Anyone got any tips for knocking a migraine when medicine doesn’t seem to be enough?

Hey there!

So I’ve had a migraine that has been going for a couple days now. Nothing entirely new, but it’s frustrating. Dark room, low noise, tried sleeping it off, taken multiple medications for it including my Ubrelvy which normally knocks it. It took the edge off, but now I’m going on day 3 with the migraine with no perceivable end in sight.

Anyone got any tips that normally helps them to knock their migraine that’s worth considering? Normally I don’t care too much as I’ve put up with them for years, but this one has me all nauseous which makes it that much more miserable.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: Sorry for not seeing the responses on this sooner. I went back to bed afterward and mostly stayed in bed and holy crap the responses blew up. I also called my neurologist and told them about it much like some of the advise that others have mentioned, and they started me on a round of prednisone to help. Fingers crossed it gets rid of it. Seems to be helping, but only time will tell. If it doesn’t, I’ll see about giving some of these a try. Thank you so much!

pulaskiwasright,

Sleep, water, better eye glasses. And maybe coffee, but only if you already regularly drink it.

ndguardian,

Fortunately and unfortunately I am working on all of those. I keep my eyeglass prescription up to date, I drink water (though I could probably drink more), and I am going to see about getting a sleep study done because I am bad at sleeping. Coffee I try not to drink too much of, but I can always ramp that up too.

AdminWorker,

Tums. (If it is indigestion caused). Rose colored glasses

ndguardian,

I didn’t take tums specifically for the nausea, but rather pepto bismol. Didn’t really help though…might have to try tums next time though.

As for rose colored glasses…do you mean positivity? Or do you mean literal rose colored glasses?

AdminWorker,

Acid migraines are the worst if your family has a history of ulcers or acid reflux. Tums is 10x better that Pepto if that is the cause.

www.theraspecs.com

Those are the rose colored glasses that my wife uses. They are a general light preventative. (She can “relax” in public). Also concert earplugs like “eargasm” are something that allow focusing through the pain.

Sometimes nerve pain in the legs like sciatic can contribute as well. If you have weird “someone hit my funnybone” pain in your legs then you could look into neural flossing. Sometimes the pain in the legs cause tension all over which makes a migraine until everything resets.

Good luck!

ndguardian,

Oh dang, I remember reading about those glasses a while back. Appreciate the reminder. I’ll check them out. Technically my eyeglasses have blue light filtering, but given I work IT, improving the blue light limitation could prove beneficial so it’s at least worth a shot.

dark_stang,
@dark_stang@beehaw.org avatar

Caffeine can help. What really helped me was I started using cannabis to treat anxiety years ago. It ended up curing my migraines at the same time, which was a pretty nice surprise. I went from having 2-3 a week to 1-2 a year (and with way lessened symptoms).

ndguardian,

I tried cannabis several years ago (not for headaches, but recreationally with a friend) and unfortunately I didn’t have a good experience with it. Could have just been bad timing, but I ended up actually getting a nasty headache with it. Unfortunately it is also illegal here, but maybe if that changes I can give it another shot.

dark_stang,
@dark_stang@beehaw.org avatar

Maybe give some full spectrum CBD tincture a try first (legal almost everywhere, including all states). CBD can lower blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels. Which can prevent migraines somehow (maybe similar to getting more oxygen into your brain, some migraine medications work that way too).

Different strains can make a huge difference if you ever try it again. Most sativa’s give me a headache, even in edible form, so I avoid them. A few indica strains work really well for me and I microdose every day with those.

Hope you find something that works well for you. Migraines suck.

NotSpez,

Generally speaking, a migraine episode should take a maximum of 72 hours. This is actually one of the diagnostic criteria (4-72 hours). If it takes a lot longer than that, my advice would be to contact your caregiver and discuss this. Try getting enough sleep, listen to your body signals. Some neck stretches focused on the trapezius can also help alleviate a headache loop. This last suggestion always helps me out a lot.

SwagaliciousSR,

This comment right here.

Any migraine (or headache) longer than 72 hours is not normal and should be looked at.

I’ve had 2x migraine periods in my life, one caused by a gum infection. Worst pain in my life Felt just like an ocular light induced migraine until day 4 or 5 when the pain got to ice pick levels of pain. Ended up needing oral surgery and tubes placed inside my mouth / sinus for a few weeks to belp drain pus and stuff.

Check any part of your face / forehead for pain and swelling.

The other was series of minor and micro strokes. I only experienced tingling, migraines and hand pain.

Had no idea! Get bad and frequent migraines checked out!

ndguardian,

Fortunately I have been going to a neurologist for a little while, so it’s getting checked out. I also called them today and they set me up with a round of prednisone to help knock the current migraine, and that is helping a bit.

Unfortunately, yeah…without medical intervention, my migraines and headaches are pretty needy. Before the medications I am on now, I was typically getting headaches and migraines almost daily, which was absolutely not fun. It’s much less prevalent now, with the obvious exception.

ndguardian,

Well it probably isn’t great that this is far from being the longest I’ve had then, with that being around 10 days. I have run this by my neurologist, and she said that unfortunately sometimes this can happen. Then again she also told me that the thunderclap headaches I sometimes get are likely also a way in which my migraines manifest, so maybe I should look into a second opinion?

That being said, I’ve had MRIs, EEGs and stuff like that to rule out physiological and electrical issues, so presumably I’m not knocking on death’s door just yet. I’m planning on having a sleep study done though, as I do struggle at sleeping, so that likely could be a contributing factor.

As for the neck stretches, do you have any links on how to do those? Happy to give them a shot.

NotSpez,

Yeah, unfortunately, it definitely can’t happen that it takes longer than 72 hours, but it’s a good call to run it by your doctor.

Also, there is a clear yet complex relationship between bed, sleep and headache, so seems like a good plan to explore this a little bit further.

As for the stretch exercises, I couldn’t find the perfect video online, but there is an adequate one. I will share with some footnotes. youtu.be/MI9o8SOxldY

I don’t really like the commercial tone of the video, and I have never performed stretch 2 (but number one in the slightly altered version of number three really work for me). The way I do number three differently, is that after tilting my neck sidewards, I then proceed to tilting it forward, whilst still tilted sidewards, if that makes any sense. So first tilt it all the way to the side, then proceed to rolling it forward without tilting it back to center. While doing this pay attention to the shoulder on the other side, making sure you are not lifting it. You should feel the stretch on the side you’re not tilting to. Feel free to send me a PM if you still have questions about it.

eldoom,

If you have access to LSD you can try a microdose of it. Just put one or 2 hits in a pint jar of water, shake it up really good, and take a sip to a shot. Don’t overdo it, if it doesn’t work you don’t want to be tripping with a migraine. It’s never failed me though.

ndguardian,

I’ve seen this mentioned in other places too. Unfortunately like with weed, there is the legal issue of that where I live, but beyond that honestly I am a little reluctant to try it as I’m a bit of a control freak lol. I think that is something I would prefer to try in a very controlled environment first before jumping into it with a migraine. Appreciate the recommendation though!

eldoom,

Well I was talking more about a microdose. Taking a tiny fraction of the amount required to actually trip. You don’t get high at all from it.

Either way, I hope you’ve recovered from your migraine!

ndguardian,

Ha, and that tells you just how much I know about any of that. I’m of the way better now, thank you. For some reason I started smelling brown sugar, which is interesting.

Gerudo,

Cold head wrap in a dark and quiet room. The wrap ideally covers your eyes too.

ndguardian,

I’ve seen a couple others that have mentioned some other variation of this, and it seems simple enough. I’ll have to give it a shot. Thank you!

Facelikeapotato,
@Facelikeapotato@lemmy.ml avatar

I’ve never had one last that long, so I second commenters saying to check in with a doctor. However, my go-tos are caffeine (usually chilled cola), paracetamol and ibuprofen, placing a cold wet cloth over my eyes and/or the back of my neck. In addition to darkness and quiet, of course. This regimen doesn’t make my migraines go away, but it takes the edge off and makes them more bearable. I hope any of this helps you out, good luck!

ndguardian,

You’ll be happy to know I did check in with my neurologist, and she prescribed me a round of prednisone that seems to be helping. I did try most of those outside of the cold wet cloth. Others have mentioned ice packs, so between those, that all sounds like something that could be easily tried in the future. Thank you for that!

Facelikeapotato,
@Facelikeapotato@lemmy.ml avatar

No problem, I’m glad you’ve found something that helps!

Lianrepl,
@Lianrepl@kbin.social avatar

Cold damp towel on my face gives instant relief. Best if you have someone who can rinse it for you every 10 minutes to keep it cold

MaungaHikoi,

My mum found an ice pack shaped like a ski mask that covers my eyes, it’s magic for this. It’s black so it blocks out the light and has that ice pack gel in it so if you get it cold it stays cold for quite a while.

Lianrepl,
@Lianrepl@kbin.social avatar

That sounds amazing!

ndguardian,

Yeah, I’ve seen this mentioned in a couple other comments, as well as ice packs. Seems simple enough that I’ll have to give it a try. Thank you!

Dinodicchellathicc,

I get chronic migraines that are usually triggered by certain foods, stress, lack of sleep, excessive drinking, and I also seem to get them when it’s most inconvenient. My go-to fix if i catch one comeing on is to pound an energy drink, take some tylenol and go take a nap. This works everytime as long as i catch it early. Like 30mins into feeling my headhurts but before it progresses into a knife in my brain.

How soon do you medicate after feeling a migraine start?

ndguardian,

Typically I medicate within an hour of symptoms coming up. I’ve dealt with headaches and migraines for a rather long time, so I’ve learned not to mess around when they start to pop up. And typically it helps, but every now and then I get one that is rather persistent.

scrubbles,
@scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech avatar

Everything everyone else said, but to really point out, if this headache is out of the norm for you GO TO A DOCTOR. I don’t mean to freak you out but my mom instilled that in me from early on. Headaches and migraines happen, but it you get a new type, a weird spot, or they last longer, or anything weird or different get it checked out asap.

I’ve known 2 people personally who have had aneurysms, 1 was lucky, the other not. Get it checked out to be safe.

ndguardian,

Fortunately I have been going to a neurologist for a while for these migraines and headaches. I’m on a couple different medications to help keep them in check, and fortunately I’ve had MRIs, EEGs and other tests to rule out potential major problems. I called her up this morning to check with her about it, and she set me up with prednisone which seems to be helping to knock it.

Unfortunately this isn’t even the longest lasting one I’ve had. That would be about 10 days, and that was miserable, so there is more work to be done to get it better under control.

scrubbles,
@scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech avatar

Good, I’m sorry for the migraines, I know how bad they can be, but good on you for getting it checked out. First friend was in high school, got a sudden headache and just took a lot of aspirin, he didn’t make it through the night. Second collapsed in the shower and his dog ran to get his wife as she was stepping out the door, made it to surgery within minutes of it being fatal. I always encourage people to get new and weird headaches checked out.

NewWorldOverHere, (edited )

I’ve had migraines for 8+ years now. I’m fortunate enough to have free healthcare. So, I’ve been working with a neurologist for 2.5 years now.

Their advice for migraines that last longer than 24 hours is to go to the ER. The ER will give you a migraine concoction to stop the migraine in its tracks. They hook you up to a liquid drip for a couple hours and then you feel better. It’s worked some magic for me before. Each ER neuro’s concoction is a little different.

Reason for going in after 24 hours (as they’ve explained it to me), is that your body gets stuck almost reacting to itself.

(Think: Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself? Except, it’s your brain and it can’t stop.)

Even if you make it through this long-ass migraine (with the mentality of “mind over matter, I can handle anything”), you’ve just made yourself more susceptible to another long-ass migraine by allowing this one to last longer.

Basically, by helping your body to shorten your migraines, you’re helping to break your body’s cycle and acceptance of long migraines. You’re helping it to realize that “hitting itself” is dumb, and it stops.

Anyway - this is my understanding of it. But, I’m not a professional.

Working with my neurologist (plus loads of meds) has helped cut the length of my multi-day migraines down as well as their frequency and severity. Hope this helps you a little bit too!

So, if you can afford it, I recommend popping in to the ER for a bag or two of magic from the docs there.

If you can’t, then I recommend trying an over the counter pain medication (in addition to caffeine). If you take pain meds fairly often, then I like to switch it up, so my system has something different to try and hasn’t gotten used to it. Just remember to take the correct dosage and don’t mix with others to accidentally OD.

ndguardian,

Unfortunately I live in the US, where healthcare is considered a luxury. I could go on a full rant about that, and in college even wrote an essay on the subject. Fortunately, my health insurance is actually decent, so I could go to the ER if I wanted.

The logic makes sense though - basically a positive feedback loop, and you need to break the loop. In this case, I called up my neurologist, who hooked me up with a round of prednisone, and that seems to be helping. I’ll keep that in mind though for the future. Never thought a migraine was worth an ER visit, but hey if they can help too then why not.

NewWorldOverHere,

Yeah, I live in the US too. I’m in the military though, so we get free healthcare. I genuinely appreciate the luxury of it and am a fierce advocate of free healthcare for the rest of the US too. I’ve spent sometime overseas and just marveled at the lack of stress other countries’ citizens have with regard to their access to healthcare. We deserve that too.

I’m so glad you have decent healthcare and access to the ER. It’s definitely worth the trip! The best metaphor I can think of is going to your aunt’s house to use her pool on a hot, summer day. You still have to do the travel (wait a little in the waiting room), and it takes a bit to get there (for the meds to work), but once you jump in the pool (once the meds actually work), it’s such a relief and well worth it.

Here’s hoping you don’t experience a migraine like this for a while though, and it just remains a tool in your tool bag!

Blizzard,

Weed

loaf,
@loaf@sh.itjust.works avatar

I second this. I only started smoking again a while back to stop migraines. Oddly enough, daily smoking has mostly prevented migraines from occurring.

Today,

Thc and cbd don’t help me, but cbg does. The oil from Lazarus naturals is good.

loaf,
@loaf@sh.itjust.works avatar

I may need to try that. I wonder if taking CBG daily would be a better preventative (and cheaper) than just buying certain strains.

Today,

There used to be a guy on r/hempflowers who did that and said it cut his frequency in half. I recommended it to a coworker and she said the same. Mine are only ~2x/month, so i just use it when they come on. Helps and i don’t have the spacey weird feelings like when i take prescription meds

ndguardian,

Unfortunately between a bad experience I’ve had with it in the past and the legal issues of it where I live, I’ll hold off on that for now. Might revisit it if/when the legal part changes though. Appreciate the recommendation!

adonis,
@adonis@kbin.social avatar

I'm struggling with headache for decades now. I was also obese for the most part of my life, and doctors always blamed it on obesity since MRI scans didn't show anything (thankfully).

When I lost weight I went to a neurologist and he put me on migraine meds which didn't help.

A few months after contracting covid in February 2023, my headaches got worse, so I went to a neurologist, doing an MRI again, which, as hoped and expected, showed nothing. So the doc put me on Amitriptyline, 5mg the first week, then 10mg.

The 5mg already showed successful results for 6 days... I was in a better mood, and I haden't felt any headaches except for the last day. I'm now on 10mg and I hope to go through summer without any headaches.

In any case, go see a doctor.

ndguardian,

Right there with you on putting up with them for decades. It is no fun. And I’m a little overweight too which probably doesn’t help.

I’ve been on amitriptyline for a couple years, now at 30mg. In the very beginning it was helpful, but then it stopped helping so they added Aimovig which has been a godsend. Went from having headaches and migraines almost daily to only a couple times a month. Every now and then I get a nasty one that comes through though.

Fortunately I called up my neurologist who put me on a round of prednisone and that seems to be helping a bit.

Scorchio,

Aimovig was a godsend for me too, taking me from a couple of migraines a week down to once a month if I was unlucky. I’ve since swapped to emgality, due to insurance coverage, and now they’ve stopped pretty much entirely. I don’t know if it’s a difference between the medications, or a change in my migraine pattern. Have you tried any of the other injectable meds?

ndguardian,

Nah, Aimovig is the first for me. I literally just requested to up the dose like an hour ago, so assuming that goes through hopefully that will completely knock it out from there. If not, I’ve heard good things about Emgality and another one I’m drawing a blank on the name for, so I can always see about revisiting those if needed.

Good deal that the Emgality is working for you!

bran_buckler,

I get migraines triggered from sinus pressure. Do you know what triggers yours?

Because mine are often from sinus issues, treating that will often help relieve or prevent the migraines. Tylenol Sinus and Allegra D have been the two things that really work for me, depending on the situation.

Post Covid had me congested for several months, accompanied by a constant baseline headache and migraines every other day. Allegra D was really a godsend that got me through that time.

In any case, best of luck, I hope you find some relief!

ndguardian,

I know of a couple triggers for mine, but there are definitely others out there. I’ve been using the N-1 Headache app to track them to try to find a more comprehensive list of triggers though.

Fortunately my neurologist hooked me up with a round of prednisone and that is helping a bit, thank you!

handofdumb,

My wife has a few things she tries - success varies from migraine to migraine…

  • She has flexible ice pack hats she keeps in the freezer.
  • She chugs water.
  • She chugs caffeine.
  • She smokes/eats weed.
  • She takes a caffeine pill, l-theanine (for caffeine jitters), acetaminophen, and ibuprofen and tries to nap before they kick in.
  • She does the usual dark room, no screens thing.

Good luck! I hope you find some relief soon :)

KittenBiscuits,

This is pretty much my list as well, sans the weed because my sense of smell is too sensitive during a migraine. The ice packs are the thing that pushes me over into recovery territory.

You don’t need anything fancy, get 2 gallon baggies, fill one about halfway with ice, add a little water, and then seal it up inside the 2nd baggie. I rest my head on it like a pillow but i have a lot of hair that acts a buffer. If it’s too cold, wrap it in a thin kitchen towel.

Then I let time and rest do its thing. If the ice has melted and the migraine isn’t gone, I make another bag.

ndguardian,

Someone else mentioned the ice packs, which besides the weed is the main thing from that list I haven’t really tried already. I’ll have to give that a try since I do have some ice packs in the freezer…not sure why I haven’t thought to try it. I’ll probably pass on the weed though. Between legal issues with it where I live and just overall poor experiences in the past with it, just doesn’t sound appealing. Glad it helps your wife though!

And fortunately I was able to get in touch with my neurologist, who set me up with a round of prednisone. That seems to be helping, which is a huge relief.

handofdumb,

So happy to hear that you’re getting some relief :) and I hope the ice packs help! Good luck to you, friend.

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