utterly desperate. Like I am losing all my positivity.

what else can I do?

Neurological referral- it’s only been 4 years they need to see what changed.
could be early menopause related? Could you pay privately for bloods and visit a menopause clinic?

Solidarity, OP! I'm in the same boat, and I'm not sure why, as I am fit, eat healthily, don't drink, rarely have coffee, etc. At the moment, I'm on daily amitriptyline, with anti-nausea tablets and sumatriptan when needed, although I have just been prescribed some newly-marketed tablets (I can't remember the name, but it begins with R) instead of sumatriptan.

I've read of injections that you can get (effectively some sort of triptan straight into the muscle, which is a good idea if you vomit a lot), but I've only seen them marketed privately so far.

I used to have monthly massages and reflexology when they were affordable, as I carry a lot of tension in my muscles. Apparently, that's quite common with people who suffer with migraines. At the time, I didn't have migraines wiping me out for at least five days a month.

Sumatriptan was a game changer for me. I still get them but even a hint of a pain in my head I take a tablet. Annoyingly the doctor only ever prescribes 12 and I’m rubbish at reordering so do get caught out and they are debilitating. If I didn’t have kids I think on those days I’d be in bed all day everyday.

a doctor once said to me make sure I only have 8 hours sleep. No more no less. Too much or too less sleep it seems doesn’t help the head.

Thanks for the reply. That’s great news. I listened to a podcast on the new treatments and some countries have found the newer treatments so effective that they have made them the first preventative treatment rather than making patients try all the other ones first. So hopefully the uk will follow suit.

I would look at your diet and see if you feel worst after eating foods high in histamine. All foods have histamine but histamine opens up blood flow to the head. Leftover foods, processed meats, aged beef, chocolate, tomatoes (especially paste), strawberries, hard cheese, garlic, soya sauce, gluten, yogurts are some examples of either high histamine foods or foods which liberate histamine in your body.

Mine weren’t as bad as yours but were getting progressively worse as I got older. Since I started HRT I haven’t had a single one. It’s the progesterone - which makes sense as I’ve always had low progesterone (caused infertility so was checked a lot). Wish I’d understood the connection sooner. I really hope you find a solution soon.

I’ve suffered from chronic migraines for years and have tried most of the meds mentioned. At my worst I was lucky if I had one day a week headache free, I had a constant headache that normal painkillers didn’t touch, plus 2 or 3 migraine days a week. I’m not in the uk but I was finally referred to a neurologist in Feb ‘25 and have been on monthly injections since. They have been life changing, not a single migraine since and maybe 2 or 3 headache days a month.

They can. I asked for a different triptan. The GP sat there, googled it and went through the criteria which I do meet

Try caffeine when you are getting a migraine, it can be really helpful. I often have a can of iced coffee for the caffeine and sugar in one. It could be worth trying amitriptyline, I had to in both my pregnancies and it work but I was very susceptible to the sedative effect of them, I could just about manage on half the lowest dose.

You could also give acupuncture a go. I tried it thinking it was complete nonsense but it genuinely improved my migraines when I was getting several a month. But apart from pregnancy mine have never been as severe as several a week so in your shoes I would definitely be returning to the gp and asking to explore the newer meds.

Some things to try….

Buy a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and read up on how to stabilise your blood sugar as much as possible. The book Glucose Revolution is good. This really works for me.

sleep and hydration - prioritise and make a good routine as consistent as possible (I know this is hard)

I assume you’ve cut out all foods that are known to be triggers?
chocolate, hard cheese, wine etc?

Migraines are known to be hormonal and related to menstrual cycle (eg many people don’t get when they are pregnant). If you notice this can you try contraception that stops your period? You’ll only be able to take progesterone only pill but could also try coil etc

I would really advise trying a different triptan. Sumatriptan was no good for me but Zomig tablets (zolmitriptan) were great- I think you need to try some different ones to see what suits. My mother had success with rizatriptan.

That’s interesting you’re got worse in pregnancy!

Mine completely went away, and I understood this was quite common but sorry to hear that wasn’t the case for you!

(They came back worse than ever post partum)

I feel this. I have the hemiplegic type and I've tried Botox, daith, amitriptyline, propranolol, topamax and the injections

Topamax was by far the worst thing I've ever had. Amitriptyline helps a bit but the injections help the most.

They're so bad I have given up driving for safety reasons (DVLA said I was fine to continue 😯 but I most certainly wasn't!)

What mg of propranolol were you taking? I’m on 80mg a day and it’s changed my life - docs usually start you off on 10mg or a small dose that’s unlikely to have much effect.

I had migraines for 30 years. I tried everything including triptans and Amitriptylene. Western herbalism and Chinese medicine combined cured them permanently.

The gps and specialist thought it was likely to be oestrogen increasing which was causing it. Does make sense as I get them mid-cycle when I ovulate. Luckily they calmed down in the third trimester as it was unsafe to take them then.

I found nothing would really stop my migraines once they'd begun, apart from a soluble aspirin in full-sugar/caffinated coke, but that didn't always work, if I didn't take it quickly enough. I did a lot of reading around the possible causes of migraines, hoping I could perhaps find a way of preventing them starting in the first place...

Research seems to suggest that certain vitamin supplements may help manage migraine episodes. I take daily high dose magnesium, riboflavin (vitamin B2) and vitamin D, and have barely had an attack for the last two years - apart from a few hormonal ones around the time of my period. Thoroughly recommend trying supplements for a couple of months! The Migraine Trust website explains some of the scientific thinking behind this approach - but obviously it may not work for everyone!

Edit: I also take evening primrose oil (for PMT), so that may perhaps help too, as it has an anti-inflammatory effect. It's certainly banished period-related breast pain, anyway.

If you get caught out you can buy 50mg tablets over the counter.

Im another one recommending trying amitriptyline. Been suffering with migraines for last couple of years to the point recently where I was taking 2/3 sumatriptan a week. Dr has put me on 10mg amitriptyline and definitely made a slight difference, just upped the dose this week and hoping that will really help

As well as looking at medication, do you have any idea what your triggers are? I had daily migraines when young - no doubt kicked off by hormones. But I kept notes and my triggers were cheese (the biggest one), stuffy rooms, certain kinds of electric light, too large gaps between meals. Maybe worth keeping a diary?

Hi OP,

I’m in my early 50s and one of my earliest memories from age 5 or so was someone telling me I was too young to get such debilitating migraines.

Having had brain scans and injections, all the Triptans, many neurologists, it took one amazing GP to prescribe an epilepsy med called Topiramate.

Game changer - might be worth investigating.

Wishing you well.

I saw an osteopath this week and my whole neck, shoulders and skull were incredibly painful, the fascia was rigid. I am going to see if that can ease it. And then look into medication too.

my triggers are stress from being a carer. It’s very obvious but not something I can change. Sleep is unpredictable and life is incredibly tiring.

I found this information page from The Walton Centre (NHS clinic) really helpful. Lots about the causes and treatment of migraines.

https://www.thewaltoncentre.nhs.uk/adc-library?vid=13248

Where do you live? Dr David cottrell at Spire Bristol was very thorough at investigating mine and making suggestions. I’ve not had to change medications but my migraines are much better controlled

This might seem like a trite suggestion but try magnesium supplements. They helped reduce the occurrence of migraines in a family member. Also increase water intake especially if taking magnesium.