BlogHer - Can You Prevent A Migraine? Surfing Blogs By Women With Migraines. - Comments

Migraine self-help

nyia — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:06:53 -0500

I've had migraine pretty much all my life (for over 30 years), sometimes not for months at a time, sometimes in clusters with several a few days apart.

Over the years I've tried a bunch of cures, including the early days when they were giving people calcium channel blockers for prevention. It worked for some people, not for others, and caused huge problems for others. Same with thinks like Cafregot - a combination of caffiene and ergotamine. THAT one made me totally sick, I'm allergic to mushrooms (ergots).

Things that worked have been very limited. I got biofeedback training about 15 years ago, and IF I get a warning, AND can get somplace quiet, AND relax enough, I can prevent the worst of the pain. That seldom happens, though. But the one essential thing to this is the ability to redirect blood flow - away from your head. In the biofeedback training, I was taught to increase the temperature of my hands, which meant that I was increasing the blood flow to my hands, and removing some of it to the site causing the migraine. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Sometimes, when I'm in a rush, I'll put my hands under hot water for a few minutes, and it gives me enough of a respite for the medication to work.

I've also learned to keep away from certain foods when I've got any other kind of headache happening, because I've found that those headaches can easily knock me out with migraine if I'm not careful. So, no aged cheeses, no orange juice, etc., if I've already got a headache. These might not be the same triggers for others, so take a look at what foods you might have eaten just before your next migraine.

The relievers that were out about five years ago didn't do a thing to help me, and I finally stopped trying with them, as all they'd do is put me to sleep for 10-12 hours, and I'd wake up still in pain. I'm currently taking Zomig for migraines, and I have to say, of all the things I've tried, this one is the most successful, with the fewest side effects, for me. I take one, and wait about half an hour, and if I haven't had any relief then I take a second one. HOWEVER, they do tend to make me drowsy, and the second one will knock me out for about four hours. But, I wake without headache. What could be better than that?

But, this, as with all treatment and remedy options, should always be discussed with your doctor. Things are changing all the time. Sooner or later, you and he will hit on something that will work for you.

Thanks for the New York Times link.

Catherine Morgan — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:06:44 -0500

Thanks for sharing your experience with migraines, and thanks for the New York Times link.

:-)

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

MIgraines

veronicaeye — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:46:36 -0500

I started to get migraines just before I had my daughter and now post-daughter, they are almost a monthy event. Like Catherine, I am in denial until the pain is too much. I should suck it up and down my pain meds to maybe prevent a full blown attack. I even went on Seasonale to reduce the effect my menstrual cycle might have had...I think it helped a little, but still not resolved.

And the NYTimes blog was by Paula Kamen, fellow Chicagoan and friend, who wrote about book about her daily migraines.

nytimes migraine blog

nyjlm — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 20:44:39 -0500

I'm not sure if they're still updating it, but there was some wonderful writing about migraines on a NY Times blog earlier this year. Worth seeking out for sure.

I tend to be in denial until the pain is unbearable.

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:51:13 -0500

I tend to be in denial until the pain is unbearable. I usually do have some warning signs, but I convince myself it's just my imagination. Even when the migraine starts I'm still telling myself...maybe it really isn't a migraine. I'm pretty sure that is why I have such a tough time getting rid of them once I get them. As a nurse, I know that it is best to take the pain medication before the pain is unbearable. As a patient, well, I've never been a very good patient.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

For some reason pretzels make my migraine worse.

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:23:07 -0500

Hi Virginia. Thanks for commenting. For me, once I have a migraine, it gets much worse if I eat pretzels. I can eat pretzels and it never gives me a migraine, but once I have one, eating pretzels is a big NO NO. That's the only food I can really pinpoint as a problem for me.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

monthly migraine sufferer

heathc — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:58:18 -0500

I've suffered migraines for years. The main trigger for me is my menstrual cycle. Occasionally high levels of stress or consuming excessive amounts of dark chocolate will trigger them as well, but for the most part I get them every 30 days like clockwork.

The only exception was the nine months I was pregnant. 9 glorious months that were completely 100% headache free. I thought I was in heaven.

If I'm able to catch the migraine when I first sense it, before the pain begins (changes in noise & light are my indicators that I'm about to get one) my migraine medications are pretty successful.

The problem for me is that most of the time, the migraine onset occurs while I am sleeping and I'm awakened by the raging pain in my head. If the pain is already there, my migraine meds don't have any effect at all and pain meds are only marginally effective.

The only relief I've been able to find when I am experiencing the full pain of a migraine is when I stand under an extremely hot, almost scalding, shower for at least 10 minutes with the hot water beating down on my temple where I'm experiencing the most pain. That can usually stop or dull the pain enough to allow me to take some pain meds and fall back to sleep before the pain returns.

Heather

http://www.timothyandheather.com

Thank you for all this great information Rachelle.

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:29:44 -0500

Thank you for all this great information Rachelle. I'm going to look into all of this...preferably when I'm not having a migraine. I think that's been my biggest problem...I wait until the pain is unbearable to call the doctor...then I'm not even able to think straight.

Thanks for sharing your experience with migraines. I hope you continue to have success with controlling them.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Thank you Yvie.

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:18:12 -0500

Thank you Yvie. :-)

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Knowing the difference between migraine and other headaches.

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:43:18 -0500

Thanks for the information. I don't know about others who suffer with migraines, but I have had many neurological tests and scans, that would have shown if an aneurysm was the cause of my migraines.

I do agree with you though...We can not assume something is a migraine, a full neurological workup should be done if you suffer chronic migraines/headaches. It's also very important to have a doctor diagnose a migraine, because there are many other painful types of headaches, that can be made much worse if they are treated as migraines.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Raises her hand to join the migraine crowd

Erin Kotecki Vest — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:26:58 -0500

I've had migraines with aura since puberty. The headache is the least of my worries when I get one. I get visual disturbances, a throw up...it's LOADS of fun.

Luckily, mine have reduced to about one every 6-8 months. I have no real prevention trick that works. Not food triggers, not stress, nothing. The only thing I've noticed is they finally started to slow down from once a week to once a month to once every few months when I became pregnant.

Politics & News Contributing Editor
Queen of Spain

Stopping them in their tracks

Pam — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:20:09 -0500

I've never been able to prevent them, 100%, but I KNOW when they're coming, I can feel it. And I just take OTC painkiller meds, drink coffee (hey, it helps ME), and clear the decks. A shower or bath helps sometimes, too, if I get it while it's starting. I really prefer to avoid the weird meds, even though I'm only an intermittent sufferer.

For me, the key has been to know when they're coming. Dunno about you, but I can feel it when it's going to happen and if I can get right on it, I have a better chance of not spending the next 24 hours in a hase of head exploding pain. Can I get a witness?

The last bad one I had was some time ago, thankfully, but I"m totally aware that I should have done something the moment I knew it was coming. [on the blog, here].

Nerd's Eye View

Meditation for preventing migraines

Fat Into The Fire — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:57:55 -0500

I've researched that meditation - the simple act of closing your eyes and being quiet in a quiet location for minutes a day has shown to prevent migraines. The form of meditation that claims this through studies is transcendental meditation, or TM for short. I've also read studies where this is also used for many other issues, including ADD. They've even done studies that show the positive effects it has on children, including higher IQ and higher emotional maturity.

Occasional migraines

sassymonkey — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:09:34 -0500

I did discover recently that jetlag can cause one heck of a migraine - worse I've had in years.

One thing that I did find out a few years ago is that with the type of migraine I get (even though I get them infrequently) I'm at an increased risk of stroke when on hormonal birth control. I had been on hormonal birth control for 10 years before finding out that nugget of information!

Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.

Food

Virginia DeBolt — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:27:34 -0500

was my enemy for a long time, with a long list that could cause a migraine. Chocolate, cheese, pinto beans, sulfur treated fruit, wine, beer, sesame seeds. No matter how carefully I ate, I still had headaches, but fewer if I was careful about food.

http://www.webteacher.ws/ http://first50.wordpress.com/

Can You Prevent A Migraine? Surfing Blogs By Women With Migraines.

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 02:04:43 -0500

Do you get migraines?

I had my first migraine when I was pregnant with my daughter, and since then I have had them off and on. I can go weeks (sometimes months) without having one, but when I do get a migraine, it feels like I will never get rid of it. When I take medicine for a migraine, it sometimes helps, but never gets rid of the migraine completely. And, it seems like once I get a migraine, I go through a period of time where I finally get rid of it, but a day or two later I get another. This cycle can go on for weeks, before finally stopping.

I've recently been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and told that there may be a connection between Fibromyalgia and migraines. My doctor suggested that a begin to take a medication to prevent the onset of a migraine. I was surprised to find out that the medication he recommended was an anti-convulsive (used for seizure disorders). These medications have many troubling (possible) side-effects, so I'm not sure if I'm actually going to try it.

To help me in my decision, I thought I would check out some blogs by other women, who suffer with migraines.

Somebody Heal Me

On anti-convulsive medication to treat migraines... A review of controlled studies published in the June 2008 edition of the journal Cephalalagia supports the notion that anti-convulsants Depakote and Topamax are much more effective than placebo in preventing migraine attacks. The study also indicates that other anti-convulsants sometimes used for migraine prevention are no more effective than placebo.

Topamax and others get FDA warning.

The FDA is preparing to put warning labels on epilepsy drugs, including Topiramate (marketed as Topamax), Valproate (marketed as Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon), Pregabalin (marketed as Lyrica), and Zonisamide (marketed as Zonegran) that will notify users about the increased risk for suicidal behavior. Sales of the affected drugs, widely used for nonepilepsy problems such as migraines, topped $8 billion last year.

From the migraine girl -- a great post addressing Migraines and Vacations (a blog carnival)...

You'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't enjoy taking vacations, but in our Migraine & headache community, it's easy to come across many folks who see the health threats that accompany any trip out of town. Luckily for all of you reading this, we have a really helpful batch of blogs to sift through, all of which will increase your chance of having a happy, healthy vacation despite your headache disease. Some people have a very personal take on the situation, describing specific issues they've had preparing for and embarking upon vacations. Others give us generalized lists of things to pack and/or what to be aware of as you travel to maintain a pain-free brain. Whether or not you have a trip coming up, I believe these writers' tips and insights will benefit you.

Deborah at Weathering Migraine Storms

I have Migraine Disease - It has ripped years from my life, life with my husband and me together, from my kids lives. It's been very disabling for me. But that's not ALL there is to me. I am a Mom, and a wacky, fun kind of Mom. I like to play with my kids, have fun with them - sometimes at their expense. What good Mother doesn't. I'm trying hard to live with a horrid, painful disease; and have fun while doing so. And I'm learning, probably too much about it. But along the way, I'm meeting very interesting friends. I hope you do, too. I wish you pain-free days! And happy ones as well.

Debbie at Down the Rabbit Hole

I have had chronic daily migraines for the past 7 years. They are a part of my life, but I don't want a migraine to define me. That's why my blog is about more than migraines. My hobbies are gardening, rubberstamping, scrapbooking and knitting, not necessarily in that order.

Also See:

Migraine Mom

The Left Handed Rabbit -- Migraine Town

Migraine Chick rhymes with migraines -- grieving my past life

Andreas Buzzing About - Horrid Day for a Migraine

There is a good video on migraines at My Life With Migraine

So, I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about taking the medication used to prevent a migraine. Any advice would be welcome.

Do you suffer with migraines? Have you considered taking medication to prevent the onset of a migraine? Have you heard of a connection between Fibromyalgia and migraines?

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog