Mith

Hello, this will be my second post at this esteemed establishment. Anyway, I did a bit of a search, not a large one mind, and the only migraine thread I found was some guy with an eye pain and someone who got breast reduction.

I suffer from migraines. I first had one at the age of 11. Now, at the age of 21 migraines have seriously effected my life. For 2.5 years of my high school career I had a migraine. I went to the doctor about once a week. After numerous tests, a neurologist, many different prescriptions and a painkiller addiction, I finally broke that 2.5 year cycle about 3 years ago. I no longer take prescriptions for migraines and I am able to enjoy my life far more than I used to.

I still get migraines somewhat frequently. Thanks to stress, and a weakness for dairy, along with a possible side effect of my antidepressant, I get a migraine on average of once a week. My migraines can have myriad symptoms but usually include: sensitivity to light, sound, and smell; numbness of my face, fingers and toes; aura, fatigue, nausea, and loss of balance.

Yes, this is very disruptive to my day. I have found that some countermeasures are effective.

1. Know your triggers and avoid them.

This is my biggest problem. I lurvs ice cream. Seems whenever I get my hands on ice cream I eat about a pint and get a migraine afterward. This is something I can avoid with just a little self control. There are other triggers that are far beyond my control like the weather. Barometric pressure changes usually detrimentally effect my well-being.

2. Exercise.

Amazing how much this helped. Keeping the blood flowing is good.

3. Vitamins and minerals, some herbs.

It's a good idea to take a multivitamin that is not like a Centrum or One-A-Day, something you can actually absorb. Personally, I take a goodly amount of calcium, magnesium, zinc, maca, feverfew, vitamin B complex, and some Claritin. Granted, this is my way of treating it. Be sure to consult your doctor.

4. Chill out.

Many migraines are stress related. One of the factors of my breaking that 2.5 year cycle was me leaving high school. Very helpful. A lot of people don't relax enough. Your job isn't THAT important, that you must drive yourself to pain. Take a step back, chill, get some perspective, and carry on. Smoke a stogie, get laid, do something relaxing, I don't recommend drinking though, the whole hangover/migraine combination ain't fun I know.

5. Early treatment at onset.

Says it all right there. If you know you got one, take something!

6. Chiropractic.

This is personal experience talking here. Helped me tremendously and I just found on in my area that does it super CHEAP!

A dee a dee a dee that's all folks! If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll answer to the best of my knowledge and experience. Remember, I ain't no brain scientist.

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Mith

hambone

maybe it was just psychological, but I used to get them a lot and once I got my wisdom teeth taken out, they DRAMATICALLY reduced in frequency. It could have been due to other life changes or the absence of stress, but just thought I would throw it out there.

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"Like liquid white from fallen glass,
Nothing to cry over"

ShaniFaye

Being the "breast reduction person" Im going to weigh in here. I've suffered with Migraines since I was 13, if you do the math thats 26 years. Artificial sweetner is a MAJOR trigger for me. I cannot, absolutely cannot ingest it without getting one, a big one. My boobs were another cause, but now that they have taken 4 pounds of those, I've not had one since October, because I am diligent in watching what I eat.

Yes, Im very glad to say my days of throwing up into a bucket in the darkness of a closet are seemingly over.

My daughter is now having the problem (she is 13) and we have found that artificial sweetner is her trigger as well

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

Mith

Good to hear that your suffering is reduced. Interesting that your daughter's trigger is the same. Sometimes stuff like that makes me think that L. Ron Hubbard had it right with Dianetics... just kidding.

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Mith

inharmony

I also get migraines. I was diagnosed with 'menstraul migraines'. I take some meds to keep mine at bay. And yes exercise helps greatly.

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Ghandi

"Things do not change: We change"
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JStrider

I used to get really bad migraines, for as long as I could remember being a child, up untill about the end of highschool

Vision blobs, and bright lights and sounds were painful, would throw up.
always sucked... as I got older I learned to tell when they were starting to come on, and sometimes a large dose of ibprofin would get rid of it, sometimes not.

once I hit highschool they seemed to gradually happen less often, and finally they appear to have stopped completely... havnt had one in the past 6ish years.

We did look for a trigger, for a while keeping detailed logs of what I ate, but could never come up with a common element.

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-=JStrider=-

~Clatto Verata Nicto

-Ever-

Sorry to hear about your problems. A 2.5 year migrane sounds unimaginable.

I personally have been getting one migrane a week recently. I have Imitrex but I really hate how it makes me feel. After all these years of getting them, I have finally found my personal migrane-killer: Caffeine! A simple mocha or Red Bull treats it real well. It's quite amazing to be honest. Try it out next time.

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Embracing the goddess energy within yourselves will bring all of you to a new understanding and valuing of life. A vision that inspires you to live and love on planet Earth. Like a priceless jewel buried in dark layers of soil and stone, Earth radiates her brilliant beauty into the caverns of space and time. Perhaps you are aware of those who watch over your home And experience of this place to visit and play with reality. You are becoming aware of yourself as a gamemaster...
--Acknowledge your weaknesses--

hambone

careful with the caffeine though. It also can kill them for me, but I have some friends where it makes it much worse.

btw, i woke up at like 2:30am last night with a horrible horrible migraine. Been a while since I had one and this was a baddy. Don't miss that at all.

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"Like liquid white from fallen glass,
Nothing to cry over"

tecoyah

I generally shy away from talking about it because of the stigma associated with the concept, but what the hell. My wife has had Migranes from the age of 7, and was medicated for most of her life. She still gets them, but I use Reiki on her as needed and it helps quite a bit......something to consider anyway.

pig

an ex of mine used to get migraines about once a month or so that would lay her low. i was speaking to her a little while back, and apparently she's found that she's allergic to glutein. after cutting off the wheat products, she's apparently home free. me, i've never had them...but best of luck to those of you that do.

god, i can't imagine having to choose between beer and a headache. awful nasty.

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hambone

I do tend to get these more often after beer....oh well, guess I will still be getting some headaches.

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"Like liquid white from fallen glass,
Nothing to cry over"

Cyborg Ninja

I get migraines but they are the least of my health troubles. Birth control often has a "side effect" of lessening the occurrence of migraines. A lot of migraines are tied to hormones.

Craven Morehead

In my case beer isn't really the trigger but having a few beers after a stressful week can trigger a migraine as it causes me to relax too suddenly. I'm fine under stress but sometimes I'll decompress to quickly and get a migraine. That means usually it ruins a weekend. Used to get them much more frequently than I do now. They suck.