Any home remedies for intractable migraine

[Anonymous]

Before anyone flips out that Im asking for “home remedies”: I am on steroids, have a Maxalt prescription and have an MRI scheduled to make sure there’s nothing serious underlying this. I don’t eat my trigger foods and try to get regular sleep and to stay hydrated (probably my biggest triggers). I am well supplemented to address underlying nutritional deficiencies (though I don’t take magnesium or zinc and haven’t been tested for deficiencies there). I just bought a light therapy lamp.

To try to get me over this hump, has anything helped you? Warm baths, exercise, fasting, no caffeine, more caffeine, supplements, massage?… I’ve had migraines in the past but this is new for me.

[Anonymous]

Do you do riboflavin daily? It's a blood vessel stabilizer and was recommended by my kid's neurologist.

[Anonymous]

For me- hydration (you already do this), and not getting overheated or exercising too hard. Once they start- 800mg ibuprofen as soon as there is an inkling of a migraine starting, and a magnesium pill. Cold packs to my forehead. No caffeine/ caffeine makes it worse once it’s started for me.

I know magnesium is supposed to be a daily thing to prevent migraines but maybe I’m weird. If I do ibuprofen, sports drinks, cold packs and I’m still miserable I take a magnesium and I’m usually fine within a few hours. Maybe coincidence?

[Anonymous]

Daily exercise helps prevent mine. Nothing too intense...just 30-40 minutes of walking a neighborhood with a few good hills that get my heart rate up.

DS says that LED lights trigger his. He sits in the dark a lot and we still buy incandescent bulbs. Not sure what we will do when they phase them out.

[Anonymous]

For me sunglasses help a lot. Even in winter, on a sunny day.

[Anonymous]

Migrelief supplements daily and Migrelief-now as needed.

[Anonymous]

Daily migrelief plus rigid sleep schedule and regular meals/snacks. 3 Aleve and 1 prednisone upon onset of symptoms. Control blood sugar. Avoid triggers.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. I forgot to mention that due to a stomach condition, I can’t take NSAIDs, so ibuprofen and aleve are out for me. I looked up riboflavin deficiency and I have a number of those symptoms - guess I’m going to request that bloodwork at my post MRI follow up appointment.

My migraines previously haven’t been as much about the pain as they have been about the light and sound sensitivity, nausea and other similar type symptoms so these crying and wanting to scream bad headaches are a shock.

OP.

[Anonymous]

Get to a headache specialist as you should be on a preventative. You can try another triptan or CPRG depending on what insurance pays (triptans are much cheaper). It's hit or miss on what will help you. Sadly, only a daily triptan with Ibprophen helps me but I still have intractable and just get relief for a few hours when I take the triptan. I hope you find something to give you relief. It's pretty miserable.

Maybe try one of the CPRG medications - preventative or abortive if you cannot take NSADID's.

I have a cheaper massage gun off amazon that helps, if anything just to distract me. Heating pad, sometimes bath, dark room. Tens on the shoulders and back (never on neck or head). Some like ice packs.

They also make some migrant gadgets. The one I tried was terrible but they work for some people.

Mine got much older when I aged. I think its hormone related.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Daily exercise helps prevent mine. Nothing too intense...just 30-40 minutes of walking a neighborhood with a few good hills that get my heart rate up.

DS says that LED lights trigger his. He sits in the dark a lot and we still buy incandescent bulbs. Not sure what we will do when they phase them out.

Stock up on light bulbs. I prefer very white LED.

[Anonymous]

There is an ice head hat that fits over your head, eyes, and cheeks that helps. Cold and dark helps me. I lay down in a interior room in the basement with no lights and blast ac or fan.

[Anonymous]

OP if you already have a migraine that won’t quit the abortives won’t help you it’s too late. If sleep/hydration/caffeine are not working you can go to the EE and get a dose of IV depakote.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t had a migraine that lasts multiple days, but I do get into cycles now and then where I get migraines with aura that stop for an hour only to restart with the aura again multiple times a day for several days in a row.

My neuro gives me a prednisone taper to break the cycle and it has worked every time so far.

[Anonymous]

20 years of migraines here. Triptans stopped working for me after about 10 yrs, so I take a very low dose of amitryptaline every evening, and it's been a miracle drug for me. I was getting 3 weeks of migraine a month, and now I maybe get 2 migraines a year. When I do, I take Sprix nasal spray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:20 years of migraines here. Triptans stopped working for me after about 10 yrs, so I take a very low dose of amitryptaline every evening, and it's been a miracle drug for me. I was getting 3 weeks of migraine a month, and now I maybe get 2 migraines a year. When I do, I take Sprix nasal spray.

Oh, and zero home remedies work for me. I do maintain a very consistent schedule of sleeping, meal times & exercise, and I reduce eye strain as much as possible.