Migraine ! What do you use ?

[Flojo224]

Luckily nowadays I only have a handful of migraines a year and I am fully aware of my triggers (caffeine, red cheese, red wine, mars bars(!), tandoori, orange, chocolate if I eat it before other food - to name a few!) but they can also be hormonal too

I take amnitryptline (25mg) every night which helps control my migraines but doesn't stop them altogether.

I had one yesterday

None of the prescription medication helps me once I've got one, the only thing I can do is take two paracetamol as soon as my vision starts to go (blind spots and then aura) and go to bed with my head under pillow.

When I wake up after couple of hours I eat a packet of ready salted crisps which seems to help (assume it's the salt but no idea )

I then take paracetamol every 4 hours which manages the pain but feel utterly drained for 24 hours

I hate migraines!

[JillyEd]

Moley, I put on lots of weight with beta blockers. I was also so lethargic. I had no energy to do anything and everything seemed like a chore. I also couldn't tolerate hot weather, it made me feel ill. Weird!

[taffgirl]

Sumatripan works for me, most of the time. When I say 'works', I mean it cuts my migraine down to about three hours, whereas before, they'd last around 15 hours. I do feel rotren for days after though. x

[Lumpy]

I did forget to mention my Cefaly device which looks like a Princess Leia headband and is a TENS type device. Since I bought this it has significantly reduced my pain killer consumption and will ofter get rid of a migraine which painkillers have not touched. In fact I now use this as my first line of defense and actually have triptans left at the end of the month instead of having to ration them until the next prescription. However if you are only getting 3-4 migraines a year it is probably not worth your while to get one as they are Ł250 but for me it has been money well spent especially as it seems to eliminate the next day migraine hangover phase.

[Floridafun]

I use forehead strips and take neurofen the one with lysine in it

[Rebelrebel]

Originally Posted by Lumpy

I normally take naramig but you will need a prescription. If you are limited to OTC I find a combination of Codeine with paracetamol and either ibubrophen or naproxen - this is prescription in uk but otc in US sold under brand name aleve or generic. As these are different drug groups you can combine them safely. I also find either a couple of very strong coffees or can of coke (not diet) as the caffeine helps both the efficacy of the drugs and the migraine providing of course caffeine is not one of your triggers.
Mazza - NSAIDS are a common treatment for migraines as they tend to be less prone to causing rebound headaches for those of us who have to take large quantities of painkillers. I have migraines 25 out of 30 days a month at a pain level of typically 6-8 so I will have a few days on NSAIDS to give the codeine a break.

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Ouch that sounds really bad.

Mine started when I was 20 and I was on Sumatriptan, this helped and they settled and for many years I'd get them occasionally. Getting Imigrain was impossible it was like I needed a letter from the Pope each time I went to the chemist for them. I had read about NSAIDS and tried diclofenac and they really helped, these are the over the counter ones and I only get one or two a month (felt one coming on this morning) but so far they've helped, if I needed them more often I'd go to the dr.

webmd.boots/migraines...lts-diclofenac

[Guest]

I get about 2 migraines a month. I use to get 1-2 a week but now I take a low dose of topamax which has reduced them by half. I am another fan of sumatriptan ( imigran ) but as I get sick I have the nasal spray which is brilliant. Once you feel sick the tablets don't work. Try a nasal spray. It bypasses your digestive system. Really easy to use also. I get them on prescription.

Once My parents kindly paid for botox omg it was amazing but at 500 quid a pop I can't afford that. It is good though! I didn't get one for months.

[Padfoot]

The only meds that work for me are Maxalt Melts, but these are POM Meds.
The other thing that has helped is an Osteopathic head and neck treatment.
Agree that people who say its only a headache really don't understand.

[Mo&Chris]

Staggered doses of ibuprofen and paracetamol, normally about 2 hours apart, and where possible, sleeping it off. If I can't sleep (eg stuck at work) then the 4head stick helps.

Mine tend to be stress related, rather than food triggers, and I'm usually pretty good at preventing them these days.

/Mo

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies !
I had considered co-codamol which I think is what my FIL (GP) gave me once, I felt pretty spaced out but it worked !
I think mine are triggered by hormones/stress. I used to just have a hormonal sinus headache but the last three have been text book migraines.
So plan is to approach them head on with serious painkillers ASAP and sleep through it !