Migraine Remedy Question

[Ksa]

In the last 6 years I've been having a 8.5/10 migraine once a month periodically. Seeing a neurologist in August this year. Meanwhile, wondering what you guys are doing to lower pain. My migraine kicks in to a full 8.5 pain rating in less than half an hour, leaving oral triptans pretty useless and the mouth dissolving are too expensive.

I however found a way to predict when the migraine will occur 24 hours prior to it by chewing 2mg of nicotine gum daily until chewing it triggers a headache. This, without error, means that the migraine will occur the next day in my case, for my body, with my living conditions.

I use a multi-modal analgesia made of a preparatory combo I take after I probe a migraine with nicotine, to prepare the body to receive the multi-modal combo:

- Ranitidine Hydrochloride 150mg (2 doses within 24h)
- Multivitamins
- Magnesium Chelate

When the migraine occurs, within the first half hour I simultaneously take:

- 600mg of Acetaminophen
- 250mg Caffeine
- 90mg Codeine Phosphate
- 500mg Sodium Metamizole
- 60mg Pseudoephedrine
- Thums

With this combo I manage to prevent the pain from exceeding 1/10 but it still gets up to 5/10 for a few seconds when I stand up suddenly. Does anyone know a substance best working for him in treating his migraine that I could add to my treatment?

[pineapplebunnybounce]

It's good that you're seeing a neurologist, he/she will know best what to do (unlike GPs, :/). Remember to tell your doc about the medication you're on, including the nicotine gum.

I don't have a pain problem, so I'm afraid I won't be able to help. But a few of what you've listed aren't really for migraine or, as far as I know, have any effect on migraines. Like tums, caffeine, multivits, ranitidine (this is for acid reflux, am I right?) and magnesium chelate. Tums are for acid reflux as well. How do they help?

[Ksa]

It's good that you're seeing a neurologist, he/she will know best what to do (unlike GPs, :/). Remember to tell your doc about the medication you're on, including the nicotine gum.

I don't have a pain problem, so I'm afraid I won't be able to help. But a few of what you've listed aren't really for migraine or, as far as I know, have any effect on migraines. Like tums, caffeine, multivits, ranitidine (this is for acid reflux, am I right?) and magnesium chelate. Tums are for acid reflux as well. How do they help?

Zantac 150 and Thums were an addition I made 3 years ago because the body somehow found a way to defend itself against the opioid by giving an acid reflux during the migraine, which indeed lowers absorption of codeine. The reflux got so bad during the migraine that I need both a PPI and a regular base antacid to get it within normal limits so that the codeine absorbs fast.

My GP told me caffeine helps for migraines, so I said...hehe...why not! lol

[NoraBrimstone]

My doctor once recommended dissolving a dispersible Aspirin in a 500ml bottle of full sugar Coca-Cola and drinking it as soon as I could feel a migraine coming on. It actually worked, too. It's just the right combination of Aspirin, sugar and caffeine. However, it turned out my blood hates Aspirin so I had to stop it.

Sometimes I buy Sumatriptan tablets from Boots. They're expensive, but they're great. When I have one around I find that I don't get any pain at all.

More often than not, I make myself throw up then take a few Paracetamol and put a frozen eye mask (I got mine from the body shop. I always have two in my freezer for migraines.) on my forehead and a sleep eye mask over my eyes and lie on my back with no pillow, but either a hot water bottle or a bag of frozen peas (which I also keep in my freezer specifically for migraines) under my neck and try to sleep. Usually the pain is mostly gone within an hour when I do this, but every now and then nothing works and I find myself considering self trepannation with my drill!

Migraines suck.

[ShaMan]

Binaural Beats. < Wiki Link.

Find a beat that works for you.

Many on YouTube...

Listen with earbuds at a moderate volume level

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsPh7A6Cgs0

[NoraBrimstone]

When I have a migraine sound is bad. Lol.

I had one on Monday and Tuesday and I was awake until past 4am (I called in sick at 4.20am) because the little clock in another room was like the loudest noise in the world to me. It would be soon cool if YouTube could help cure me.

While we're on the subject of migraines, do any of you guys get that achey post-migraine thing that lasts a few days after a migraine and seems to rob all your energy and make you eat a lot of carbs? ???

[Angrboda]

Caffeine is supposedly most effective if taken prior to the onset of the migraine. I've found caffeine helps me both before and during a migraine, and since it's relatively innocuous, starting taking caffeine early the day you know you are going to have a migraine may reduce the effects. Ultimately, though, the best thing to do is wait until you see the neurologist, as they're not something easily self-treated, there's a lot of variation, and many new treatments have been developed. About 10-20 years ago, I started Depakote as prophylaxis for migraines and it worked wonders; I only had a few bleed-through migraines a year while on Depakote. Due to a toxicity condition which developed, I had to stop that treatment. After that, I finally did what I should have done earlier, and went to a neurologist. He prescribed a half dose of a blood pressure medication. This provided some symptom relief, but not complete cessation of migraines. After a few months on the medication, my GP prescribed more blood pressure medications due to developing problem with hypertension. With the addition of additional anti-hypertensive medications, I am once again migraine free. In the last year, I had poor compliance with my medication, and after a few weeks of non-compliance, my migraines would come back. If I'm regular, I'm migraine free.

So, I think, ultimately, you should invest your energies in working with your neurologist, both for topical treatment and prophylaxis, and not spend as much time experimenting with potentially dangerous self-medicating.

[KUSA]

If you only knew a chemist that could come up with something.

[Jacob(smooth)]

Subject close to my heart. I'm a slave to migraine

1 . paracetamol. No really, everyone goes for the funky stuff but paracetamol is great if used rightly. It is good for preventing pain wind up but weak when the pain is established. You need to take it as early as possible and take the dose every 4 hours religiously, no gaps between doses.

2. Put the shower on. Hot as you can stand. Then a bit hotter. Then switch it to stone cold and stay under it as long as you can stand (try for 30 seconds). Then hot again. Then cold again. Then get out.

3. Put a kg of flour in a freezer bag, losely so it has room to move. Double bag it for safety and keep it in the freezer. At least 10 times better than gel I packs or cold flannels.

4. Apply said pack (or whatever you use) to the back of your neck. More effective than across your eyes or forehead.

[Kayenneh]

Here is how I manage my migraine. (I suffer from two distinct ones, a milder version (abour 5/10) and a less frequent, but harder one (7.5/10).)

Triptans. Seriously. It might take a while to find the proper one, but once you do, you'll be suprised as to how fast an episode can be over. It took mine down to half an hour from one day. Well worth it, I say. Not to mention that if you have nausea and can't take medication per os, triptans can also be administered as suppositories, nasal sprays and subcutaneous injections. Paracetamol (1g), NSAID (e.g. Ibuprofein 600-800mg) and ASA (500mg) can be taken in combination with triptanes, if needed.

Some studies show that ubiquinone (Q10) is somewhat helpful for migraine patients.

And prophylactic measures are a good way to skip migraines altogheter, especially if you get epsiodes frequently or if they are especially painful. I eat candesartan atm, because during the fall I was getting migraines daily. Now I haven't had a migraine in about a month, after two months of use. Usually candesartan is taken for six months, and if the treatment is efective, you can always renew it, if necessary.

Then there is of course life style factors, avoid things that you know that will trigger episodes, e.g. caffeine or stress.

Lastly, put something cold on your neck or forehead when having an episode, it feels wonderful!

[sources: I'm writing my Bachelor's thesis about migraine.]