Hormonal Migraine Awful awful pain- What works best for your hormonal migraines please？

[mechanicalpencil]

I am 46 , perimenopausal.

It is a very specific piercing pain on one side, like a drill, 48 hours plus.
Comes a couple of days before period due.

I am on amitriptyline which was prescribed by a neurologist but it doesn’t seem to help the hormonal headaches at all , although slightly helps the non hormonal migraine I also suffer from.

I used to keep Solpadeine max for these occasions but that doesn’t work anymore.

I was planning on mopping and cleaning the house today to get it ready forNY.

You have my utmost sympathies. I get this, and used to treat it by taking my usual zolmitriptan migraine pills for a run of 4/5 days starting with day before I expected it to start.

this coupled with both solpadeine and ibuprofen and full fat coke would dull it enough to function. GP said it was an unusual way to treat and they didn’t normally like Tristan’s being used for more than 3 days but I don’t get rebound headaches once I stop so happy for me to do this.

I have a mirena now as part of HRT and it’s much harder as I can’t predict when this will happen, so less treatable. Hoping when I get it out next week it will settle down again

I take sumatriptan.

I have tried all sorts but for me, the over the counter migraine relief tablets work best. They're just ibuprofen plus lysine, but so much more effective than ibuprofen on its own. Def worth a try.

I get these and am now on Candesartan which works but you need a neurologist to prescribe it. When I was having headaches and needed over the counter I found soluble asprin took the edge off and I sometimes took over-the-counter triptans (migraitan) which made me feel rubbish for a couple of hours but after that I had a window of a few hours where I had no headache before it came back (so use that today if you have jobs to do!). Cocodamol also helpful if you can't take NSAIDs. Mine go on for three days straight and I hated Amitriptyline with a passion. Keep seeing your GP so you can get logged in for different drugs. They will eventually find something that works but you need to keep going back and sometimes they can only prescribe you something if you have already tried three different families of drugs. I have had mine for more that ten years so it's a long slog. Oh and a GP friend of mine told me there is also a clinical trial that works for some people but they don't know why - 400mg riboflavin every day. Its a harmless vitamin but effective on some people. You can get it from health food shops but read up on it first. Good luck OP it's horrible.

I have hormonal migraines & epilepsy.

I buy sumatriptan online and I'm prescribed rizatriptan.

What helps me is to take a triptan with paracetamol asap, strong coffee or full fat coke and a kool pak from the freezer (you can buy them on Amazon) then bed! Anything cold to the head!

Also I was told by hospital, feet in as hot as you can stand water and an ice pack on the back of your neck, relieved mine for 1/2 hour.

They're horrible

I'm going to get some riboflavin! Interesting that other people rely on full fat coke. I thought it was just me.

Hormonal migraines are hard to treat, I have cheated and gone on the mini pill. No periods so no hormonal migraines. I still get regular migraines but I'm now on a new preventative that makes them easier to treat.

You can still use contraception if your having regular periods. Who knows what I'll do when I have to stop the pill as even triptains (I normally take eletriptain) struggle to control the pain with the hormonal one's.

They are the worst aren't they! I'm on topiramate as a preventative and zolmatriptan but the hormonal ones still break through and are horrible, probably a week including hangover.

I've been taking starflower oil, magnesium glycinate, vit d and vitb complex. I googled all studies on hormonal and am trying everything 😂, it actually does seem to be helping but takes a few months to settle.

Oh as well as riboflavin, (which my neurologist recommended but has never seemed to work for me) try a high dose magnesium suppliment I take this and although it's never reduced the number off migraines I do find it reduces the pain levels.

I loathe the taste of full fat coke but it really works on a migraine. When I get to the darkened room stage, I find that it helps to put on an audiobook or a drama from radio 4 or something. Just a story to focus on as a distraction from the pain.

thank you very much everyone.
It’s still here, hopefully gone by tomorrow.

Sumatriptan is the only thing that works for me.

I agree with full fat coke.

Another vote for mini pill - no periods, no migraines.

Came back with hot flushes - HRT helped a lot.

I tried all sorts of pain killers which barely touched the sides. Full of head pain, nausea etc the lot.

In the end I found that magnesium is really good at keeping them at bay long term. I take half a tab of High 5 electrolyte in a drink each morning and a spray or cream for my feet at night.

I used to swear by feminax in the blue packet but it's been discontinued now 😞 if you can get your doctor to prescribe naproxen, that is what was in it.

They are awful aren't they and sometimes nothing helps but sleep 😢

I take topiramate as a preventative but carry sumatriptan pens just in case. Since taking topiramate the migraines have disappeared but I get auras very rarely so I take a sumatriptan injection to stop it escalating. I’ve been prescribed Candesartan by my GP, I took a six month course and during that time I didn’t have a migraine. Unfortunately it didn’t offer the long term reset I’d hoped for. In terms of OTC medication, migraleve worked for me, up to a point. My biggest struggle was never with the actual migraine but with the ‘hangover’ afterwards, it could take a few days for me to get back to my old self.

I do this too, put on a podcast and lay in the dark.

ive never been prescriptive medication, I just take Advil. Interesting about the coke - I might try that. I find they get worse to the point I feel nauseous then I vomit and it actually releases the headache abit.

if I catch it early enough, eating something fatty can help, like nuggets and chips from kfc.

Atenolol daily has reduced them somewhat but Sumatriptan works if I take it before it reaches my temple and the drilling starts.
I still get them despite not having had a period since I had a Mirena fitted at 37. I'm 64 now.

My "normal" migraines go to - 900mg aspirin and paracetamol doesn't touch a hormonal one. All that takes the edge off is Nuramol and a sleep

I found solpadeine plus the best over the counter remedy. Plus carbs plus coke.

Also headache sounds on Spotify are a good distraction while you wait to fall asleep or
for it to start easing up.

Topiinate

Propranolol. This is a life saver.

A GP can prescribe Candesarten. I was on it for years - prescribed by my GP.

Literally nothing works on my hormonal migraines. I’m on Vydura now as a preventative and that has made them more bearable but none of my usual medications or tricks actual abort the migraine fully.

I take Bach Rescue Night Remedy to help me fall asleep and just try to sleep through as much of it as possible. Salty carbs help slightly too. I try not to take any painkillers as they don’t work, but sometimes pop a couple of Ibuprofen Lysine because I can’t bear not being proactive.