migraine help?

23 Replies
graceatblb said

I second the mint. I have chronic migraines and nothing gets rid of it like a strong brewed cup of mint tea. I steep it for 5-10 minutes depending on how bad the headache is. Also, fennel tea works occasionally with some red pepper flakes. I’ve also gotten rid of headaches by freezing a teaspoon and placing it against the roof of my mouth. It sounds crazy but it works.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Kaylee said

Every last one of you is wonderful. Thank you for the helpful tips and well wishes! I am feeling better. I started trying to reply to all of your suggestions, but quickly realized that it would just make my headache worse again! So, in sum:

Lots of ideas here I haven’t tried. Hoping some will help.

OTC Excedrin Migraine is what I took this morning. It took 3 hours to kick in, but it did help. I am a huge fan of the cold compress and pressure massage for the place that hurts. Alas, I can’t run around work with an ice pack taped to my face… although that might be kind of funny… Of all things, guayusa and a few bites of dark chocolate with ginger also helped me feel better. The rest was sheer willpower/obsessive client commitment. Sure am glad to be home again though.

To those of you who also struggle with migraines – and the many who seem to have far worse migraines than I do – I sure hope your pain eases!

Login or sign up to post a message.

I have been getting monthly or so migraines since I was a teenager and within the last year I’ve been able to space them out a bit by taking two herbal supplements . . . butterbur and feverfew. I buy the Solaray supplemental of both from Amazon. They have helped me so much, but do take a few months to start working. I started drinking tea because my coffee drinking habits were just making it worse. Tea seems to help. When I have a headache I like particularly Jasmine or Moroccan mint just because they’re soothing.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Zeks said

Out of curiosity, does no health coverage mean no way to get sumatriptan prescription in the US? Because I am not sure I’d be fully functional without it…

Login or sign up to post a message.

For anyone living in the Toronto area, I just found this event:
http://chronicmigrainefreezone-es2005.eventbrite.com/?rank=13#

Login or sign up to post a message.

Kaylee said

@ Zeks – no health coverage means I only have three ways to get a prescription: free/low-cost clinics (which are few and far between); paying for a doctor’s visit out of pocket; or getting someone with insurance to convince a doctor to write a prescription in their name for a medication that I need. Once I have the prescription, my pharmacy does have a discount program that subsidizes the cost of most prescription meds. But I am extremely reluctant to experiment with migraine medications without regular supervision by a medical professional.

Zeks said

A valid point of view :) I’d pretty much “prescribed” sumatriptan to myself but then again – I’d be very miserable without it :(

looseTman said

Kaylee: “But I am extremely reluctant to experiment with migraine medications without regular supervision by a medical professional.”

You are very wise, especially since most migraine rescue medications are RX only.

For migraine prevention with OTC supplements, you may wish to review medical journal articles that can be easily found using Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en

For example: searching for “migraine prophylaxis vitamin B2”
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=migraine+prophylaxis+vitamin+B2&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=1%2C21
Results in the following articles describing Vit B2 as safe and effective for even children with migraines:
http://www.neurology.org/content/50/2/466.short
http://cep.sagepub.com/content/30/12/1417.full
http://cep.sagepub.com/content/30/12/1426.full
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/182/7/E269.full
http://jcn.sagepub.com/content/23/11/1300.abstract

Some additional links on migraine prevention:
http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(02)00349-X/abstract
-http://journals.lww.com/clinicalpain/Abstract/2009/06000/Foods_and_Supplements_in_the_Management_of.15.aspx
-https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/3508/WhatDietaryModificationsMigraines.pdf?sequence=1

Login or sign up to post a message.

Zeks said

Btw, has anyone here had any experience with osteopath? I am currently visiting one for my migraines and I wonder how good my chances are … :)

Rachel J said

I went to an osteopath for muscular problems but it did nothing for me. Hope you have better luck!

Login or sign up to post a message.

Serenity said

Got one today and read online that catnip or catmint as one says in Europe is helpful. Luckily, I have some organic dried catnip…for my cat! I don’t think she minded sharing, and maybe she’ll come purring around me! I found the cup that I brewed to be a little on the bitter side, but I drank it down!

Login or sign up to post a message.

K. said

I get migraines often. I want to second the consideration of monitoring caffeine intake — whatever that means for you.

Also, although I’m stretching this as part of a tea discussion, when I saw a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I was given many herbs to brew into a tisane. It wasn’t the best tasting herbal tea I ever drank, but whatever it was, it could stop a migraine in its tracks. I’m guessing the brew would be different for each migraine sufferer.

Login or sign up to post a message.

Login or sign up to leave a comment.