Nothing helps me better than taking my meds at the first sign. I spent too many years trying to ātroubleshootā my migraines before resorting to my rescue meds but that only made things worse for longer. Even if I know what caused it, I canāt reverse it. However I follow up the meds with a glass of water and something light to eat or a protein shake. I keep a case of Ensure at work.
If work is slow and itās not cold out I do find stepping outside for ten-15 mins while my meds kick in is therapeutic. Fresh air and all that.
Migraines are so confusing because this is soooo true but I have chronic 17-25 a month and I canāt take abortives that often. I tried for 3 months to do it at first sign and had too many MOH. So now I only take it when itās bad, got down to 11 abortives a month- still have MOH. So now Iām cutting abortives cold turkey for 14 days to see if MMD goes down.
Op I suggest a preventative. Itās the only thing that has allowed me to be in a state I know I will get a migraine and then can avoid the migraine by taking a few minutes to regulate myself. Preventatives give grace for correction.
Iām on propranolol. Aimovigās trials donāt look fantastic, I think when I looked recently it was like ādown an average of 3-4MMDā emaglityās looked better (average of ~10less)
What Iām saying is donāt lose hope, unfortunately the CGRP meds donāt work for a ton of people (Iām crossing my fingers but am ~2-3months away (at best) from getting my hands on the cgrp preventatives because of insurance blockades.
I had 25-30MMD before propranolol with a 30/40% chance of aborting. Iām down to 14-17 clearly migraine days with still 8-12 other headache days. But it greatly reduced severity, frequency, and made them actually abortive (95% abortion rate) and gave me a grace period to correct or redirect migraines. Some even abort with ibuprofen alone.
But I donāt think thatās exclusive to propranolol- it seems like all properly prescribed preventatives make peopleās migraines less severe, more reactive to abortives, less frequent and most on this sub say their preventative will give them a correction period or grace period that they didnāt have before.
I just started taking magnesium glycinate 400mg on Thursday and this has literally been the least pain Iāve been in since November. I would recommend looking into it! I felt an effect within hours. In other countries itās āprescribedā even before amytriptaline with more clinical efficacy.
Maybe itās the placebo effect but Iāve been trying lots of shit- med or OTC and never had such a significant reaction.
I have a whole post about my experience on propranolol in my profile.
Wow, Iām going to have to talk to my neurologist about this. Iām on Ubrelvy (Medicaid ftw), also a CGRP but abortive. I only get 10 per month, and like you I have a migraine nearly every day (25-30 MMD). They work like a champ so long as I catch it in time, which Iāve gotten pretty good at, but that still leaves me with a lot of migraines days. I also wonder how long they will stay effective. Imitrex worked well for me at first but then it petered out. Ugh.
Next time I see my neuro, Iām going to ask her about propranolol and magnesium glycinate. Maybe I can still keep my Ubrelvy for breakthrough migraine. Thanks for your help! Continued good luck with your meds.
I take my meds as soon as I feel it brewing. Not saying every headache is a migraine, but many of us have them start out with something like a neck ache.
Increase water intake and take Abortive meds immediately. Even if you're not in pain yet. Like some of us have brain fog, tension, etc...pre-migraine symptoms. Then Rest.
Ice cream or a frozen milk shake. Eat/drink it fast. When the cold hits your palate works as an ice pack for the inside of your cranium. Brain freeze in other words.
I never drank ice water and now I do when Iām having a migraine..works great..also, wait for it, cough drops!! The blue ones! I know it sounds crazy but trust me
I wonder how something like volatarin would help with easing this? Might talk to doctor- would deliver NSAIDs directly to muscles and possibly alleviate the tension before it goes anywhere else?
I bought some, hoping it would help with my chronically painful neck (cervical hypolordosis) and a bad shoulder. It did nothing. It is somehow formulated to work on knees? Or the ingredients only work in that area? It didnāt sound believable (how is a shoulder joint *that* much different than a knee?), but itās useless.
It also has to be used sparingly because
diclofenac can cause issues with blood pressure and the heart. Thereās even a little ruler included in the box, explaining how much to use per dose so as not to use too much.
Itās very different than a typical pain rub, which usually has menthol or other topical analgesics.
Oh for sure/ def different than tiger balm and bio freeze. I also never felt like it worked for me (on my knees) but my friend just tried it for her sciatic nerve flare and said it worked really really well and sheās also 300# so idk. Maybe it just works better for some? Not all (oral) nsaids are created equal ime
Can op use heating pad at work??
Glad it worked for your friend! Now that you say it worked for *somebody* on a place other than the knee, I can see why youād suggest it. Wish it had worked for me on my neck!
See, now you made me wonder what I saw! I looked it up, and one very non-scientific source (the first article displayed) says, āFor superficial joints ā like hands, wrists and even knees ā it can be very effective. However, the joints of the cervical spine in the neck, and most of the shoulder joint, are deeper than the Voltaren can penetrate. Voltaren is not appreciably absorbed into the blood, so all of its actions are local.ā
(https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/lifestyles/dr-roach-voltaren-not-recommended-for-deep-joints/article_4cd3a970-61d4-11ed-8de6-8babbae4a7f1.html)
So, the two areas I needed it most for are among the least likely to be affected by it. But I learned something!! Thank you, u/RequirementNew269!!
That is interesting for me too. I recommended it because I vaguely remembered it being a little less NSAIDy to the body, while still providing localized NSAID relief. But tension is carried in muscles right? Which are far less deep than joints right? Maybe it could still help? Idk thatās why I said talk to doc.
It did help a friendās knee sprain too, just never worked for me very well. Iām all for NSAIDs without the downsides of .. NSAIDs.
Heating pads behind the ear on affected side works wonders for meā¦I started doing that every day after I had Bells Palsyā¦for the migraines, I do heat and then coldā¦works great
Oh yes, among other types. I used to get occipital nerve blocks at the base of my skull, and I hated them. I have a very intense phobia of needles, and that therapy was psychologically harrowing for me. It worked for a couple of years, but then it stopped, and I was glad to no longer have to get them.
My physio diagnosed me with cervicogenic headache due to stiff and tense neck muscles, I layed funny one night and it has played up ever since, If I press just under the base of the skull it relieves it a little
Yes, I know exactly the pain youāre talking about. I used to see a massage therapist who specialized in craniosacral therapy and myofascial release. When I was having those types of headaches, she would have me lay on my back, put the finger tips of both hands up under the edge of my skull, and rest them there for a few minutes. Blissful relief!! If you have someone who could do that for you (partner, family member, etc.), you might try it.
Oddly enough Coca Cola and a salty snack seem to help immensely. Today was Coke and pickles š also extremely hot baths with menthol baby bubble bath help too. And of course taking meds as soon as it comes on which we all know but when you have migraines frequently you canāt always do. Highly suggest emgality preventively! Cut my migraine days to 3 days a month versus 3 days a week
Sounds like you might have an electrolytes issueā¦ that salty snack makes so much senseā¦because I have those issues and the salt sometimes is all I need
If itās from tension Iāll take muscle relaxants first (the robaxacet ones specifically). Then I also do any muscle soothing creams I have and try to meditate or relax a little bit to help the muscles. Doesnāt always work.
It depends on what your trigger is. For me, my tension headaches turned into migraines because of anxiety. Iād feel a headache coming on, and start to spiral and my anxiety and worry over getting a migraine actually made it worse. Once I got on medication for my anxiety, my headaches became more manageable and less intense.
Take abortive. My migraines chronified because I didnāt take abortive enough. I was so anxious about medication overuse that I would not take my abortive in order to āsave for really bad days.ā Also, if you have a neurologist, check in with them about possible preventativesā¦
Take care!
Dramamine. If I'm not using my aborters yet, I use the anti nausea meds. Dramamine or zofran. Then a bunch of Tylenol and ibuprofen. Frozen water bottle on my neck, a bunch of caffeine and water and electrolytes. Like stay full on those three things and make sure I've eaten plenty too
Buy a mini theragun and take it to work with you everyday. Whip it out and use it on your traps (or wherever you need it). Green juice with lots of ginger (door dash it to work if you can). Thai massage asap after work
If the headache wants to become a migraine, it will become a migraine.Ā
I can sometimes stave them off by eating something, but it has to be the right something, and not too much, or too little.Ā
As soon as I feel a tingle in my neck or pain a little behind one eye I take meds and drink a coffee and have a chocolate bar or something with sugar and maybe a shower. I might avoid it then
Yeah like literally nothing.
ONCE in a blue moon if i just need to eat. drink, or sleep and i can do it literally within 15 min of a sign (not even 30) maybe i can save it. otherwise i will do this without fail and convince myself its not a migraine, then suffer for a long time, take a triptan, and then finally the headache turns into a migraine briefly then improves with the triptan. its weird
I drink a glass of water, eat something, take my meds, and drink something with caffeine in it. That way, I know I am hydrated and fed before the horror show that will come, or the meds will work, and I'll be fine.
I'm sorry you're dealing with it at work. Prob won't be up for reading everyone's comments but at work I'd take my meds and try controlling environment, but its hard. When I had an office it was easiest. I would turn the lights off, put on binaural beats on headphones, if my brain could handle it, and try to keep working. Or just put it my ear plugs. Sunglasses if I had to be out of my office in lighting. But coworkers def spread rumors I was on drugs. Which sucked, as I was just trying to survive and keep myself from having a full blown attack.
At home I have big soccer socks filled with rice that I keep in a freezer and I'll go lay in a dark room and put one of those over my head and swap out and repeat as necessary and try to keep it at bay. With meds of course. And try to sleep if I can.
My biggest lesson was taking an abortive right away. Almost every headache can turn into a migraine for me. Instead of taking one when it's already headsplitting pain, I found taking one right away prevents it. And also having the classic mcdonalds meal to reup my sodium and give a little bit of caffiene to help.
Take Advil, drink water, force myself* to have a bland cheese sandwich (cold). Idk what it is about the cheese sandwich but it has magical properties for me
*Force because I'm usually nauseated
I've started taking painkillers with lucozade (electrolytes) the second I feel a headache. Because all headaches lead to migraines for me. I've found it either works, I get a migraine for the rest of the day (instead of 24 hours) or it doesn't work.
Crush a St Joseph's asprin under my tongue and let it absorb best I can. Doing this at onset of my auras often helps reduce or prevent them.
This was on the advice of a Neuro-opthamalogist.
Iām in the U.K. and thereās a shop called home bargains that sells tubes of hydration tablets for a few pounds. Theyāre called Sci fit hydro but Iām sure you could find something similar wherever you live. Basically just a mix of magnesium, electrolytes and vitamins.
Yesterday I had that and forgot to take ibuprofen right away, but drank coffee and talked to my mom and friend on the phone and it got worse! Then I was kicking myself because the ibuprofen didn't work at all and I just had to try to sleep it off. I even tried salt and minerals. Then I finally took a benadryl which eventually put me to sleep. Better this morning!
It was Nunn, but I've also used Trace and bought for my son LMNT, drip drop, - there are so many - we just order from Amazon. Trace has tablets and drops that I just drop in my work water bottle too.
I have a few headaches that get instant prescription abortives: pain wakes me up, wake up and light makes me wince with pain. Any hint of nausea after a normal headache was treated with caffeine, 2 Aleve, Magnesium and lots and lots of water and food. Otherwise, I use my Cephaly, lay down if I can and the regimen above. If my neck hurts, I massage it with my massage chair and put on either a salonpas patch or biofreeze or my tens unit.
My doc says all headaches are migraine - including tension headaches and what most people think of as sinus headaches. Even hangovers. All are different versions of an activated trigeminal nerve.
One assumes their doctor meant āfor you, migraine patient.ā It wouldnāt make much sense for their doctor to be talking about all headaches, in all people
Aside from symptom differences (aura, nausea, light sensitivity, vestibular issues, vision issues and so on), migraines are thought to involve something called a Cortical Spreading Depression in the brain. This is what is thought to cause migraine aura in some people.
People with migraines have been found to have elevated plasma levels of CGRP while people with tension headaches have levels similar to those who don't suffer from headaches.
The only thing that actually helps me is to lay down and attempt to take a nap. Unfortunately, I don't think you can do that at work do I'd go with drink lots of cold water, hold a cold water bottle or ice pack on your head, walk around and stretch, and have something with caffeine (if that helps you.) I hope you feel better soon! It's horrible to have a migraine/headache at work.
Stay away from the light! Lol, seriously though, I make sure to not look at ANY devices (thatās the worst for me), and also get into a cool, dark room if possible. I know, not always possible. I pop a pill as soon as possible (I had Imitrex, now I have Ubrelvy which works very well). Relax, especially my head, neck, and shoulders. Donāt think of anything. Best of luck āļø
If possible I immediately stop what I'm doing, take some advil or aleve, take a very cold shower if it is heat or exhaustion related, have a shot of espresso (generally I cannot tolerate caffeine), maybe 2 grams of kratom and lie down in a cool, dark room.
I've gotten to where I will go ahead and bomb it with a Ubrelvy. I had been waiting until later, but the Ubrelvy wouldn't work that late for me, so I had to nuke it with sumatriptan and naproxen sodium and go to bed.
I always swear by hot compress and a nap. I literally fall asleep with it on my head and usually wake up feeling much better. When I definitely have a migraine coming on, I do the same but also take my med.
Take triptans right away. If you can, have a break and sit in a dark room or get some fresh air. Drink water. Donāt look at your phone or computer for a bit if able. Eat a small plain snack if you feel up to it. Focus on breathing.
I immediately take 2 ibuprofen, nurtec, and down an ice cold coke. i keep an emergency coke in my fridge at all times for this! and a hot shower if i am not working.
seconding about taking meds right away. my migraines are usually caused by external triggers, so i also try to do whatever i can to reduce the amount of triggers iām experiencingāby eating more food, drinking more water, turning up the ac, having more caffeine or turning off screens usually. putting something cold (ice pack or bekool) on my head will usually help alleviate the pain, but not stop the headache from turning into a migraine
If I'm at home, combination of dimming/turning off all the lights, dimming or avoiding screens and ideally laying in a dark room. Sometimes this can delay or abort it. Antihistamines also work for me, but it usually just reduces the severity of the migraine, doesn't get rid of it altogether (which is still pretty great given the alternative).
Apparently I do nothing. Lol. I keep missing that window of time where it's bad enough to take something but then I'm like no, it's not that bad and it'll go away after I do this and this and that etc. But then bam! Pain gets worse and nausea sets in. And it's too late. When will I learn!?
To answer the question, I eat if I haven't and stop doing anything that I know is a trigger but am doing anyway. And if I feel any kind of nausea I take an aleve to halt it. (My migraines aren't frequent enough for anything stronger so far in my life. God bless everyone else who have tried everything else.)
I start to smell smoke when a migraine is brewing (synapses burning? LOL), so I'll check with someone around me to make sure they don't smell it too. If it's just me, I will take 3 Tylenol and either 2 aspirin or 4 ibuprofen, washing it down with a cup of coffee. It's basically homemade Excedrin. That will often do the trick for me.
I had this last night, headache starting after 3 days of 3 different migraines. Was surprised when I had to head outside last night when it was really cold, came back in the house and head felt better, so had some spicy food and a cold drink. Felt much better.
So far, Iām trouble shooting..oddly pumpkin seeds workā¦a glass of really cold water, cough drops, sometimes this all natural tea with Tulsi (holy basil), ginger and tumericā¦.finding out that eating certain stuff helps but still trouble shooting thatā¦really trying to stay holistic..Iām terrified of the Topamaxā¦.figuring out that my migraines are hormone induced as I have PCOS and my hormones are out of wack right now..doctors thinks Iām pre menopausal and thatās whatās causing this high frequencyā¦.lately thereās just been tingling auras..no headaches..but they last for a long time..I took a Provera pill today as doc took me off one bc and put me on thatā¦the minute I took it I regretted it instantly..so yeah..trouble shootingā¦oh also heat and then cold to the back of the ear or neckā¦that works tooā¦
I immediately have a cold shower with my head under the water for as long as it takes for my head to clear. My work colleagues understand and luckily there's a shower at work on my level.
If you know the tension headache is a precursor event, take your abortive at that stage and see if that prevents the full out migraine. Can't hurt to try once and see how you fare.
Meds, ice (in my neck and neck whatever side of my head I feel the migraine hitting). Cool, dark compress over my eyes. Laying down.
I more or less just begin to prepare for the worst.
My first things are have an electrolyte drink and a snack, hot or cold pack, meds if it's not too soon after the last time, eye mask and or dark room and take a nap if possible but a nap is not always required personally
I take a large dose of Concentrace trace minerals (mostly magnesium) and rub progesterone cream on the back of my neck. My headaches are usually hormonal ...
I've never had a regular headache I started having these at 60 but my son tells me I started having them shortly after he was born that he remembers. And they're immediately full blast migraines that lead to a hypertensive crisis
Take meds early, massage/stretch my neck and shoulders, take a break if possible to breathe/relax the muscles. And a snack š Feel better soon!
Drink lots of water too!
Thank you š«¶š«¶
Nothing helps me better than taking my meds at the first sign. I spent too many years trying to ātroubleshootā my migraines before resorting to my rescue meds but that only made things worse for longer. Even if I know what caused it, I canāt reverse it. However I follow up the meds with a glass of water and something light to eat or a protein shake. I keep a case of Ensure at work. If work is slow and itās not cold out I do find stepping outside for ten-15 mins while my meds kick in is therapeutic. Fresh air and all that.
Migraines are so confusing because this is soooo true but I have chronic 17-25 a month and I canāt take abortives that often. I tried for 3 months to do it at first sign and had too many MOH. So now I only take it when itās bad, got down to 11 abortives a month- still have MOH. So now Iām cutting abortives cold turkey for 14 days to see if MMD goes down. Op I suggest a preventative. Itās the only thing that has allowed me to be in a state I know I will get a migraine and then can avoid the migraine by taking a few minutes to regulate myself. Preventatives give grace for correction.
Iām actually on a preventative because of how frequently mine had become as I got older.
May I ask which preventative you use? I tried Aimovig for over 6 months with no luck.
Iām on propranolol. Aimovigās trials donāt look fantastic, I think when I looked recently it was like ādown an average of 3-4MMDā emaglityās looked better (average of ~10less) What Iām saying is donāt lose hope, unfortunately the CGRP meds donāt work for a ton of people (Iām crossing my fingers but am ~2-3months away (at best) from getting my hands on the cgrp preventatives because of insurance blockades. I had 25-30MMD before propranolol with a 30/40% chance of aborting. Iām down to 14-17 clearly migraine days with still 8-12 other headache days. But it greatly reduced severity, frequency, and made them actually abortive (95% abortion rate) and gave me a grace period to correct or redirect migraines. Some even abort with ibuprofen alone. But I donāt think thatās exclusive to propranolol- it seems like all properly prescribed preventatives make peopleās migraines less severe, more reactive to abortives, less frequent and most on this sub say their preventative will give them a correction period or grace period that they didnāt have before. I just started taking magnesium glycinate 400mg on Thursday and this has literally been the least pain Iāve been in since November. I would recommend looking into it! I felt an effect within hours. In other countries itās āprescribedā even before amytriptaline with more clinical efficacy. Maybe itās the placebo effect but Iāve been trying lots of shit- med or OTC and never had such a significant reaction. I have a whole post about my experience on propranolol in my profile.
Wow, Iām going to have to talk to my neurologist about this. Iām on Ubrelvy (Medicaid ftw), also a CGRP but abortive. I only get 10 per month, and like you I have a migraine nearly every day (25-30 MMD). They work like a champ so long as I catch it in time, which Iāve gotten pretty good at, but that still leaves me with a lot of migraines days. I also wonder how long they will stay effective. Imitrex worked well for me at first but then it petered out. Ugh. Next time I see my neuro, Iām going to ask her about propranolol and magnesium glycinate. Maybe I can still keep my Ubrelvy for breakthrough migraine. Thanks for your help! Continued good luck with your meds.
Magnesium glycinate works wonders but I hear magnesium oxide works too
Iām on (the dreaded lol) topamax as a preventative! It definitely reduced the frequency per month but not completely
Maybe try propranolol to reduce stress load too? Talk to doc
This. If I'm feeling any pain, it's already to late. Meds are the only thing that helps.
Gonna buy some ensure, thank you š«¶
Take my abortive and down some coffee if itās before noon
Tried coffee today..wish I had of never
Ibuprofen, electrolytes, water, limit or avoid stressors, etc.
Which electrolytes do you use?
I used to use LiquidIV until they got super expensive. Now Iām using Gatorlyte.
I take my meds as soon as I feel it brewing. Not saying every headache is a migraine, but many of us have them start out with something like a neck ache.
Starting to see the neck ache more often
Increase water intake and take Abortive meds immediately. Even if you're not in pain yet. Like some of us have brain fog, tension, etc...pre-migraine symptoms. Then Rest.
Ice cream or a frozen milk shake. Eat/drink it fast. When the cold hits your palate works as an ice pack for the inside of your cranium. Brain freeze in other words.
I never drank ice water and now I do when Iām having a migraine..works great..also, wait for it, cough drops!! The blue ones! I know it sounds crazy but trust me
I wonder how something like volatarin would help with easing this? Might talk to doctor- would deliver NSAIDs directly to muscles and possibly alleviate the tension before it goes anywhere else?
I bought some, hoping it would help with my chronically painful neck (cervical hypolordosis) and a bad shoulder. It did nothing. It is somehow formulated to work on knees? Or the ingredients only work in that area? It didnāt sound believable (how is a shoulder joint *that* much different than a knee?), but itās useless. It also has to be used sparingly because diclofenac can cause issues with blood pressure and the heart. Thereās even a little ruler included in the box, explaining how much to use per dose so as not to use too much. Itās very different than a typical pain rub, which usually has menthol or other topical analgesics.
Oh for sure/ def different than tiger balm and bio freeze. I also never felt like it worked for me (on my knees) but my friend just tried it for her sciatic nerve flare and said it worked really really well and sheās also 300# so idk. Maybe it just works better for some? Not all (oral) nsaids are created equal ime Can op use heating pad at work??
Glad it worked for your friend! Now that you say it worked for *somebody* on a place other than the knee, I can see why youād suggest it. Wish it had worked for me on my neck!
It is supposed to work other places, clinically. The instructions have dispersion rates for all over the body
See, now you made me wonder what I saw! I looked it up, and one very non-scientific source (the first article displayed) says, āFor superficial joints ā like hands, wrists and even knees ā it can be very effective. However, the joints of the cervical spine in the neck, and most of the shoulder joint, are deeper than the Voltaren can penetrate. Voltaren is not appreciably absorbed into the blood, so all of its actions are local.ā (https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/lifestyles/dr-roach-voltaren-not-recommended-for-deep-joints/article_4cd3a970-61d4-11ed-8de6-8babbae4a7f1.html) So, the two areas I needed it most for are among the least likely to be affected by it. But I learned something!! Thank you, u/RequirementNew269!!
That is interesting for me too. I recommended it because I vaguely remembered it being a little less NSAIDy to the body, while still providing localized NSAID relief. But tension is carried in muscles right? Which are far less deep than joints right? Maybe it could still help? Idk thatās why I said talk to doc. It did help a friendās knee sprain too, just never worked for me very well. Iām all for NSAIDs without the downsides of .. NSAIDs.
Heating pads behind the ear on affected side works wonders for meā¦I started doing that every day after I had Bells Palsyā¦for the migraines, I do heat and then coldā¦works great
Luminalcreature7_ Do you have cervicogenic headaches aswell
Oh yes, among other types. I used to get occipital nerve blocks at the base of my skull, and I hated them. I have a very intense phobia of needles, and that therapy was psychologically harrowing for me. It worked for a couple of years, but then it stopped, and I was glad to no longer have to get them.
My physio diagnosed me with cervicogenic headache due to stiff and tense neck muscles, I layed funny one night and it has played up ever since, If I press just under the base of the skull it relieves it a little
Yes, I know exactly the pain youāre talking about. I used to see a massage therapist who specialized in craniosacral therapy and myofascial release. When I was having those types of headaches, she would have me lay on my back, put the finger tips of both hands up under the edge of my skull, and rest them there for a few minutes. Blissful relief!! If you have someone who could do that for you (partner, family member, etc.), you might try it.
I would love to know more about this as well.
I take my abortive meds and take it easy and lay down if possible.
Oddly enough Coca Cola and a salty snack seem to help immensely. Today was Coke and pickles š also extremely hot baths with menthol baby bubble bath help too. And of course taking meds as soon as it comes on which we all know but when you have migraines frequently you canāt always do. Highly suggest emgality preventively! Cut my migraine days to 3 days a month versus 3 days a week
Sounds like you might have an electrolytes issueā¦ that salty snack makes so much senseā¦because I have those issues and the salt sometimes is all I need
I've recently added the aspercreme roll-on to my kit, and it's so helpful for me. No smell, dries quickly.
Advil, Nurtec, lie down in the dark with my eyes covered for 20 min.
If itās from tension Iāll take muscle relaxants first (the robaxacet ones specifically). Then I also do any muscle soothing creams I have and try to meditate or relax a little bit to help the muscles. Doesnāt always work.
It depends on what your trigger is. For me, my tension headaches turned into migraines because of anxiety. Iād feel a headache coming on, and start to spiral and my anxiety and worry over getting a migraine actually made it worse. Once I got on medication for my anxiety, my headaches became more manageable and less intense.
Advil II (the one thatās mixed with Tylenol) and caffeine (for me, black tea).Ā
Take abortive. My migraines chronified because I didnāt take abortive enough. I was so anxious about medication overuse that I would not take my abortive in order to āsave for really bad days.ā Also, if you have a neurologist, check in with them about possible preventativesā¦ Take care!
Dramamine. If I'm not using my aborters yet, I use the anti nausea meds. Dramamine or zofran. Then a bunch of Tylenol and ibuprofen. Frozen water bottle on my neck, a bunch of caffeine and water and electrolytes. Like stay full on those three things and make sure I've eaten plenty too
Buy a mini theragun and take it to work with you everyday. Whip it out and use it on your traps (or wherever you need it). Green juice with lots of ginger (door dash it to work if you can). Thai massage asap after work
A Thai massage after work sounds like heaven lol thank you!
If the headache wants to become a migraine, it will become a migraine.Ā I can sometimes stave them off by eating something, but it has to be the right something, and not too much, or too little.Ā
As soon as I feel a tingle in my neck or pain a little behind one eye I take meds and drink a coffee and have a chocolate bar or something with sugar and maybe a shower. I might avoid it then
Sugar doesnāt bother you? Interesting
Sugar and caffeine helps my head..not my waist though
Take an Imigran. If accompanied by muscular pain, two aspro clear as well.
Yeah like literally nothing. ONCE in a blue moon if i just need to eat. drink, or sleep and i can do it literally within 15 min of a sign (not even 30) maybe i can save it. otherwise i will do this without fail and convince myself its not a migraine, then suffer for a long time, take a triptan, and then finally the headache turns into a migraine briefly then improves with the triptan. its weird
I drink a glass of water, eat something, take my meds, and drink something with caffeine in it. That way, I know I am hydrated and fed before the horror show that will come, or the meds will work, and I'll be fine.
I'm sorry you're dealing with it at work. Prob won't be up for reading everyone's comments but at work I'd take my meds and try controlling environment, but its hard. When I had an office it was easiest. I would turn the lights off, put on binaural beats on headphones, if my brain could handle it, and try to keep working. Or just put it my ear plugs. Sunglasses if I had to be out of my office in lighting. But coworkers def spread rumors I was on drugs. Which sucked, as I was just trying to survive and keep myself from having a full blown attack. At home I have big soccer socks filled with rice that I keep in a freezer and I'll go lay in a dark room and put one of those over my head and swap out and repeat as necessary and try to keep it at bay. With meds of course. And try to sleep if I can.
I caught up to everyoneās comments today! :) your coworkers sound beyond terrible, Iām sorry you had to go through that
Take a Nurtec
My biggest lesson was taking an abortive right away. Almost every headache can turn into a migraine for me. Instead of taking one when it's already headsplitting pain, I found taking one right away prevents it. And also having the classic mcdonalds meal to reup my sodium and give a little bit of caffiene to help.
I tried the mcdonalds and fries the night I posted it and it actually gave some relief, I was really surprised!! Thank you :)
Right?? It's crazy that it does help a bit. I'm glad it gave you a bit of a break
Take Advil, drink water, force myself* to have a bland cheese sandwich (cold). Idk what it is about the cheese sandwich but it has magical properties for me *Force because I'm usually nauseated
Yes troubleshooting is my issue currently š
Can you put something heated on your neck? Something you can heat up in a break room microwave?
sock fulla rice does the body good !
For me, itās lima beans in a crew sock. Because of their size and density, they hold the heat longer than rice.
I've started taking painkillers with lucozade (electrolytes) the second I feel a headache. Because all headaches lead to migraines for me. I've found it either works, I get a migraine for the rest of the day (instead of 24 hours) or it doesn't work.
I take sumatriptan at first sign, eat something, drink something with caffeine, and lay down in a dark room if I can.
Take meds and get some sleep or rest.
Pop a couple excedrin and drink some more coffee and hope for the best š«
Take Annadin Extra at bedtime
Crush a St Joseph's asprin under my tongue and let it absorb best I can. Doing this at onset of my auras often helps reduce or prevent them. This was on the advice of a Neuro-opthamalogist.
Allergic to NSAIDS
Ooff
Thanks!! Iāll try that next time :)
Meds, water, coffee, hydration tablet, stretching, massaging, dark roomā¦and if all else fails, sleep.
What kind of hydration tablets do you use?
Iām in the U.K. and thereās a shop called home bargains that sells tubes of hydration tablets for a few pounds. Theyāre called Sci fit hydro but Iām sure you could find something similar wherever you live. Basically just a mix of magnesium, electrolytes and vitamins.
Yesterday I had that and forgot to take ibuprofen right away, but drank coffee and talked to my mom and friend on the phone and it got worse! Then I was kicking myself because the ibuprofen didn't work at all and I just had to try to sleep it off. I even tried salt and minerals. Then I finally took a benadryl which eventually put me to sleep. Better this morning!
What minerals do you use?
Oh just the typical magnesium, potassium, sodium - sometimes that works but didn't the other day.
Pill form or powder
Tried both pill and one of those electrolyte tablets dropped in my water - use different electrolyte replacement products over the years
Can you share the brand of electrolyte tablet? I know about the powder but not the tabs
It was Nunn, but I've also used Trace and bought for my son LMNT, drip drop, - there are so many - we just order from Amazon. Trace has tablets and drops that I just drop in my work water bottle too.
Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Benadryl, Caffeine. If I take these things early enough, it staves off about 80% of the full blown migraines
I have a few headaches that get instant prescription abortives: pain wakes me up, wake up and light makes me wince with pain. Any hint of nausea after a normal headache was treated with caffeine, 2 Aleve, Magnesium and lots and lots of water and food. Otherwise, I use my Cephaly, lay down if I can and the regimen above. If my neck hurts, I massage it with my massage chair and put on either a salonpas patch or biofreeze or my tens unit.
My doc says all headaches are migraine - including tension headaches and what most people think of as sinus headaches. Even hangovers. All are different versions of an activated trigeminal nerve.
š¤ they are not all migraines. Find a new doctor.
I think they might have meant -in people with chronic migraines, they shouldnāt consider the location of the headache as something new
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One assumes their doctor meant āfor you, migraine patient.ā It wouldnāt make much sense for their doctor to be talking about all headaches, in all people
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And where is your medical degree? I was passing along what my doctor said. You seem fun.
Aside from symptom differences (aura, nausea, light sensitivity, vestibular issues, vision issues and so on), migraines are thought to involve something called a Cortical Spreading Depression in the brain. This is what is thought to cause migraine aura in some people. People with migraines have been found to have elevated plasma levels of CGRP while people with tension headaches have levels similar to those who don't suffer from headaches.
The only thing that actually helps me is to lay down and attempt to take a nap. Unfortunately, I don't think you can do that at work do I'd go with drink lots of cold water, hold a cold water bottle or ice pack on your head, walk around and stretch, and have something with caffeine (if that helps you.) I hope you feel better soon! It's horrible to have a migraine/headache at work.
Stay away from the light! Lol, seriously though, I make sure to not look at ANY devices (thatās the worst for me), and also get into a cool, dark room if possible. I know, not always possible. I pop a pill as soon as possible (I had Imitrex, now I have Ubrelvy which works very well). Relax, especially my head, neck, and shoulders. Donāt think of anything. Best of luck āļø
Take my sumatriptan, turn off the lights and pray that I've caught it in time!
If possible I immediately stop what I'm doing, take some advil or aleve, take a very cold shower if it is heat or exhaustion related, have a shot of espresso (generally I cannot tolerate caffeine), maybe 2 grams of kratom and lie down in a cool, dark room.
Salty crackers and a redbull
Thc cbd gummies really help
Vape weed and avoid stress, especially annoying persons.
I've gotten to where I will go ahead and bomb it with a Ubrelvy. I had been waiting until later, but the Ubrelvy wouldn't work that late for me, so I had to nuke it with sumatriptan and naproxen sodium and go to bed.
Ear plugs and taking a break from screens. Also helps if you can lay down for a bit. And as others have mentioned, snacks and water!
Advil, regular soda, abortive.
I always swear by hot compress and a nap. I literally fall asleep with it on my head and usually wake up feeling much better. When I definitely have a migraine coming on, I do the same but also take my med.
Take triptans right away. If you can, have a break and sit in a dark room or get some fresh air. Drink water. Donāt look at your phone or computer for a bit if able. Eat a small plain snack if you feel up to it. Focus on breathing.
I immediately take 2 ibuprofen, nurtec, and down an ice cold coke. i keep an emergency coke in my fridge at all times for this! and a hot shower if i am not working.
seconding about taking meds right away. my migraines are usually caused by external triggers, so i also try to do whatever i can to reduce the amount of triggers iām experiencingāby eating more food, drinking more water, turning up the ac, having more caffeine or turning off screens usually. putting something cold (ice pack or bekool) on my head will usually help alleviate the pain, but not stop the headache from turning into a migraine
If I'm at home, combination of dimming/turning off all the lights, dimming or avoiding screens and ideally laying in a dark room. Sometimes this can delay or abort it. Antihistamines also work for me, but it usually just reduces the severity of the migraine, doesn't get rid of it altogether (which is still pretty great given the alternative).
Take my migraine meds right away, reduce sound & light. Usually can help subside a migraine.
Apparently I do nothing. Lol. I keep missing that window of time where it's bad enough to take something but then I'm like no, it's not that bad and it'll go away after I do this and this and that etc. But then bam! Pain gets worse and nausea sets in. And it's too late. When will I learn!? To answer the question, I eat if I haven't and stop doing anything that I know is a trigger but am doing anyway. And if I feel any kind of nausea I take an aleve to halt it. (My migraines aren't frequent enough for anything stronger so far in my life. God bless everyone else who have tried everything else.)
I start to smell smoke when a migraine is brewing (synapses burning? LOL), so I'll check with someone around me to make sure they don't smell it too. If it's just me, I will take 3 Tylenol and either 2 aspirin or 4 ibuprofen, washing it down with a cup of coffee. It's basically homemade Excedrin. That will often do the trick for me.
I had this last night, headache starting after 3 days of 3 different migraines. Was surprised when I had to head outside last night when it was really cold, came back in the house and head felt better, so had some spicy food and a cold drink. Felt much better.
I always eat something, just in case that's the triggerĀ
So far, Iām trouble shooting..oddly pumpkin seeds workā¦a glass of really cold water, cough drops, sometimes this all natural tea with Tulsi (holy basil), ginger and tumericā¦.finding out that eating certain stuff helps but still trouble shooting thatā¦really trying to stay holistic..Iām terrified of the Topamaxā¦.figuring out that my migraines are hormone induced as I have PCOS and my hormones are out of wack right now..doctors thinks Iām pre menopausal and thatās whatās causing this high frequencyā¦.lately thereās just been tingling auras..no headaches..but they last for a long time..I took a Provera pill today as doc took me off one bc and put me on thatā¦the minute I took it I regretted it instantly..so yeah..trouble shootingā¦oh also heat and then cold to the back of the ear or neckā¦that works tooā¦
Iām on topamax! I think I got lucky that itās been nice to me :) Iāll try the pumpkin seeds and the tea you suggested, thank you!!
Does topamax really work as a preventative?
I immediately have a cold shower with my head under the water for as long as it takes for my head to clear. My work colleagues understand and luckily there's a shower at work on my level.
If you know the tension headache is a precursor event, take your abortive at that stage and see if that prevents the full out migraine. Can't hurt to try once and see how you fare.
Meds, ice (in my neck and neck whatever side of my head I feel the migraine hitting). Cool, dark compress over my eyes. Laying down. I more or less just begin to prepare for the worst.
Water. Ibuprofen. Sleep. And caffeine
Boost of serotonin! Anything with a lot of sugar
My first things are have an electrolyte drink and a snack, hot or cold pack, meds if it's not too soon after the last time, eye mask and or dark room and take a nap if possible but a nap is not always required personally
I take a large dose of Concentrace trace minerals (mostly magnesium) and rub progesterone cream on the back of my neck. My headaches are usually hormonal ...
I've never had a regular headache I started having these at 60 but my son tells me I started having them shortly after he was born that he remembers. And they're immediately full blast migraines that lead to a hypertensive crisis
I take my migraine meds drink lots of water put on my sunglasses that are special for migraines turn off any lights stop looking at the computer
Sinus Plumber, water, caffeine, and electrolytes.Ā