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**Hoho** · 12 Oct 2010, 01:42

Re: migraine pain treatments?

have you tried seeing a chiropractor before? It always relieves me, though I know what causes my migraines(not that I have them much) and it's ironically school. Makin' ya lean over desks and crap to do tests, spending hours doing research looking down at books or staring at a computer screen.

**Gwen** · 12 Oct 2010, 01:53

Re: migraine pain treatments?

Do you do this to stop an active migraine? Huh. Glad it works for you.

I've had one neck adjustment and several back ones as potential preventers (there's probably unrelated back pain)... no dice. I'm thinking about shelling out for some craniosacral work, as I hear that helps some folks.

I suppose on that note I should ask if anyone knows about marijuana for migraine treatment. California has legal medical marijuana and it's one of the as-yet-untried options on my list. I acquired a sample just to see how my body reacts, but I'm nervous about using it in conjunction with prescription gabapentin (preventer) or triptan (painkiller and migraine interrupter). (Can we say drug interactions? I'm not sure, but I don't want to find out the hard way that they don't play well together.)

**Hoho** · 12 Oct 2010, 02:12

Re: migraine pain treatments?

no need to be so sarcastic about it >_>

**Gwen** · 12 Oct 2010, 02:16

Re: migraine pain treatments?

Sarcasm where? I intended none.

**Hoho** · 12 Oct 2010, 02:21

Re: migraine pain treatments?

*Do you do this to stop an active migraine? Huh. Glad it works for you.*

that, unless its just a language issue ._.;

**Almost_lost** · 12 Oct 2010, 03:26

Re: migraine pain treatments?

I dont think that was Sarcasm Hoho, just an outloud thought maybe

Anyways, the only thing that cures my migraines is sleep. In the darkest quietest room possible.
However, i also drink peppermint tea, which i read somewhere is supposed to help with headaches, which it does for me, just not migraines.

Another thing i do that works for headaches is pinching the skin/muscle between my thumb and index finger. Iusually allieviates headaches (i told my friend to try it on sunday and she was pinching for maybe 2 minutes, and just as she was saying to me "how long to i need to do this, i bet its like an hour or something" her headache went away)

**volcaniclastic** · 12 Oct 2010, 07:05

Re: migraine pain treatments?

If you can get a hold of a feverfew tincture, that will help. Alternatively, if you can find a fresh plant, chew one leaf and suck on it for a while. Reported to relieve migraines.

**Dufonce** · 12 Oct 2010, 07:38

Re: migraine pain treatments?

kinda depends on why you're getting migraines... you can get migraines (and my wife does frequently) from dehydration... drink water if you dont have muscle tension or back problems... I crack my own back (which I probably shouldnt)... but I get migraines every now and then due to shoulder/neck tension... a massage would help but my wife wont do that for me cause shes mean... she says its like trying to massage a rock.

**Gwen** · 12 Oct 2010, 14:48

Re: migraine pain treatments?

Thanks for all the wonderful ideas, folks!

[quote author=Almost_lost link=topic=213.msg1612#msg1612 date=1286882781]
I dont think that was Sarcasm Hoho, just an outloud thought maybe[/quote]

Indeed. Sorry if it came across otherwise!

[quote author=Dufonce link=topic=213.msg1680#msg1680 date=1286897902]
kinda depends on why you're getting migraines... you can get migraines (and my wife does frequently) from dehydration... drink water if you dont have muscle tension or back problems... I crack my own back (which I probably shouldnt)... but I get migraines every now and then due to shoulder/neck tension... a massage would help but my wife wont do that for me cause shes mean... she says its like trying to massage a rock.
[/quote]

I get about 10 per month, started suddenly two years ago. Stress, genetics, and probably the remnants of PTSD (migraines started 6 mo after I stopped needing active psychological treatment) are the causes that I've identified. (Dehydration is probably a no, as I've been conscientious about that this past year.) I've always carried tension in my shoulders and I have lower back pain that started about a year after the migraines. I get back massages periodically for the pain, and I suppose I've never checked to see if there's a correlation between those and low-migraine periods. Another factor to put on the monthly medical factors charts...

[quote author=Almost_lost link=topic=213.msg1612#msg1612 date=1286882781]
Anyways, the only thing that cures my migraines is sleep. In the darkest quietest room possible.
However, i also drink peppermint tea, which i read somewhere is supposed to help with headaches, which it does for me, just not migraines.

Another thing i do that works for headaches is pinching the skin/muscle between my thumb and index finger. Iusually allieviates headaches (i told my friend to try it on sunday and she was pinching for maybe 2 minutes, and just as she was saying to me "how long to i need to do this, i bet its like an hour or something" her headache went away)

[/quote]

I've never tried mint for headaches, gotta do that. I've tried the thumb/forefinger pressure point (and one under the pinky, and two in analagous spots on the foot), and unfortunately it doesn't do so much for me. Also unfortunately the pain keeps me awake til they're mostly gone unless they're really minor, and if I do fall asleep without taking adequate medication I often wake up with a much worse one.

[quote author=volcaniclastic link=topic=213.msg1669#msg1669 date=1286895933]
If you can get a hold of a feverfew tincture, that will help. Alternatively, if you can find a fresh plant, chew one leaf and suck on it for a while. Reported to relieve migraines.
[/quote]

I've heard that feverfew is a good preventer but that research shows no particular effect in countering active migraines. I'm certainly willing to try it though! As mentioned, they're pretty obnoxious and I'm willing to try most anything at this point.

**Thjoth** · 13 Oct 2010, 02:37

Re: migraine pain treatments?

They've never been able to identify the cause of my migraines. I used to have them on a schedule. I swear I'm not making this up. I started having them in second grade, and they always happened every Tuesday at 14:00 or so. It sounds nuts but they actually occurred on a perfect cycle that way. Half my childhood was doctor's visits with them scanning my head trying to figure out what was wrong; they never figured it out, and it happened that way until I hit puberty. I don't have them as frequently anymore, but they still happen. I actually had a particularly bad one last night, and I took....some prescription for it that I can't remember. It's a big 300mg pill or something. When I woke up a few hours later I could hear my teeth and feel my eardrums, and other than those sensations my whole upper body was completely numb, but it stopped that migraine dead in its tracks, that's for sure. Before I had a little 10mg prescription that cost $40 PER PILL that would just knock you the hell out when you took it.

My mom tried all of the herbal remedies when I was a kid. Feverfew had no effect whatsoever, except to piss my 8-year-old self off because it tasted so bad. It didn't break the cycle of headaches at all.

**Gwen** · 13 Oct 2010, 12:20

Re: migraine pain treatments?

I believe your schedule, Thjoth. My patterns have shifted every 6-9 mo, but there was a period there where I had them in the evening (4-7 PM start time) and every 2-3 days with absolute reliability.

I think I'm on the $40/pill monstrosity (Maxalt, one of the triptan family). Health insurance is amazing and makes life a better place. Anyway, it doesn't put me to sleep (the migraines themselves make me tired though) but it sure deals with the migraines.

Comforting to know they just stopped for you! I'm nervous because mine started a bit over a decade past puberty, and I know many women have them from menarche to menopause. Women like my maternal grandma. I might be in for a long haul here, which is really depressing.

**thalassa** · 13 Oct 2010, 16:49

Re: migraine pain treatments?

[quote author=Gwen link=topic=213.msg2240#msg2240 date=1287001216]
I believe your schedule, Thjoth. My patterns have shifted every 6-9 mo, but there was a period there where I had them in the evening (4-7 PM start time) and every 2-3 days with absolute reliability.

I think I'm on the $40/pill monstrosity (Maxalt, one of the triptan family). Health insurance is amazing and makes life a better place. Anyway, it doesn't put me to sleep (the migraines themselves make me tired though) but it sure deals with the migraines.

Comforting to know they just stopped for you! I'm nervous because mine started a bit over a decade past puberty, and I know many women have them from menarche to menopause. Women like my maternal grandma. I might be in for a long haul here, which is really depressing.
[/quote]

I started getting migraines shortly after puberty. 99.9% of them disappeared after I had breast reduction surgery. I still get one every once in awhile...maybe about every 5-6 months...but for the most part, they are gone.

**Gwen** · 19 Oct 2010, 00:52

Re: migraine pain treatments?

Huh. Do you know why they stopped then?

**Thaleia Chara** · 23 Oct 2010, 11:32

Re: migraine pain treatments?

[quote author=Gwen link=topic=213.msg1597#msg1597 date=1286877215]
I'm thinking about shelling out for some craniosacral work, as I hear that helps some folks.
[/quote]

Well, I'm a massage therapist here in Miami and let me tell you I'm all for craniosacral work. I don't do it myself but I believe that it's a valuable addition to staying healthy. But let me just add that what I've noticed in my clients is that the single most important contributor to "migraine" pain are trigger points. These have nothing to do with acupressure, which work with the meridians in Chinese Medicine; trigger points are extremely sensitive (and extremely small) areas in a muscle where applied pressure can send referred pain to other areas in the body. Now, no two people will have the same TrP in the same areas, but charts do exist that can give you a starting point of where to look.

Some TrPs in or around the jaw can mimic the pain caused by a migraine; as well as perceived tooth ache or ear ache.
Visit this site to see the chart for the head and face => http://triggerpoints.net/head-and-neck-pain.htm

If you suspect that TrP are the cause of the pain, look for a qualified practitioner in your area that specializes in Neuromuscular Therapy. You can visit sites like http://www.upledger.com/findapractitioner.asp or http://www.amtamassage.org/index.htmlto treat my hormonal fluctuations) and a diet low in common migraine trigger foods ()and high in good foods (like raw almonds, almond milk, watercress, parsley, garlic, cherries, and fresh pineapples), a balanced B-vitamin complex (I take it in liquid form to assimilate easier) and other antioxidants like taurine (an immune regulator needed for white blood cell activation and neurological function), melationin () and some stimulants like caffeine (in VERY small doses throughout the day

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