migraine help!

[boogabaah]

i've had migraines ALL my life... i'm pretty damn frustrated with them. i've tried many many things for them... but seems nothing help. :no: any suggestions? anything that has worked for you?

[boogabaah]

i usually sleep pretty good, except like right now, when i have a migraine. 3 hours of sleep and i just can't relax.. :no:

i have a looooong list of reasons i get migraines. a doctor has suggested that maybe i need more oxygen. this headache is hormonal.

[Gliondrach]

David Hoffmann, one of the most respected medical herbalists, says that skullcap and vervain are helpful for migraine caused by stress. For 'hormonal' causes you could look under PMT on this page:
herbcraft.org/hoffmann.html

[thevegantwins]

I get a migraine about once or twice a year and I've always had the oddest 'cure'. Pregan, I drank a glass of warm milk with cinnamon. I was amazed to find that once vegan, warm almond milk with cinnamon and a dash of cardomon helps get rid of migraines. I have no idea why it works, could be completely psychosomatic but I don't care, it works for me.

[boogabaah]

my natural remedies book recommends almonds and almond milk for preventing migraines. i do drink almond milk... but it seems like that maybe it helps keep me from not getting them... sometimes...


i'm starting to worry that maybe it's something else. i felt very flu-ish last night.. completely achy.. :crying: this has happened a few times before. i had blood drawn not that long ago and the doctor never called.. which means they found nothing wrong with it.

today is day FIVE .. i think.. of this headache.. :hbang:

[boogabaah]

i can't even remember if she looked in my eyes..

when they check my blood pressure they say it's fine... i do get dizzy spells.

someone suggested to me it might be lyme disease.... so i read up on that, but i don't exactly have those symptoms... the end notes said to check chronic fatigue syndrome also... so i read about that.. and oddly enough i have most of the symptoms... i noticed i feel better when i eat the foods it suggest eating to help feel better... :agree:

i'm still going to have my doctor investigate this for me though... run some test or something. :reading:

[Gliondrach]

Yes, get as much info as you can.

[boogabaah]

day nine.... :hbang:

[thevegantwins]

Do you have a doctor's appointment? That is ridiculously long for a migraine.

[boogabaah]

no i'm soppused to go back and see a doctor early next month.

i've had headache for this long before.

[Gliondrach]

Have you tried accupressure? Never tried it but some people say it works for various things.

[boogabaah]

yes... i know all the pressure points.. i use them... but it only helps for a short time. :crying:

[Gliondrach]

Quite a few things on the science daily site. There's a search box at the top of the page.

Overuse Of Narcotics And Barbiturates May Make Migraine Attacks More Frequent

ScienceDaily (Nov. 25, 2008) — A team of researchers led by investigators at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has determined that certain commonly-prescribed medications may have the unintended consequence of increasing the frequency of migraine attacks. This important finding could alter the way doctors prescribe migraine medicines.

In a recent article published in the journal Headache, the Einstein-led study of more than 8,000 migraine sufferers nationwide, found that the use of medications containing barbiturates or narcotics — which relieve migraine short-term — may make migraine worse if these medications are overused. Treatment with these classes of medicines was associated with an increased risk of transformed migraine (TM) headaches, a form of migraine characterized by 15 or more days of headache per month.

The finding is significant because....

AND IT CONTINUES.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119092941.htm

AND:

Overuse Of Codeine, Oxycodone And Barbiturates Increases Risk Of Chronic Migraine

ScienceDaily (Apr. 27, 2008) — People who overuse barbiturates and opioids, such as codeine, butalbital, and oxycodone, to treat migraine are at an increased risk of developing chronic migraine, according to new research. People with chronic migraine have headaches on 15 or more days a month.

For the study, 24,000 people with headaches in the United States were surveyed about the types of medications they use to treat their headaches. From this sample of people with headache, the researchers selected those who had been diagnosed in 2005 with episodic migraine (fewer than 15 days of headache per month). Their risk of chronic migraine was then calculated based on the types of medications they used in 2005. Among those with episodic migraine in 2005, 209 people had developed chronic migraine in 2006.

The study found people who took drugs containing barbiturates or opioids for only eight days a month were twice as likely to develop chronic migraine a year later as those who didn't take such drugs. "People who use drugs that contain barbiturates and opioids, if only for a total of seven to eight days a month, appear to significantly increase their risk of migraine progression," said study author Marcelo Bigal, MD, PhD, with Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. "Strict limits for these types of drugs should be enforced among people with migraine as a way of preventing their migraines from becoming more frequent and more painful."

The study found no evidence that the risk of developing chronic migraine increased among people who frequently used triptans, which are commonly prescribed drugs to treat migraine, or non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.

This research was presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 17, 2008.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417145746.htm


Portable Device Effective In Zapping Away Migraine Pain

ScienceDaily (June 27, 2008) — A novel electronic device designed to "zap" away migraine pain before it starts has proven to be the next form of relief for those suffering from the debilitating disease, according to a study conducted at The Ohio State University Medical Center.

Results of the study, to be presented Friday (6/27) at the annual American Headache Society meeting in Boston, found that the experimental device is safe and effective in eliminating headaches when administered during the onset of the migraine.

With one in eight Americans suffering from chronic migraines, Dr. Yousef Mohammad, a neurologist and principal investigator of the study at Ohio State's Medical Center, says the study's results are promising given that only 50 to 60 percent of migraine patients respond to traditional migraine drug treatments.

The noninvasive transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS) device interrupts the aura phase of the migraine, often described as electrical storms in the brain, before they lead to headaches. Migraine sufferers often describe "seeing" showers of shooting stars, zigzagging lines and flashing lights, and experiencing loss of vision, weakness, tingling or confusion, followed by intense throbbing head pain, nausea and vomiting.

Previous studies, conducted at Ohio State, using a heavy and bulky TMS device, reduced headache pain. To expedite treatment at home, a portable hand-held device was developed and tested.

"Stimulation with magnetic pulses from the portable TMS device proved effective for the migraine patients," said Mohammad. "Because of the lack of adverse events in this trial and the established safety of the TMS device, this is a promising treatment for migraines with aura. This sets the stage for future studies in migraines without aura."

The TMS device sends a strong electric current through a metal coil, which creates an intense magnetic field for about one millisecond. This magnetic pulse, when held against a person's head, creates an electric current in the neurons of the brain, interrupting the aura before it results in a throbbing headache.

"The device's pulses are painless and safe," Mohammad said. "Since almost all migraine drugs have some side effects, and patients are prone to addiction from narcotics, or developing headaches from frequent use of over-the-counter medication, the TMS device holds great promise for migraine sufferers."

Of the 164 patients involved in the multi-center, randomized clinical trial receiving TMS treatment, 39 percent were pain free at the two-hour post-treatment point, compared to 22 percent in the group receiving "sham" pulses. There were no differences reported related to adverse reactions between the two groups.

It was previously believed that migraine headaches start with vascular constriction, which results in an aura, followed by vascular dilation that will lead to a throbbing headache. However, in the late 1990's it was suggested that neuronal electrical hyperexcitablility resulted in a throbbing headache. This new understanding of the migraine mechanism assisted in the development of the TMS device.

NeuraLieve, manufacturer of the device located in Sunnyvale, Ca., provided the funding and equipment for the study. Mohammad serves on the company's board of directors.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080626075513.htm

[Gliondrach]

Study shows that exercise reduces migraine suffering

Migraine sufferers examined before, during and after an aerobic exercise intervention
Göteborg, Sweden – March 26, 2009 – While physical exercise has been shown to trigger migraine headaches among sufferers, a new study describes an exercise program that is well tolerated by patients. The findings show that the program decreased the frequency of headaches and improved quality of life. The study is published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.

The study used a sample of migraine sufferers who were examined before, during and after an aerobic exercise intervention. The program was based on indoor cycling (for continuous aerobic exercise) and was designed to improve maximal oxygen uptake without worsening the patients' migraines.

After the treatment period, patients' maximum oxygen uptake increased significantly. There was no worsening of migraine status at any time during the study period and, during the last month of treatment, there was a significant decrease in the number of migraine attacks, the number of days with migraine per month, headache intensity and amount of headache medication used.

Individuals with headache and migraine typically are less physically active than those without headache. Patients with migraine often avoid exercise, resulting in less aerobic endurance and flexibility. Therefore, well designed studies of exercise in patients with migraine are imperative.

"While the optimal amount of exercise for patients with migraine remains unknown, our evaluated program can now be tested further and compared to pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments to see if exercise can prevent migraine," says Dr. Emma Varkey, co-author of the study.
eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/w-sst032609.php

[Gliondrach]

This first one shows that magnesium is helpful in some cases of migraine and the second one shows that feverfew, butterbur, magnesium, and riboflavin have been found to be helpful. But some other studies have found no benefit from using feverfew or riboflavin.


Magnesium Research. 2008 Jun;21(2):101-8.

The effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without aura.

Köseoglu E, Talaslioglu A, Gönül AS, Kula M.
Erciyes University, Medicine Faculty, Neurology Department, Kayseri, Turkey. emelk at erciyes.edu.tr

There are inconsistent findings about the efficacy of magnesium in the prophylaxis of migraine attacks and there is no study of magnesium prophylaxis focused on migraine subtypes without aura. In this double blind, randomized, placebo controlled study; we tried to evaluate the prophylactic effects of oral magnesium in migraine patients without aura. The prophylactic effects of 600 mg/day oral magnesium citrate supplementation were assessed by means of clinical evaluation, visual evoked potential and statistical parametric mapping of brain single photon emission computerized tomography before and after a 3 month treatment period. The results of 30 patients with migraine without aura (20-55 years old with 2-5 migraine attacks per month) on magnesium treatment were compared with those of 10 patients with similar properties on placebo treatment. Migraine attack frequency, severity and P1 amplitude in visual evoked potential examination decreased after magnesium treatment with respect to pretreatment values (p < 0.001). In a comparison of the effects of magnesium treatment with those of placebo, post/pretreatment ratios of migraine attack frequency, severity and P1 amplitude in Mg treatment group were found to be significantly lower than those in placebo treatment group (attack frequency p = 0.005, attack severity p < 0.001, P1 amplitude p < 0.05). Cortical blood flow in inferolateral frontal (p < 0.001), inferolateral temporal (p = 0.001) and insular regions (p < 0.01) increased significantly after magnesium treatment with respect to the pretreatment; while such significant changes of cortical blood flow were not observed with placebo treatment. These results have made us think that magnesium is a beneficial agent in prophylaxis of migraine without aura and might work with both vascular and neurogenic mechanisms.

PMID: 18705538 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. 2004 Jun;16(6):251-6.

Evidenced-based use of botanicals, minerals, and vitamins in the prophylactic treatment of migraines.

Rios J, Passe MM.
University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, USA. janie_rios01 at yahoo.com

PURPOSE: To analyze evidence-based information about alternative prophylactic pharmacological migraine treatments utilizing feverfew, butter-bur, magnesium, and riboflavin and to discuss the mechanism of action, dosage recommendations, side effects, and contraindications for each treatment. DATA SOURCES: Data obtained via electronic databases and professional medical references. CONCLUSIONS: Current clinical data support the use of fever-few, butterbur, magnesium, and riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis; however, studies are limited but promising regarding the participants' perceived relief. Studies with rigorous methodologies and larger sample sizes are needed to further support the safe and effective use of these treatments. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: With increased patient access to information regarding alternative migraine treatments, nurse practitioners (NPs) and other health care providers must be knowledgeable about evidence-based data regarding these alternative treatments to appropriately offer safe patient care.

PMID: 15264611 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


This seems interesting:
ctds.info/magnesium-migraine.html

And this might have some useful info:
mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/10/85.cfm

[boogabaah]

i've used feverfew before and it worked for awhile... maybe i should just be on a rotation of what works.

i have a horrible migraine now... and i got hot and spicy mustard in my eyes earlier... such a knucklehead am i! :disbelief:

[Gliondrach]

Mustard in the eyes. I don't think that's recommended for migraine.

[boogabaah]

:disbelief: i wouldn't recommend it for torturing people! :(

[bradders]

suffered them for many years but two things caused a lot of them. Milk (not a problem now obviously) and bananas. Went through a process of dietary elimination and we came up with those two things.

[boogabaah]

yeah there are a lot of foods that can cause them... i have a list in my head of what to not eat... i rarely eat bananas... but i doubt they are a problem for me. :nanakiss:

[Fauxmage]

I've tried the feverfew and kava kava, and they didn't help. I've never noticed food triggers. What ended them was stopping the use of over the counter pain killers (ironic I know), dealing with magnesium deficiency, and strangest of all, treating an unsuspected systemic candida overgrowth.

I didn't even realize I had one until an accidental conversation with a customer who had many of the same symptoms as me, none of which are typical of a candida overgrowth. Her naturopath diagnosed it, and so I followed what she did, which was very limited vegan-wise, for six months, and I have had maybe three or four headaches since, in three years, as opposed to monthly before, and they were not really migraines, just plain old headaches.

[boogabaah]

thats something that i need to do. i'm beginning to wonder if i have candida since i have a "mysterious illness" on top of the migraines. the symptoms are basically what are listed for candida... :crazier:

[Fauxmage]

Unless you find a good naturopath, the only way you'll know for sure is if you start to follow the diet, and it makes you feel better. Its necessary to avoid many foods that are known to cause intolerances, such as soy and wheat, and you mustn't eat any sugar, not even sugar from fruit. And no fermented foods.

I ate lots of buckwheat cereal, and unsweetened almond milk. Blue Diamond Unsweetened Chocolate and Vanilla, sweetened with liquid stevia, were very much appreciated! You can eat lots of other beans, just not soy, and plenty of raw and cooked veggies. I used Fitday.com to monitor my protein and nutrients, since it was quite a limited diet, and I ate quite well, with no deficiencies. I did take six months to do it, and it was well worth it!

If you are dying for fruit, an occasional grapefruit is ok, but nothing else, except lemon or lime juice, which makes good salad dressing and a delightful lemonade when sweetened with stevia.

[boogabaah]

hhmmm... yeah i was thinking about going raw for awhile and have been reading up on that. i don't know if i can give up fruit! :no: i love me some fruit!

i'll research it more before i do anything though..

thanks!

[Fauxmage]

Oh yes, it was agony going through the produce section during strawberry season. :crying:

[naturalhealth]

Well, in my opinion, since different things cause migraines, different things may work to help. Seeing a chiropractor does wonders for some people. Others simply need to avoid the foods that trigger a migraine. I have found a natural supplement that works well, but haven't used it personally (I don't get migraines, but family members do), and don't know if it's vegan. It's called Migra-Eeze (http://www.seacoastvitamins.com/product_info.php?products_id=2535). The main ingredient is butterbur and it works to reduce the smooth muscle spasms and blood vessel constriction, which of course happen at the onset of a migraine. I would definitely look into it. If it is not vegan, you might look into getting plain butterbur.

[boogabaah]

someone has suggested butterbur to me recently..

i'll let you'll know how it goes after i try it.