Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 01/26/2011 1:38:32 PM PST by ken5050
My girlfriend has suffered for years from migrane headaches, She's tried a variety of remedies, with little or no success, and she basically toughs it out when they hit, taking Excedrin. Of late, she's had an increasing occurance of migrane, and they seem to be more debilitating than usual. Someone told me about Adele Davis, and her books, and pantotheric acid (?) and Vitamin B6. I searched Amazon, she has multiple books...so I'm wondering if anyone here has any common experience, or advice as to possible migrane treatments. Thanks
Sounds to me like her problem is caused from lack of self indulgence.........tell her to give up the running and workouts and start drinking and maybe even start dating. When the above regimen is followed, ibuprofen works wonders..........
“Has she had her potassium checked? Low potassium and low magnesium can cause or make worse migraine headaches. They can’t check magnesium very well. Only what’s in the blood not what’s at the cellular level. Just take magnesium, it won’t hurt you and is very safe. The only time there is a danger is if she’s had a heart attack or if her kidney’s are low or not functioning. If you get to much magnesium you’ll just get loose bowels. Start with 400mg. a day and work up over a few weeks to around 800-1000mg a day. When you start getting a touch of the runs, back off until you don’t have that problem anymore. This should help and it sure can’t hurt. Most American’s don’t get enough magnesium anyway, there is a lack of it in our over planted soil.”
You are very well informed.
Magnesium and fish oil should be staple supplements for most people. Because most of us don’t eat enough magnesium or omega-3 fat in our diets. Both are vital for proper heart function, and good for lots of other things, including migraine avoidance.
I do not choose to take "preventative meds" daily as most are for epileptics to prevent seizures. I decided that if I could find an effective med to treat my headache, I didn't want to risk a daily dose of an anti-seizure as opposed to taking a pill or other to treat one that occurred.
After taking a few different kinds of medication for migraines, I have found the drug "Axert" to be superior - but I take it immediately upon the first symptom.
Lastly, women such as myself, who never took as much as an aspirin for a headache before mid-life, launch into full blown debilitating migraines after ward and your friend is in that age group so we do know that hormones play a big part.
Bookmark.
Mega doses of caffeine and Ibuprofen (6 ib’s and a half a pot of very strong coffee) have always worked for me.
My GF had untreatable migraines until her doctor told her to try taking 3 Aleve’s (Naproxen). The dosage on the box says 1-2 but the prescription strength is 3. Works for her.
“Several suggestions. First, knock off the Excedrin. If she’s taking it more than one or two times a week, it can cause rebound headaches, which just creates a vicious cycle.”
Good advice.
I see one for some problems and have had wonderful results. And I was in such pain that I was on strong dosage of Dilaudid for neck/shoulder pain, and now I take no meds and am 75% pain free and manageable. The Dilaudid continually made me sleepy, clouded my thinking, and made it next to impossible to drive. Not a way to live.
Also, strong faith that God will help never hurts, if a person is truly a believer.
I can speak from personal experience that many foods can be headache “triggers.” This book, written by a neurologist, focuses on self-help dietary changes that can help avoid headaches, and has benefited our family greatly:
Heal Your Headache:
http://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-Program-Taking/dp/0761125663
Oh she has my sympathy...I had migraines at the rate of 2 or 3 a week for many, many years. Way before some of the new meds we now have. The only thing that gave me any relief was to force myself to throw up a number of times and then try to fall asleep. Sometimes it wasn’t until I got very nauseous from the pain but once I got that I knew I had to throw up..,.and once I got to that point I could almost feel the headache leaving and getting into a deep sleep then helped.
For me it was hormonal and once I reached say 55 they disappeared totally....today I do have the ocular migraine but other than visual disturbances they are nothing compared to the actual magraines. I wish her good luck in finding some relief....for everyone it seems to be so different as to triggers or getting relief. Mine first started when I was 28 out of nowhere...in fact at first I was sure I had a brain tumor!! Extremely painful...I’d do plenty of research as to all the various reasons and try to pinpoint something if possible.........
Doctors these days are prescribing seizure medications. I have a friend who uses this type of med and she is doing well.
Some years ago - Italian researchers used dilute preparations of red pepper... in the nostrils.
When I had migraines years ago ... I used Darvon (banned now), hot wet towel compresses over the eyes and a rolled up towel under the next - lie prone - arch neck with the rolled towel in a dark room. Worked for me.
CO Q 10, Fish oil, magnesium, grape seed extract, riboflavin
My sister has MS with many problems, one of which is migraine headaches, she will be on this program plus Noni drink. She has to be hospitalized when these headaches occur , so she is looking for any relief.
No msg, avoid it. also available is cranial manipulation.
Exercize only mildly, check for hypertension, yeast infection, inhaling mold spores.
Once, about 10 years ago, I was in Doha, Qatar on business and felt a classic migraine coming on.
With my eyes spotted up, I went into a chemist shop (drug store) and asked for something to help.
The chemist gave me an over-the-counter drug called Paracetum (not paracetamol!) It worked wonders! The migraine was halted in 15 minutes or less!
This is a type of drug called Nootropic sp?, which apparently causes increased oxygen flow to the brain. In many places in the world it’s used to increase alertness and is called a “smart drug” because you think more clearly, I guess.
You have to order it over the internet, as it’s not sold over the counter in the U.S.
I keep some around for the rare migraine, but haven’t had to use it for several years now, thank goodness.
I can’t take the fish oils, I burp them up even the good ones...nasty. The magnesium was a tremendous help when I started having some real problems with arrhythmia. I’ve always had somewhat of a problem but, it got so bad they wanted to put me on meds to control it. Once I read the side effects I was having none of it. I’d been reading about vitamins for decades, why I never thought about magnesium I don’t know. But, one day I was praying about it and just happened to turn on the tv right after. There was a woman talking about nutrition and she mentioned magnesium and heart arrhythmias. Then I had one of those Homer Simpson moments....DUH!!! Started taking magnesium right away, within about 2 weeks I could tell a difference and within several months I was fine, the arrhythmias were all but gone.
Avoid artificial drinks like fruit punch.
If I feel one coming on, I eat anything with peanuts in it like a Payday or even peanut butter.
500 mg of Niacin. Non flushing kind. Tell her to strap in and hold on for the first couple of days and to research what the flush is doing. It’s very beneficial but can be uncomforable and downright scary if you don’t know what to expect. Gradually work up to 500 mg twice a day. It’s done wonders for my daughter’s migranes.
Make that FLUSHING kind. Non-flushing won’t do crap and is bad for your liver.
Make sure you’ve tried chiropractic as least once.
As a DC, I’ve had patients that didn’t respond, but at least a few who had permanent cures.
As usual lots of good advice here. yes stop the excedrin migraine and stay away from goody powders— I have found that I can stop a migraine in its tracks with a couple of 87 mg baby aspirin chewed up as soon as the little “sparklies” start in the lower right field of vision. I recommend the headache diary to discover triggers and when all else fails... go to e.r. for iv decadron 10 mg,benadryl 25 mg, and reglan (10 mg).(works for 90+ % of people) You can try these in oral form, though taking it this way is much slower.
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