Anyone get migraines here?

[Liz]

I probably wouldn't consider posting this, but I've had a really painful migraine all day. I get them quite often. I can't take some of the newer medications because I have a blood problem and the medications are contraindicated.

My more frequent (about weekly) migraines aren't as painful as today's. I can usually get through a day's work. However, once in a while I get one of those almost unbearable ones like today. I haven't done one thing today except try to relieve the pain, mostly to no avail. It's getting a bit better now, so it will probably leave by the time I'm sound asleep - hopefully. I usually take Excedrin, and it takes the edge off. When I get a bad one, I take Fioricent, but that too only takes the edge off the more painful ones.

Interesting - I discovered about 6 months ago that when I eat ice-cream, the pain goes away - but only while I'm eating it. It returns as soon as I finish. I can't eat too much or it nauseates me. But I do wonder what it is in ice-cream that makes the pain temporarily go away. I tried ice-cubes, but it doesn't work. I did read an article that someone is working on ice-tongs that seem to relieve the pain - you put them on your gums But I haven't heard anymore about that. Maybe there is something to the cold, but then why won't ice-cubes work?

Sometimes I can go to sleep, but today the pain was too intense.

If anyone here gets them, what do you do for them? I'm always looking for ideas. Actually they are somewhat hereditary and my mother had them more frequently, and they lasted almost 3 days. Yikes!

Liz

[walterick]

Hey Liz. I'm sorry to hear about your migraines. My girlfriend gets them and she usually pops a pill and lies down. She has limited success in beating them though.

I haven't heard of a successful "home" treatment for them yet. But it seems to me that there is sometimes an environmental trigger; sometimes. Have you identified any pattern with your migraines? The simplest explanation would be stress but I know that is probably too simply for this problem.

My best thoughts with you! Hang in there Hopefully somebody here has a good trick!

[ken1953]

Hi Liz, sorry to hear about your pain!!! I used to get them and then one day they just stopped. I've only had one or 2 in the last 10 years. Thank goodness...but now I'm starting to get allergy head and body aches, and of course old age aches and pains..hehe...no one has been able to diagnose which allergies I have as it takes an act of congress to get me tested at the VA...sheesh...so I just sit here and suffer. I am taking an allergy pill twice a day, but this is the worst year I've ever had and I've been miserable. I'll be glad when the rains stop and the temps rise, since we figure my allergies are related to molds and mildew...
As for the Ice Cream, it might have something to do with the cold since extreme cold deadens some nerves. Try sucking on a piece of ice and see if it does the same thing. If it does, then you know it's the cold, If it doesn't help....then you know that I am full of it and it's something in your ice cream!!! hehehehehe Good luck and I hope yours just suddenly disappear like mine did. Same wish for your g/f Rick!!!!
Ken

[Liz]

Have you identified any pattern with your migraines? The simplest explanation would be stress but I know that is probably too simply for this problem.

Yes. I used to have them once in a while, and wasn't sure of why. However, since I was in a car accident about 4 years ago, I get them much more frequently. Now, almost every time I pick up something (not very) heavy, I get one. You have to live, you know! Even picking up the trash on pick up day many times gives me a migraine.

Chocolate - I can usually eat chocolate, but when I'm under stress, the combination of chocolate and stress work together to give me a migraine. Go figure.

Thanks for the kind wishes, Rick.

Liz

[mwfanelli]

A friend of mine got severe migraines several times a month. Botox treatments helped her quite a bit, reducing the strength of the pain by a huge amount as well as their frequency.

[paulnj]

Chriropractic adjustments to the C spine(neck) should help. I went to one 2-3 times a week for 4 years. Sometimes I would get a slight headache, but if I had one it releaved the tention and my mograine was gone in a few hours.

I have had them for 25 years, and have had every test known to man and tried every drug up until 8 years ago. Nothing worked great, but believe it or not.... 6 ADVIL helped alot. I wouldn't advise taking a fist full of advil though!!

I take Advil for a few bottles, then back to excedrin migraine or tension headache. Switching back and forth seems to get them to work better after prolonged use.

[Sebastian]

A friend of mine has had really bad ones since her car accident as a child. Hers are triggered by ice cream, opposite of you. Have you tried sucking on ice cubes? I wonder if the cold would have the same effect.

[Liz]

A friend of mine got severe migraines several times a month. Botox treatments helped her quite a bit, reducing the strength of the pain by a huge amount as well as their frequency.

That's Micheal....I think I heard about Botox once before. I'm willing to look into everything. My headache is basically gone, but my neck is sore for some reason today and I know that the headache can easily come back.

Thanks

Liz

[Liz]

I've tried Advil - but only 3 at one time. They don't help. The Fioricet combined with 2 Excedrin takes the edge off. Although last night even that didn't help.

BTW, I just read the label for Excedrin and it says not to take more than 2 within a 24 hour period. Hmmmmmmm.....I usually take 2 every 4 hours when I have a bad headache up to 6 in 24 hours. O well......

Also - if you read the label, Excedrin extra strength has exactly the same ingredients as Excedrin Migraine - strength and all. It just has a different color box and label.

If I take 2 Advil every night I usually don't get as many migraines, but I hate to take pills every day. I have to go back to the doctor and get x-rays of my neck before I do anything else. It all began with a car accident - then another small accident was the catalyst for all the pain I've been having lately.

Liz

Chriropractic adjustments to the C spine(neck) should help. I went to one 2-3 times a week for 4 years. Sometimes I would get a slight headache, but if I had one it releaved the tention and my mograine was gone in a few hours.

I have had them for 25 years, and have had every test known to man and tried every drug up until 8 years ago. Nothing worked great, but believe it or not.... 6 ADVIL helped alot. I wouldn't advise taking a fist full of advil though!!

I take Advil for a few bottles, then back to excedrin migraine or tension headache. Switching back and forth seems to get them to work better after prolonged use.

[Liz]

A friend of mine has had really bad ones since her car accident as a child. Hers are triggered by ice cream, opposite of you. Have you tried sucking on ice cubes? I wonder if the cold would have the same effect.

Interesting. Actually after I ate some strawberry ice-cream last night, it got worse - along with nausea from the sugar. Go figure. Yesterday was one of my top ten big ones.....it was BAD!

One time I had some leftover Tylenol with Codeine, small dose that I had for pain after having a root canal. I took 1/2 of the pill and my migraine was gone within 30 minutes. But I'm not one to take pills. However, 1/2 of Tylenol with Codeine is better than 4-6 of Fioricent mixed with Excedrin.

BTW, yes I've tried ice-cubes and it they didn't work.

Liz

[paulnj]

I wouldn't take a daily dose of advil myself, but I may be wrong about advil being bad for you everyday?

Every chiropractor first Xrays you before ever touching you because every neck is different and nobody wants a lawsuit for worsening your situation.

[adina]

I get them. The dr says she thinks that my tmj issues (started when I was about 18) set them off. Used to be I needed a dark room and quiet, and a nap, then they'd be gone. Since I had kids, that's not an option. Now I don't have the tmj issues hardly at all, but I get the migranes.

Drs suggestion was either a daily pill to control them before they start, or contine what I was doing, which is when I feel them coming on, have a latte. The caffeine helps, and since it's basically milk and coffee, there isn't the sugar content of something like soda.

I get mild ones probably 3-4 times a week, and really bad ones once or twice a month. Fortunately, I have no problem sleeping when they come on. A hot bath also helps. Dr says mine are probably stress related (go figure), so the solutions I've been using reduce the stress, migrane fades.

good luck!

[SmartWombat]

The main migraine medicine here in the UK is paracetamol (acetaminophen) and codeine.
Over the counter is 8/500mg codeine/paracetamol.
It works well for Angie, she suffers badly from migraine.
I haven't had one, ever, unless you count the painless ones with impaired vision but no headache. Apparently I'm lucky. It's scary when I start seeing bright coloured trails in my vision, then it goes towards tunnel vision, with bright patterns around what little I can see.
But touch wood and whistle, I haven't had the splitting pain that Angie gets.

[Liz]

Thanks Adina,

I go through spells - sometimes I get mild ones 2-3 times a week, and a bad one about every 2 weeks. Other times I get really bad one a couple days a week. I can't take the usual preventative meds due to a blood problem that makes the meds contraindicated.

Caffeine helps me too, but not the bad ones. If I wake up in the middle of the night and feel one coming on I can usually stop it by taking a Fioricent and 2 Excedrin. But sometimes I make the mistake of thinking it will go away, and so get lazy and go back to sleep - then it's too late. It NEVER goes away by itself.

It's definitely stress related, but seems to be a combo. I can lift something heavy and not get a migraine. But if I'm stressed and lift something, I get the migraine.

My mother used to did before with yours - turn out the lights & go to bed. Thankfully, I can usually plow through a day with mine - unless I get one like yesterday.

Liz

I get them. The dr says she thinks that my tmj issues (started when I was about 18) set them off. Used to be I needed a dark room and quiet, and a nap, then they'd be gone. Since I had kids, that's not an option. Now I don't have the tmj issues hardly at all, but I get the migranes.

Drs suggestion was either a daily pill to control them before they start, or contine what I was doing, which is when I feel them coming on, have a latte. The caffeine helps, and since it's basically milk and coffee, there isn't the sugar content of something like soda.

I get mild ones probably 3-4 times a week, and really bad ones once or twice a month. Fortunately, I have no problem sleeping when they come on. A hot bath also helps. Dr says mine are probably stress related (go figure), so the solutions I've been using reduce the stress, migrane fades.

good luck!

[Liz]

I took Codeine (leftover from toothache) once and it went away immediately. But Tylenol (Acetaminophen) and Codeine isn't sold over-the counter here unfortunately.

I've had the vision kind too - sometimes they are followed by the headache. When it's not followed by the pain, they call it a "silent migraine" which is fine with me. But yes, I agree, it's scarey.

Liz

The main migraine medicine here in the UK is paracetamol (acetaminophen) and codeine.
Over the counter is 8/500mg codeine/paracetamol.
It works well for Angie, she suffers badly from migraine.
I haven't had one, ever, unless you count the painless ones with impaired vision but no headache. Apparently I'm lucky. It's scary when I start seeing bright coloured trails in my vision, then it goes towards tunnel vision, with bright patterns around what little I can see.
But touch wood and whistle, I haven't had the splitting pain that Angie gets.

[another view]

My wife gets bad headaches fairly often (no jokes, please ). She's a big fan of BC powdered aspirin. I've taken it for bad headaches before and it helps like nothing else OTC. As long as you can get past the incredibly bad taste, anyway!

[Liz]

My wife gets bad headaches fairly often (no jokes, please ). She's a big fan of BC powdered aspirin. I've taken it for bad headaches before and it helps like nothing else OTC. As long as you can get past the incredibly bad taste, anyway!

Is that just what it sounds like? Just powdered aspirin? Whoa! I think my stomach would definitely reject that!

Liz

[adina]

I would think you mix it with water?

I've had the vision issues as well. Never realized that could be related. They are scary. Fortunately, never while driving.

[another view]

It's just powdered aspirin but it's very strong - may have caffeine in it too. I just know it works... It comes in small envelopes, empty it out on your tongue (trying not to gag) and drink a glass of water. Maybe the headache goes away because the only thing you can think about is that taste. It works for us.

[zrfraser]

I don't get migraines, but I do have a bad back and bad knees from weightlifting accidents and I'm only 21, but if you saw me get up you would think I am about 65. You can take BC and mix it with a little bit of Coca Cola maybe 4 oz and and just keep it in your mouth for a few seconds and then swallow. It takes care of the bad taste and gives you a little boost. I used to be able to do it, but I am hypoglycemic and the sugar and caffeine don't mix well. When I crash I crash hard.

Z

[Liz]

I don't get migraines, but I do have a bad back and bad knees from weightlifting accidents and I'm only 21, but if you saw me get up you would think I am about 65. You can take BC and mix it with a little bit of Coca Cola maybe 4 oz and and just keep it in your mouth for a few seconds and then swallow. It takes care of the bad taste and gives you a little boost. I used to be able to do it, but I am hypoglycemic and the sugar and caffeine don't mix well. When I crash I crash hard.

Z

Hmmmmm....I'm slightly hypoglycemic. I think I'll stick to the Excedrin. Less painful all around - except it makes me somewhat irritable.

Liz

[barb_48]

I use to get migraines years ago, the cause was the birth control pill. I stopped taking the pill and never had a migraine since and that's roughly 25 years now.
Good luck in trying to find help.