I have really bad migraines! How can I relieve them?

Question

When I feel a migraine coming on, I take my medication, lay down in bed in the dark and quiet, and put a cold pack on the pain. It helps, but it still takes hours for it to start going away. Does anyone else have migraines, and what do you do to relieve them fast?

Answer 1

I have them horrible too. I avoid alcohol, processed meats and anything with MSG the food attitive and chocolate. I avoid caffeine and it helps. I take Imitrex a prescription medication and it works fast. It is very expensive. I used tylenol before and it worked so so. You have my sympathy. I also take topamax to prevent them and keep hydrated with water. I try to eat very healthy ballanced unprocessed foods. Lean turkey or chicken, fish and veggies, small amounts of carbs, not a great amount of oils of fried stuff. I try to sleep as regular as possible. It is genetic and hormonal. I would go to a doctor if you can and get looked over. I hope you have insurance because prescription medication works best for the bad ones. Massage and meditation also helps as well as low impact exercise. I like swimming and pilates when I do not have other health issues limiting me from them.

Answer 2

If you suffer from chronic migraines, and an MD has either ruled out any serious or immediate threat to your health or can only prescribe medication to mask the symptom, it might actually be beneficial for you to see a chiropractor.

Contrary to popular belief, chiropractic deals with more than just "neck and back pain." Chiropractic is founded in the belief that the Central Nervous System (the brain, spinal cord, and nerves) controls EVERY bodily function. A misalignment of the vertebrae (what chiropractic calls a subluxation) can pinch the nerves running out between them, causing pain, numbness/tingling, or any type of general malfunction in that nerve's corresponding body part. The cells of our nervous system are CONSTANTLY communicating with the body, so it's important to make sure the nerves exiting out of the spine aren't being pinched or damaged (so the nerve signals can run undisturbed). I know you might think that the spine isn't important for headaches, but subluxations in the neck region are typical causes of headaches too!

I'm NOT saying that this will be a definite solution to your problem, but it might be something to consider. I used to work in a chiropractic office and saw how it helped SO many people with chronic sinus/migraine headaches (actually, after working in the office I decided to switch colleges so I could become a chiropractor!). Chiropractic is a safe, non-invasive healthcare option that doesn't rely on drugs or surgery that may have potentially unwanted side effects.

It's so sad that so many people live with migraines and think that this is just "normal." Pain in general is NOT something that people have to "learn to deal with." It's not normal; it's not genetics; it's not (or shouldn't be) common. It's my personal opinion that finding and removing the cause of the problem is better than taking drugs that only mask the symptoms.

If you do decide to see a chiropractor, ask family and friends for recommendations, visit a few offices and pick the doctor that you are most comfortable with. Finding a GOOD chiropractor is key. But no matter what you decide to do, I sincerely hope that things improve for you.

Answer 3

I had horrific migraines all last winter, passing out, losing speech, terrible pain migraines, that lasted for days. I started taking 600 mg of magnesium and 1000 mg of calcium daily, and they are rare now, and manageable. I still get the occasional migraine, but migraine medication is only necessary maybe once or twice a month, and works on the first dose within two hours, ususally. It took about a week to start working.

Answer 4

You can get reduce the number of migraines by learning of migraine triggers. Many foods trigger migraines - chocolate, apple juice, red wine, yogurt ... to name a few.

See a doctor and ask about migraine preventative meds. Elavil, an anti-depressant works well for me.

Answer 5

I do everything you do and I talked to my Dr he gave me a RX which helps. Also I cut out all sugar
substitutes, seems to be helping. Also my sinus
can make my migraines worse so you might have to take something over the counter for that. Age has a lot to doing with them too teenage girls get them more then any one. I know this was true for me when I was a teenager. Also I seem to get more around the time my period starts. It helps to take something as soon as you feel one coming on. Good luck

Answer 6

Talk to your doctor - there are medicines to help relieve migraines and even prevent them from happening when you think you may get one. Medicines include sumatriptan (imitrex) or eletriptan (relpax). Of course there are the tylenols, but if they do not work, there are other options.

Answer 7

I think you just have to experiment with different medications. I don't have them very often, anymore, and I've found that 3 ibuprofen work pretty well for me. I do read that there are lots of relatively new prescription drugs that help.

I hope you find something that works. Migraines are horrible.

Answer 8

I get them too. The only way i can make it go away is get a heating pad and put it on my upper back/ shoulders, and get a hot pack of some kind ( soak a rag with hot water, put it in a ziplock bag and heat in the microwave for like 10 seconds) and put it on my hear/face...and try to sleep it off in a recliner so that im not lying down (causes too much pressure) Hope you feel better soon.. migranes are YUKKK... Hey the drink water thing makes since too... Recently i started drinking lots of water (about 5-7 20oz bottles a day) and i have not gotten a migrane since...knock on wood

Answer 9

Get your medication changed if it's not working for ya. I have had the same problem, me & my Doc are still trying to figure out which one will work the best/quickest. Keep doign what your doing. I get to the point of taking my RX & 2 excedrin migraine tablets at the same time.
Good Luck, I feel your pain...

Answer 10

When a migraine hits, eat almonds. Seriously, I have no idea why it works, but it does. My migraines go away within a few minutes after eating almonds.