Migraine sufferers assemble: Please share your wisdom

For me, de-stressing was the fix. And, for me, worrying about diet would just be something else to stress about.

Check that you are sufficiently hydrated, it can trigger a migraine and is often overlooked. Drink two or three glasses of water at the first sign of a migraine and see if that helps.

Also see if strong coffee helps you when you experiencing a migraine attack. Although it is claimed that caffeine can be a trigger it can also help get over an attack quicker.

Identifying the true triggers has to be the start point, but is often not easy.

Eventually I realised that mine were 100% musculoskeletal in origin. Some regular, targeted stretches mean I now average one every 6 months or so.

Up to that point I tried everything. Blood sugar, alcohol, caffeine, dairy. Everything. On the treatment side I used triptans, but came to realise they just sped up the process whilst having some very odd side effects - my hands often felt like they were floating and my arms felt like lead.

From the OP it sounds like general stress is part of the reason. But, for example, does this stress originate at work and does it mean you are sat looking at a screen for longer than usual? If you do narrow it right down you can take action to avoid it and you'll feel less panicky and stressed if you feel more in control of it.

Best of luck - debilitating migraines are horrible and mine left me incapacitated for six hours minimum. I could barely see for the first hour!

Check that you are sufficiently hydrated

This winds me right up, I know people mean well but to think I don't know it's a trigger just annoys me.

Anyway in response to the OP, I used to really suffer and was prescribed propanol, have built up to a dose that works well and still get a migraine every now and then (had on last week just usual worry about going back to work).
Exercise wise I've not noticed a difference.

One left field advice is juggling. Apparently you brain is working hard to track balls and move your hands that you lose focus on the migraine.
I thought it was BS but was desperate, it helps with "minor" migraines but not sure if that was the juggling or running around the house for dropped balls.
"Proper" migraines where light just hurts it's 2x cocodimol and 2x cuprofine and lay in a dark room hoping to sleep it off. But they are now the exception and not regular though "storms" do happen about once a year.

Edit: Oh surprisingly if a bad headache is on, going for a gentle bike ride always seems to help but getting out the house is a battle sometimes.

work stress and poor lifestyle habits

Fix that first. Treat the cause, not the symptoms.

For me the only thing which ever touched it was Imigran Recovery, which is one of the Tripan family IIRC. I've not had one in years now thank your deity of choice, but they're bloody horrendous things and anyone who suffers regularly has my utmost sympathy. Back when I had my first one I genuinely thought I was dying.

Prescription Sumatriptan works for me but I only get a severe pain behind the eye, no halos or anything. Imigran recovery is the same but available over the counter usually with guidance from the pharmacist.

I take the supplement Dolovent/Migravent, which seemed to reduced the frequency and severity me, and anecdotally for others too. It was recommended by my consultant as “worth a go”.

A study sponsored by the manufacturer says it totally works.

I also tried amitriptyline for a while which made a huge difference but I don’t like the side effects.

Water, co-codamol and a bit of peace and quiet asap when one starts coming on!

2x Zapain (30/500 codeine/paracetamol) and a Sumitriptan work for me if taken at the first signs.

Almost all mine come from tension in my neck and shoulders, the Sumitriptan makes my upper traps feel drunk when it kicks in.

Also a cool quiet dark room to lie down in, not much chance of that if the family is in...

My daughter was plagued with migraines from being very young. Then, aged17 ( last year) her friend mentioned teeth grinding in  her sleep. We took a not very expensive chance on a top and bottom gum guard thing from Amazon. Instant relief and barely a headache since. It might be worth a try? She struggled to sleep for the first few nights but now? Life changing. Literally. She was unable to attend classes at University, it was getting that bad. Anybody suffering with migraines, so much more than a headache has my absolute sympathy.

Before trying drugs, have a couple of sessions with a decent physio to see if your neck/face muscles are tight. For some people, persistently tight muscles can impinge nerves and trigger something migrainey. If stress is a known trigger for you, are you clenching your jaw/neck muscles involuntarily?

I usually get them overnight/early morning so make myself have breakfast, coffee and paracetamol and get outside. Luckily I'm a gardener so that's easy enough. Wordt case scenario I have a nagging headache all day but it's bearable, usually it fades away. In the early days I would retreat to a dark room for a lie down but the migraine would just get worse and then I'd start throwing up. I've gotten better at spotting triggers, chocolate is one for me, and often I'll eat too much chocolate when I'm tired and stressed. I don't drink much anyway but that's another thing I'll avoid when tired.

One left field advice is juggling. Apparently you brain is working hard to track balls and move your hands that you lose focus on the migraine.

I reckon theres a lot of ball jugglers on here.

Check that you are sufficiently hydrated

This winds me right up, I know people mean well but to think I don’t know it’s a trigger just annoys me.

A lot of people don't realise that dehydration can be a migraine trigger, including long-term migraine sufferers. I have no idea whether the OP knew this, which is why I mentioned it. They are after all asking for suggestions. It wasn't aimed at you.

Another trigger is possibly getting stressed and really wound right up over innocuous comments 🙂

Edit: There are several theories as to why dehydration might cause migraines, including that dehydration thickens the blood. So it occurred to me that warfarin might be a cure.

A quick Google suggests yes :

https://academic.oup.com/pmj/article/70/819/37/7042412

A fellow sufferer.  Never have figured triggers, probably hormones.

Tried all sorts when younger and finally, as others got prescribed triptans. Almotriptan was fab but they stopped manufacturing it apparently so Sumatriptan now but that seems equally as good.

15 mins if I catch the start and pain subsides but leaves me feeling like muscle relaxant and woozy.

Recognising signs, not all are pain but things like yawning a lot (I get this the day before an attack), gut/head health, loss of appetite, sensitivity to smells

Don't know about anyone else but for those knock you out, sleep it off attacks I end up absolutely starving once the pain subsides!

@ernielynch I know it’s a trigger too. I also need regular reminders that it’s a trigger 😀

Well you got an unsolicited reminder through my comment aimed at the OP 🙂

Oldnick- same trigger as my migraines, starts with a stiff neck ache then migrates across my skull to behind the eyes. Had a course of physio but it didn’t really help. I grind my teeth as well.

@ernielynch wasn't a personal dig, I just get fed up of hearing it. Mainly from family who should know better.

I tried triptans and didn't get on with them.

Don’t know about anyone else but for those knock you out, sleep it off attacks I end up absolutely starving once the pain subsides!

I don't get hungry but the post migraine euphoria is weird (could be just glad they're over).

Really hard exercise can be a trigger as well for me but that seems to be a combination of a few things.

I grind my teeth as well.

You won't if you wear a night guard! Try it, you will no doubt get used to it far quicker than you probably imagine.

I believe there is a lot of evidence to suggest that neck/shoulder tension is a big issue for migraine sufferers. Along with jaw clenching it is an area where we carry a lot of tension.

Personally I would recommend trying a whole range of measures including relaxation exercises, meditation, and acupuncture. Although I would recommend those even if migraine wasn't an issue.

Migraine sufferer here too..

I have Tristan’s for the events, and thankfully aren’t needing regular daily meds to prevent.

One thing i found really useful was Botox.. it’s the same pattern of injections used to prevent wrinkles, but for me the reduction in forehead tension os massively noticeable. It’s literally a weight off my head/face, until the Botox wears off.

Not available on the NHS, but definitely worth thinking about

DrP

I don’t get hungry but the post migraine euphoria is weird (could be just glad they’re over).

I definitely get it some of the time. My vague theory is my body is dumping painkillers/dampening nerves like crazy and takes time to catch up with its over.
My migraines does seem to be a mix of muscular plus stress. Annoying mix since when work stressed I get too wound up to stretch/relax properly and hence its a vicious circle.
Luckily its still fairly light and when it happens I just hide in a darkened room for a while.

Having read that it’s the pain that makes you sick, I’ve started to not wait at the slightest hint of headache and take painkillers. If I can nip it in the bud I can quite often swerve it. Also ice. If I have to lie down in a dark room, a bag of ice on my head alternating with the back of my neck really makes a difference. It cuts through the pain and relaxes the muscles.

I’ve also reduced the frequency and severity with physio. That happened after I was so sick I put my back out… Turns out that the physiotherapist in Todmorden (if you’re anywhere near) is a headache specialist. She straightened out my neck and shoulders which made a difference.

My wife gets bad migraines. Immediate administration of Valerian normally solves it… and then sleep.

Given that @reluctantlondoner has likely tried a good deal of mainstream options, might I throw in a remedy from left-field that works reasonably well for my wife?

https://ambiancecade.com/en/burners/11-8614-boite-cadeau-lampe-merlin.html

We burn the lavender-flavoured cade wood powder. You light it, let it properly catch for 10-15 seconds, put the "lid" on gently (so as not to disturb the pile of wood powder) and it produces smoke. You just sit in the vicinity. It makes a very real difference.

Been suffering from migraines all my life.

Cannot tolerate triptans at all, so I have had to try some alternatives. A couple of years ago cannabidiol oil became available where I live, and decided to give it a try. It has been really helpful - I get 10 or 20% oil ie. that is the CBD content in the oil solution. When I feel a migraine coming, I take 30-100 mg of CBD sublingually, so place the oil under my tongue and do not swallow, because its absorbed there much better than in the stomach. Probably 70% of my migraines are alleviated within 15-30 minutes. And even the really bad ones - throwing up, needing to be in the dark with an icepack on the forehead - become less bad even if they don't fully go away.

See also - https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321653 and https://www.healthline.com/health/migraine/cbd-oil-for-migraines

If CBD alone does not help, I combine it with 1 gram paracetamol - they have a good synergy - paracetamol alone will not work much at all. CBD can also be redosed as much as needed, because there is no risk of any kind of overdose. It also will not make you feel intoxicated or groggy at all, which is great.

When I can stay at home, I also use green light to reduce the effects - https://hms.harvard.edu/news/green-light-migraine-relief

I bought a LED stage light that produces green light, I will put that shining in a darkened room, and it really does help. In the evenings I often have the green light as the only light source in the room, and I use a RGB keyboard set to green colour as well.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32903062/

Discussion: Green light emitting diodes significantly reduced the number of headache days in people with episodic migraine or chronic migraine. Additionally, green light emitting diodes significantly improved multiple secondary outcome measures including quality of life and intensity and duration of the headache attacks. As no adverse events were reported, green light emitting diodes may provide a treatment option for those patients who prefer non-pharmacological therapies or may be considered in complementing other treatment strategies. Limitations of this study are the small number of patients evaluated. The positive data obtained support implementation of larger clinical trials to determine possible effects of green light emitting diode therapy.This study is registered with clinicaltrials.gov under NCT03677206.

Hi @reluctantlondoner, I am very familiar with the doom loop. In fact, my own most recent doom loop (in Spring 2023) finally prompted me to tackle this.  So far, successfully.  My combo of reducing triggers and then sumatriptan for attacks works OK - but when it goes wrong (several times a year for me) it really goes wrong eh?  I'll assume you are aware of your triggers and good at managing them (and to be clear - I know people doing otherwise are well-meaning).  Where to go from here?  Is propranolol the answer?

For years, I said no to preventatives, on the grounds that the NHS offering was rubbish.  Because for most of our lives it has been:  try 3 things that probably won't work, hope 1 does, hope the 12-months of varied side effects are worth it. Game over.

The landscape has changed now.  Now, if you follow that same path and agree to try 3 things that probably won't work, hope 1 does, hope the 12-months of varied side effects are worth it then there is actually a prize at the end which *can* make even all that worth it:  referral to a specialist who can prescribe drugs which are much more likely to work.    So the stakes are initially the same, but the end point has changed.

Anyway, my migraines are better controlled than they ever have been and this happened in the first stage which I had always avoided (namely:  low-dose amitriptyline). Am I cured?  No. But my life is transformed and it's pretty clear that one of the three things I was offered that probably wouldn't work does, in fact, work for me.

In hindsight, I wish I'd tried something - anything - earlier.  But "probably won't work, nothing we can do if it doesn't" never engaged me.  Better the devil you know etc.

Anyway, you asked about propranolol.  Noone knows the answer for you - because it doesn't work for most people but for some it's amazing (which is the same as the other entries on the menu your doctor is choosing from).

The final obstacle which delayed me was that I found it impossible to get advice on how to choose what to try (which three?  what order?).  If that knowledge exists at all it resides in specialists and (where I live at least) you only get to see them if three attempts fail.  And (no offence to the GP, or GPs in the thread) there isn't much concentration of expertise in primary care on how to choose between the options.  Not least because there's no evidence for that choice (they all work, some of the time, for different people, noone really knows why or when).   It seems like you are at that stage.   I wish, at that stage, I had just made a choice, any choice, years ago and worked my way through the options.  So what you choose is, in my experience, less significant than jumping in.

Bear in mind: everywhere you go there will be more anecdotes about failure than success for all options, and more complaints about side effects from all options than not.  But the game is now, I decided, worth playing - and it worked for me.  The thing is I still don't think it's possible to choose what might actually work for you.  Choose which side effects to sample in which order (!), choose what fits your lifestyle, follow your gut, just go with propranolol because it's already been suggested and lacking anything else that's a headstart for it.  Whatever.  But I regret not doing something, and you should avoid doing that!

If something words, it'll change your life. If nothing from the first list works, get that referral and 14 months from now you will be on something which probably will.  Don't make the mistake I made of leaving that permanently 14 months in the future!

I've been there.  I accept I might end up there again.  But the biggest mistake I ever made was being too demanding about *which* choice to make when, as it turns out, *any choice at all* will at least get you on the way.

Some great suggestions here, thanks all.

Triggers a re a funny one - avoided wheat and grain and lager and all the good stuff for years as it would bring me to my knees. Then did a lot of work to heal my gut with probiotics and started consuming wheat again quite happily with no dramas. It now seems that it is dairy - in any form - that is out to get me.

Been on Amitrytaline for years, but I think it's stopped being effective, if it ever was. Triptans are a beautiful thing on bad days. Also had a mouthguard for about 25 years...

But the emphasis on physio and massage is worth looking at. And I am definitely open to the left field too.

Good luck to all the sufferers. It's a miserable and s****y thing to have migraine.

I’m lucky enough not to suffer from them but know people who do, horrible thing to live with and add in the stigma I know at least one person feels about calling work with “have a headache can’t come in”, I feel for anyone who does

I was reading a paper showing psilocybin and LSD trials showing good results for chronic headaches and migraine and there’s tonnes of anecdotal stories of people improving or curing them by using those. 50 years of propaganda are wearing off as well so you can even get them legally now in some places

Migraines are weird..

As a kid I had the classic features: terrible headache, photophobia, and sickness. I remember just lying in bed being sick ina  bucket.
Then in my late teens I developed visual aura (flashing lights in my field of vision)

Then a few years later and onwards, I now no longer get a headache as such,  but I get the visual aura, go "drunk", and just get a heavy head.

I mean, it's just as disabling as the original features, but no terrible pain!

The triptans do help if taken immediately, but then I feel 'hung over' afterwards.

A big trigger for me can be bright lights -looking out of a window with a low sun causes 'retinal burn' that you normally get, but it never goes, and develops into a migraine..

DrP

And, of course, since replying earlier I now have the visual disturbance/aura in my right eye. The world is shimmering. Triptan and a snooze coming right up.

I blame you lot, all this talk of migraines and now just over a two day headache (slowly getting worse over Sunday and yesterday till I gave up last night and went to bed at 8).

Was probably the weather as it's eased now it's raining properly.

Yep, migraine sufferer here.

A lot covered already above in terms of finding triggers (a complete bugger of a job) and the mix of medication vs alternative solutions.

For me they tried Amitriptyline but it seemed to do nothing and just mess up my mood so off that now. Then a Beta blocker was suggested which I vetoed. I'm probably at the point now where I know it's hit me so just thow down as much painkiller stuff as I can legally get my hands on, curl up in a ball in a dark room and whimper my way through the next 10-12 hours.

Slight hijack moment as I've actually just got back from a doctors appointment on the subject. Was sent for an MRI to rule out anything nasty and apparently the results show a possible "small vessel change/anomaly" which for my age should be a total mistake as I simply shouldn't have anything like that. He's told me not to panic and we're going to do some more tests but obviously like an idiot I jumped straight on to Google! "Small vessel disease biggest link to dementia" etc etc. Bother. So, any other migraine sufferers had anything ever mentioned around blood vessels? Doc did mention that constrained vessels could be a root cause of headaches/migraines but I suspect he was trying to hide behind the big scary bit. Any collective experience on link to migraines?

There was also mention of maybe a statins would be wise, but I need to do some serious research on that 1 as it seems to divide opinion more than 27 v 29.....

Possibly scary times ahead.

I used to get them, quite regularly when I’m an IT Helpdesk role. Switched to being a software developer and they more or less stopped, just the occasional one now & again - maybe two or three a year.

I’d get the visual disturbances first, then the flashing arc, then the headache, nausea & sickness.

if I took a pair of Migraleve pink at the first signs of something not right with my vision, I could prevent the worst of them, ending up with at worst a mild headache.

always followed by (a) constipation and (b) a craving for a good curry

haven’t had a migraine for at least a couple of years now - my stash of Migraleve is probably now past its Use By date

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/14/nhs-drug-acute-migraine-nice-medicine-england-wales

A wee update to this: I read a controversial book by a woman called Angela Stanton. Long story short, I have significantly upped my salt intake since reading her book and I am now 10 days without a migraine (though not without headache). She basically advocates very low carb eatingand paying fastidious attention to electrolytes.

Her FB page is fierce, but the book (Fighthing the Migraine Epidemic) is very interesting if, forgive the pun, you take it with a pinch of salt.

Ooh, reading the ‘things which might work’ post above (@savoyad), one of my friend had NHS prescribed Botox which works for some people. She kept a diary and the number and frequency noted meant she got access to a specialist prepared to try everything (along the lines of ‘what, you’ve been dealing with this for how long??’). For context she had changed jobs completely to one where taking days off at a time to lie in a darkened room could be compensated for by working overtime. It’s so horrid and debilitating.

I get them infrequently.  But i get the visual side 1st so i know its coming.  All I can do is take some migraleave and go and hide.

I used to get really bad nausea but now its just a fierce headache

Migraines are weird..

As a kid I had the classic features: terrible headache, photophobia, and sickness. I remember just lying in bed being sick ina  bucket.
Then in my late teens I developed visual aura (flashing lights in my field of vision)

Then a few years later and onwards, I now no longer get a headache as such,  but I get the visual aura, go “drunk”, and just get a heavy head.

I mean, it’s just as disabling as the original features, but no terrible pain!

The triptans do help if taken immediately, but then I feel ‘hung over’ afterwards.

A big trigger for me can be bright lights -looking out of a window with a low sun causes ‘retinal burn’ that you normally get, but it never goes, and develops into a migraine..

DrP

Mine have changed in s similar way.

A trigger for me that has not been mentioned is temperature change. The blowers over the door in a shop where you walk in from the cold, go through a hot air curtain and then into the airconditioned shop can do it for me. The worst thing is you have to go through it again to get out!

low sun, flicker, strong smells, percussive noises all can be triggers too.