Migraines

Any help with those? Mine are usually triggered due to heat/stress/lack of sleep
And it becomes too severe for me to concentrate on anything else..
any cures, remedies, precautions?

Mon. Oct 24, 12:59am

I have them too

I'm currently struggling with the same problem. Mine have recently changed though, so I'm going through a slew of tests with my doctor to find the cause. I've read that they can be triggered my food a lot of the time. I've started to keep a journal. I log everything I ate, how I felt that day, any medicines/vitamins I took, when I went to bed, when I woke up, etc. I'm hoping I'll be able to find a pattern that way.

I've read that the main triggers for most people seem to be red wine, chocolate, caffeine, MSG, high nitrate foods (hot dogs, sausage), nuts, and smoked or pickled foods.

Monday, October 24, 2005, 6:08 AM

Tracking helps

I have suffered from migraines since I was a child and I was diagnosed with migraines only last year but have finally gotten them under control. The biggest tip that I find contributed to helping me was tracking your foods and stresses. My doctor had me keep a "headache diary" for 6 weeks. Everything I ate, drink, felt a headache, symptoms, things I was doing, stress levels for the day, ANY & EVERYTHING I could think of. While it was a very daunting and time consuming activity my doctor was able to take it and build a medication regiment that has gotten my migraines under control. I used to get them 3 - 5 times a week and now I am getting them 3 - 5 times a year.

The best medication I am on now is Amitriptyline, which I take nightly at 30 mg doses; it helps with sleep and headaches. Since I have been on this I have barely had migraines. The other is Isometh, which I only take during a migraine occurrence but it makes me nauseous so there is anther pill for that, but it makes me dizzy and there is another pill for that, so I avoid taking it unless I absolutely cannot deal with the migraine. I would recommend talking to your doctor.

The other important aid was the food diary. Tracking what foods you ate right before you started getting symptoms will help a lot. I discovered that hot dogs & caffeine (in excess) were problematic is the amounts I was in taking. There are many websites that list foods that are triggers. You can google them.

Monday, October 24, 2005, 11:46 AM

I also suffer from migraines-I had a major one just 5 weeks ago that lasted a full week. the doctor prescribed something (sadly, I don't remember the name) that did no good at all. The food journal is an excellent idea. I'm keeping track of what I've been eating this week as I have an appointment on Thursday with a new doctor for a physical, and I'm going to mention my migraines. My one weakness is peanut butter, but I am trying to just limit myself to a spoonful on my oatmeal in the mornings. I also know that exercise helps, but that's almost impossible when a migraine wakes me in the mornings!!!

Monday, October 24, 2005, 4:12 PM

I had migraines for years and tried everything. I would get one and not be able to function for a few days. I would need complete quiet, sleep and darkness, sometimes I would get sick, dizzy and see double. They went away when I left my husband, imagine that. I was so stressed and miserable it was making my have migraines. I recently started getting a different kind of headache, my doc still isn't sure what they are. I have tried 4 different kinds of meds, none of which work. I have been tracking my food and everyday feelings for a while now and the only thing I can see is that I usually get them on days I eat dairy and don't get enough sleep. I will be having a scan done to make sure i'm ok. Hopefully they will just go away as well.

Monday, October 24, 2005, 4:35 PM

TO THE ABOVE POSTER...

You sound almost like me! I've had regular migraines (with aura) my whole life, but just recently have started getting a different kind of headache. My new ones occur every day. I am going on Friday for a full blood test and for an MRI to see if they can find the cause.

Isn't it stressful? I keep going online and getting myself all worked up over everything under the sun that I could possibly have. It's ridiculous. I hope they can just tell me what's causing it so that I can relax.

Good luck to you...I feel your pain.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005, 2:22 PM

To the person who gets headaches like mine. I was getting them on a daily basis as well, thats strange, i'm glad theres someone out there who can relate. I no longer get them daily since I stopped dairy, but I do get them about 2x week. I take everything and then some to help, so far I have found a mix of drugs that actually helps but I would never suggest someone else try it. I take a couple of midrin when I feel it coming on with a cup of coffee, then in an hour I take 2 imitrexs, in another hour I take an 800 mg of ibuprofen with more coffee. I'm good for a couple of hours then I pop several excedrin tension headache pills, this will usually last a good while then about an hour before dinner I take 2 mor midrin and 1 immitrex. I know its an insane mix of meds but I don't care anymore, I am sick of not being able to function. I don't have any faith in the MRI I will be having. I think this is just something I will have to deal with. I have changed my whole diet, I eat healthier, exercise every day and still I get them. I hope you have some luck. I would love to hear what your doc has to say.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005, 9:59 PM

The doctor prescribed Midrin to me during the last major migraine I had (that last a week), and it did nothing. I've actually been taking Fever Few daily-anyone have good luck with that? I used to go months without them, and now I get one at least once a week.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005, 4:18 PM

Women with chronic migraines are often sensitive to foods that contain red food dye. You might want to be on the look out for that; it could be a trigger.
Good luck! Feel better.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005, 4:30 PM

I get migraines early mornings and they spoil my whole day .. Basically it says good morning to me :(

Thursday, October 27, 2005, 6:29 AM

I have gotten migraines at least 2X a week for years, 11 to be exact, I have tried everything. Nothing helped but sleep and darkness and NO noise. A new friend suggested I try acupuncture, at first I thought she must be joking, but after some time I thought hell, what harm could it do, a lot less then all the drugs I was taking. So I did some research and found a doc. At 1st I was skeptical, but after going for for 2 weeks I hadn't had a migraine. Its now been 2 years and I think in those 2 years I have only had 2 migraines. I now go every other week and find it to be a very relaxing and pleasant experience. I find myself calmer, more peaceful and centered when I leave as well. I don't think I will ever stop. Maybe it could work for others as well. You have nothing to lose.

Friday, October 28, 2005, 12:07 AM

Migraines

My sympathies on the migraine s--I suffered for years and took various meds, etc. The medication I take once I have a migraine, is Immitrex. However, when I started to get migraines way too often my doctor suggested that I take Atenolol--it's a beta blocker which I take every night before I go to sleep. Latest research indicates that it prevents migraines if taken daily. While I didn't really like the idea of having to take a new med. daily, the devastating effects of regular migraines coupled with what I had read-- that pain from migraine headaches can have serious long term effects and that people with migraines are more prone to having strokes, etc., convinced me that it was worth a try. I'm happy to say that I haven't gotten a migraine in months, now that I'm on this med. I highly recommend discussing this treatment with your doctor. Good luck.

Sunday, November 6, 2005, 7:16 PM

Feverfew

Yes, my husband is trying the herb feverfew for his migraines. The brand he is using is MigraFew by Nature's Way. So far, it does seem to be decreasing the frequency and severity of attacks, but the jury is still out.

Monday, November 7, 2005, 6:12 AM

Feverfew

Sorry, I misspelled the brand my husband is using. It is MygraFew (with a Y instead of an I) by Nature's Way.

Monday, November 7, 2005, 6:17 AM

I used to get migraines. Cut out wheat and artificial sugars, and they're gone. It usually is a dietary thing, and while prescriptions can dull the pain, or "prevent" them, controlling them by what you do or don't eat is a much healthier way.

Saturday, January 14, 2006, 9:57 PM

Be careful and make sure to talk to your doctor about your headaches. My friend's mom suffered from them and it turned out that she had some brain aneursyms that were close to rupturing. Thank goodness she had them checked out.

Also, I have a friend who is highly sensitive to MSG and found out that it can be hidden quite effectively in lots of foods!!! AND, it doesn't always have to be labeled as MSG if it "naturally occuring".

If you type in a search for MSG sensitivity, you'll find a lot of list of potential offenders.... Most notorious are soups that are prepared in a restaurant--virtually all of them contain onions (a natural MSG source), MSG or soy (another natural MSG source), or "natural flavorings" that could cause a problem...

Good luck!

Sunday, January 15, 2006, 7:04 PM

I started getting migraines when I was 9. Nobody was certain what triggered them, my doctor thinks that puberty could have been a factor. Over the years I have cut out Chocolate (anything with cocoa), peanuts and things with peanut oils, and then later in life I learned to stay away from red wines. I don't get them as often as I used to. Cutting out certain things, then adding yoga , medatation, and a full 8 hours of sleep a night has helped make my migraines less frequent. My doctor still hasn't figured out why I have them, but at least I have them some what under control now.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:00 PM

I've had migrines for the past 10+ years. Normally I would only have 1 or 2 a month, each for 1 day and excedrin taking the pain away. But the past 2 months, I had at least one a week, lasting 1-3 days. I went to the doctors, she gave me Zomig to try and switched my birth control pills. It has been 2 weeks since I changed birth control and haven't had a migraine, yet. I don't know if Zomig works for me, since I haven't had a migraine yet.
The only causes I know for me are when I work out too hard, eat splenda, certain birth control pills, and before my period.
My dr did say if I still had problems, I would need to see a neuroligist. That is the best bet.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:53 PM

to the above poster

Have you tried eliminating gluten/wheat from your diet. My sister was having terrible headaches and it turned out she was gluten intollerant like my mom and I. It's hereditary, and about .8% of people in the US are allergic to gluten. My advice would be to eliminate wheat for 2 weeks and see how you feel.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 3:55 PM

rebounding

Wow-last year I felt just like this & just did not care anymore about anything! My pain was so bad I couldn't get out of bed 2-3 days at a time. I had dizziness, my blood pressure dropped, no strenghth, white flashes in my eyes. Just pain! I had mri's, mra's, catscans, xrays..all they did was cost me alot of $$ & I had no answers. Then thru I friend I found I was rebounding. Taking too much meds at a time. They didn't have time to work before I took more so I was overmedicating myself. I started waiting longer in between pain killers(and suffered!) I then did a liver cleanse & then a colon cleanse. We are full of toxins & they need to be eliminated. Caffine was the hardest to give up--your amount sounds like full overload! Things I eat make alot of difference. Soda, sugars, flour, salts--worst headache triggers. After my cleanses & a couple trips to a massage therapist I returned to work after being off for 8 weeks trying to feel better and get answers. I still need to depend on my excedrin for tension at times,but its limited (thats from my lifestyle:) Hope this helps & GOOD LUCK!

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 10:39 PM

cleansing

Look at the top of this forum & there is a site about cleansing. I tried a liver cleanse then did a colon cleanse. What a difference! Go to this website and help yourself to overcome the pain by cleansing....

Sunday, September 23, 2007, 10:46 PM

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