Has anyone found a way to prevent migraines?

Question

I have tried everthing imaginable, and still get them at least once a week

Answer 1

I hear ya. A lot of my migraines turned out to be made worse by a clotting disorder called Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome.

Avoiding triggers, managing stress, and taking prophylactic medications can help prevent migraines. Keeping a migraine journal can help identify triggers and gauge the effectiveness of preventive measures. Patients should monitor the following:

Activities

Emotional factors (e.g. stressful situations)

Environmental factors (e.g., weather, altitude changes)

Foods and beverages

Medications (over-the-counter and prescription)

Migraine characteristics (e.g., severity, length)

Physical factors (e.g., illness, fatigue)

Sleep patterns

Stress management techniques (e.g., biofeedback, hypnosis) and stress-reducing activities (e.g., meditation, yoga, exercise) may help prevent migraines.

Below is a link that will give you some more treatment ideas. Have they put you on a low dose of antidepressant, beta blockers or antiseizure meds?

Answer 2

Well, you first need to confirm that what you suffer from is actually migraines. Broadly speaking, there are three types of headaches: tension headaches, cluster headaches and headaches due to migraines. All three are distinct and are treated differently. Symptoms indicative of migraines are: unilateral (only on 1 side of the head, right or left), patients report an aura immediately before the migraine (a sense of a migraine coming on) and an increase in sensitivity to light (a.k.a. photophobia).

Migraines can be prevented with a drug called "Propanolol" (generic name). It is a medication usually used for high blood pressure but has been shown to prevent migraines. It requires a doctor's prescription. To stop migraines after they have started, you need to use a class of drugs called "Triptans."

FYI, migraines are thought to be caused by vasospam (erratic closing and opening) of arteries to the brain. Important, Propanolol will not help if you are suffering from other forms of headaches and not migraines.

Answer 3

Migraines are a symptom of a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is a necessary body mineral that controls nerve impulses. Deficiencies also cause things like grinding your teeth, or restless leg syndrome.

Since most of us (70 percent or more) are deficient, it's a good thing to supplement. If it doesn't eliminate your migraines, it should relieve them somewhat. And there are no bad side effects. You cannot take too much magnesium into your system - the excess is simply excreted.

Answer 4

There is nothing that works for everyone with migraine. If you are lucky one of the existing ones might help you.

Answer 5

There is no one method to successfully treat the migraine.
What will work for one will not work for another. Headaches are one of the most difficult conditions to treat.

Answer 6

Do you smoke? I friend of mine had migraines for a while and when he stopped smoking they all but went away.

Answer 7

I used to suffer terribly. Get off of all analgesics. Pain killers cause more migraines that they cure.

Answer 8

Yes:
http://www.neurologyreviews.com/feb04/nr_feb04_foramen.html

Answer 9

I had acupuncture as a last resort. It worked for me. i still get them , but infrequently. a friend takes a Beta Blocker (propanolol)
that works for her

Answer 10

If you find out please pas it along ...my sixteen year old son gets them just abouts as frequently. it sucks to see him in that kind of pain and to do anything about it.

he takes Imitrex but its way too expensive