can someone tell me all they possibly can about Chronic Migraines?

Question

because i have them and i cant find any helpful info on the net about them. they are so bad that i faint or else cry all the time when i have one. What are some pain relief methods

well i dont drink caffine, or anything like that i go to school and i'm nearly 15, i get that twice or more a day and they are so bad. I'm not under any stress or anything like that

my balance is fine and i get double vision a lot, i dont wear glasses

are there any medicines
that come in a form of an injections that come into effect within minutes that can be used at school

they last about 3 hours and it feels as if i'm being wacked wit a sledge hammer

Answer 1

All the females on my mothers side suffer from chronic migraines. There are many common triggers, and each person is different. Food is a common trigger...my doctor once gave me a list of all possible food triggers and said I should try cutting them one at a time to see if one of them triggered migraines. The list of consumable triggers was looonnngg! Stress and caffeine are also common triggers. In general, the important thing is to keep things constant. I remember talking to my doctor once about a migraine I got just as I was going on a long anticipated weekend trip--no stress involved. I was floored when she told me that a sudden absence of stress could trigger a migraine just as easily as a sudden surge of stress. Environmental factors can also be triggers--I have allergies and minor sinus problems, and I find that when a new weather front moves in, it can trigger a migraine until my body adjusts to the new pressure, etc...
Treatment: These are what work for me.
1) Meditation, of a sort--sitting or lying down with my eyes closed, just concentrating on my breathing and visualizing my breath pushing out the pain.
2) Imitrex--this wonderdrug comes in pill, nasal spray, and injection form. I use the nasal spray and it starts working in 5 minutes. My migraine usually doesn't go away with the first use, but it brings it to a managable level. This is something that is very strong, and my doctor got a health history from me first, and then gave me the drug in office (without a migraine) to make sure I didn't have any side effects.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I used to have migraine daily for a year too... Then I got referred to a headache specialist and he could deal with my problem. There are some steps you can take to minimise the attacks. You might want to consider starting a headache diary. It might help you spot a trigger, which will in turn lessen you migraine attacks if you avoid them. This is the best way to minimise your migraine attack. Whenever you have a migraine, write down the day, date, time, what you have eaten for that day, how long the migraine has lapsed, the pain score (from 1-10, 1 being the least), emotional factor (what was mood, were you feeling depressed, angry or stressed?), what medication have you taken to lessen the pain, and the pain score after the medication. From there, you might be able to spot patterns like certain food triggers your migraine, or certain days eg mondays because you are in a rush so you didn't eat breakfast thus lack of food therefore migraine. What about time? Are you in a very hot or cold place at a particular time? That could trigger migraines. Fluctuating weather and temperature could also trigger migraine. A change in season too. Some people can predict weather by their offset in migraines. What about stress? Some people get migraine when they are extremely stressful, especially during examination periods, year end job review and so on... That could easily set off a migraine attack... What about menstrual migraine? some people get migraine before their menses... Sometimes it is medication overuse. Popping too much over-the-counter painkillers can cause rebound headache. If you realise that you need painkillers almost everyday and you pop a lot of painkillers each day, it could be a sign of rebound headache. If you are having a rebound headache, stop taking all your pain killers. You will feel terrible at first, then you will realise that your migraine will not be that painful and you will feel slightly better. Why not you try keeping a headache diary for a month. Then try to spot patterns. From there, see if you can make changes in your lifestyle and hopefully reduce migraine in your life. After avoiding the triggers, you can try preventative medications like topamax or beta blockers like proprananolol or tricyclic like amitriptyline, these are the more common drugs use to prevent migraines. Lastly, before a migraine start, you would have a prodrome. Do you have a particular food craving or mood swings? During a prodrome, try taking metoclopramide, it might reduces the migraine or even prevent it. It'll be good to see a neurologist especially one that specialise in headaches. They would be able to go through with you all your options base on your medical history.

Answer 3

Migraines are essentially a disorder of the blood vessels in your head. And they hurt. Most people have a few triggers, like a change in atmospheric pressure, hormones, or certain foods. You may also have nausea, dizziness, and visual disturbances, like seeing spots.

You can prevent them by avoiding food triggers, which are usually chocolate, red wine, dark beer, or very spicy foods. You can try cutting out a few things at a time to see if you can identify a trigger in your diet. If they're hormonal, and you're on birth control, you may want to consider switching to a low-estrogen or estrogen free option like Depo, Lo-Estrin, or a mini pill. There's not much you can do to prevent weather related ones, though.

As for treatment, the best non-prescription options are Excedrin migraine, coffee (or anything really with caffeine, since it's a vasodilator.) hot showers, ice packs, and just sitting quietly in a dark, cool, quiet room. Try not to watch TV or look at a computer, since those can make the pain worse.

There are a couple of prescriptions. Imitrex is a tried and true one with few side effects. It may make you drowsy, but it's better than a migraine! It's available as an injection for really bad headaches, and that works within minutes, or a tablet that you take when you feel one coming on that will make you feel all better in about an hour. It's expensive, but generally covered by insurance. Ask your doctor about a prescription. To me, it seems like a miracle.

Answer 4

I spent my first 13 years that way - what I have changed to get the results of only 2 full blown migraines in the past 30 years.

Magnesium (regulates many things in the body) and potassium - I take a swig of molasses (1-2 bananas a day equivalent) if the muscles start to tighten up.

Stay hydrated - running our bodies low on water is like running a car a quart low on oil - it runs - not well, overheats and causes damage.

When a migraine starts - at the base of the skull on the back of the neck - apply pressure up and in for the count of 3 up to three times. Which helps the muscles that directly effect migraines to loosen up usually keeping them at the level of a headache instead.

Other less related - a good multivitamin (prenatal have a good mix of the building blocks that we need) and calcium citrate caps with magnesium.

Answer 5

I do not know how old you are, but I suffered terribly from them from about 10 years of age through my early twenties. Then they vanished. I called them "my can't get along with the world" headaches.
What used to help me was complete darkness (pull all blinds), aspirin or prescribed meds, a cold rag on my head and my eyes closed. A neck or back rub too.
I did see many doctors and nothing helped. As I grew older it was obvious to me that the migraines (on the left side of my head and eye) were brought on when I was stressed, over tired, sick or had been crying. It's a tightening of the arteries in the head that restrict blood flow. But the cold cloth did help. Best advice, take pain reliever or prescribed mirgaine med(s) and completely relax all muscles. Especially those in your face.
Good luck. Oh! Grinding your teeth can cause headaches too.

Answer 6

Hot soaking steamy bath, turn off the lights and source of sounds, calm relaxing music, massaging the temples, oxygen mask, (it usually is a lack of oxygen to the muslcle mass around the skull). Is your vision effected? How is your balance with your eyes closed? If it is serious enough you cry or faint you need to see a doctor. I just get heat packs and go to my room for a nap, the pain meds they once prescribed were too dangerous for my liver and I said to heck with them. Aroma therapy also works for some people, or meditation, sort of go someplace soothing and relaxing in your mind and forget everything and everybody else. High blood pressure can cause them, so can glaucoma (if over 30 or with a history of it in your family, you need to have your eye pressure checked regularly. Stress of course can be a culprit, oddly caffiene can help make a migraine go away sometimes, but a bad idea if you have blood pressure issues. Some people claim sex can relieve it but that increases blood pressure (but relieves stress sometimes). Elevate your feet or lie down.

Answer 7

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