Migraine-free wannabe

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  • vodkachick68
    vodkachick68 Posts: 758 Forumite
    lisyloo wrote: »
    This amy be a stupid question, but is HRT a possible option?
    Interested as I'm nearly 50 and as I believe my monthly migraines are hormone related I'm expecting them to go a bit haywire when I get to the menopause.

    Weirdly enough the doctor has just prescribed me hrt. I have most of the menopause symptoms so she thinks hrt would be a good option. I've just turned 50 and have been peri for a while now though the symptoms have got a lot worse over the last 6-8 months. I'm going to have patches for 3 months. I'm really hoping they work as I'm suffering with it all if I'm honest.

    I woke again to day at 5am with a headache but after taking paracetamol and eating a banana I caught it in time. I will look at trying valerian for sleep as I think this might help and its natural.
    My migraines are a throbbing pain above my right eye and I get blurred vision and the tiredness is unreal. I don't often get the sickness or nausea but I did with the last one I had.
  • newatc
    newatc Posts: 836
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    Some interesting points on this thread for migraine sufferers. As I stated I use paracetemol to try to try to head a migraine off (if that doesn't stop it then I use Ibuprofen in addition) . I don't eat sweet stuff but I think I will get some coke(cola) and crisps in to also use that when I feel vulnerable to an attack and try to remember other suggestions.
  • JennyP
    JennyP Posts: 1,067
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    Weirdly enough the doctor has just prescribed me hrt. I have most of the menopause symptoms so she thinks hrt would be a good option. I've just turned 50 and have been peri for a while now though the symptoms have got a lot worse over the last 6-8 months. I'm going to have patches for 3 months. I'm really hoping they work as I'm suffering with it all if I'm honest.

    I woke again to day at 5am with a headache but after taking paracetamol and eating a banana I caught it in time. I will look at trying valerian for sleep as I think this might help and its natural.
    My migraines are a throbbing pain above my right eye and I get blurred vision and the tiredness is unreal. I don't often get the sickness or nausea but I did with the last one I had.

    Please let us know if the HRT helps your migraines!

    Hope yesterday's headache didn't become a migraine. The tiredness is unreal. I have been known to crawl up the stairs on my hands and knees. Even having a conversation wears me out - last time I vomited any time anyone asked me a question as the effort to reply was too much.

    For the last few months, I have had a migraine regularly on a Saturday every four weeks. It was due today. It hasn't arrived. I don't know whether that's just a) luck b) the start of a period of having no migraines for a few months and thinking they've actually gone only to find later that they haven't (happens every couple of years) c) the iron tablets or d) the result of being less stressed recently.

    Could even be e) the fact I've been doing more regular exercise.

    Very grateful whatever it is.
  • vodkachick68
    vodkachick68 Posts: 758 Forumite
    JennyP wrote: »
    Please let us know if the HRT helps your migraines!

    Hope yesterday's headache didn't become a migraine. The tiredness is unreal. I have been known to crawl up the stairs on my hands and knees. Even having a conversation wears me out - last time I vomited any time anyone asked me a question as the effort to reply was too much.

    For the last few months, I have had a migraine regularly on a Saturday every four weeks. It was due today. It hasn't arrived. I don't know whether that's just a) luck b) the start of a period of having no migraines for a few months and thinking they've actually gone only to find later that they haven't (happens every couple of years) c) the iron tablets or d) the result of being less stressed recently.

    Could even be e) the fact I've been doing more regular exercise.

    Very grateful whatever it is.

    I shall keep you updated on the hrt patches and see if I feel any better. It takes a while to notice any difference but reading reviews I should start feeling the benefits very soon. No headache yesterday or today so fingers crossed i don't get anymore. Like yourself I can go for a period of time then bam along pops at least 3 days worth!

    I do think regular exercise plays a big factor in how we feel. I was going to the gym on a regular basis up until a couple of weeks ago then surprise surprise I get one when I haven't been to gym.

    Fingers crossed your ok now. What us ladies have to go through eh:rotfl:
  • JennyP
    JennyP Posts: 1,067
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    No monthly migraine for first time in ages!!!!

    This is where I originally saw the link to iron!

    https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/302374562476514819/sent/?sfo=1&sender=381539537089732022&invite_code=9dc721aa79a14facba8a3f10e7a90c71
  • mylastpound
    mylastpound Posts: 119
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    Ive suffered from migrains since i was in high school, but i suffered from bad headache since primary school.
    ive tried all tablets, My doctor prescribed me sutriptan and put me on a 50mg dosage to begin with and ive sinced been upped to 100mg and they really do help when i have a full on migraine. However, im more for one trying to reduce the cause rather than live off tablets.


    i was advised to see a osteopath, which i recently did and once a month i have a sports massage, which is based at a osteopath clinic ( NOT a beauty shop) and they focus on my neck and this is where ive seen the difference. They stretch the muscles in my neck, shoulders, jaw ect. Since i started this in March, ive not had a headache or migraine!! prior to that i could have 2 x migraines a week. so ive seen a massive impovement for me. She said my neck and jaw were so tight!


    Ive never found ibrufin, paracetamol or migrain head patches to work for me.
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  • JennyP
    JennyP Posts: 1,067
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    i was advised to see a osteopath, which i recently did and once a month i have a sports massage, which is based at a osteopath clinic ( NOT a beauty shop) and they focus on my neck and this is where ive seen the difference. They stretch the muscles in my neck, shoulders, jaw ect. Since i started this in March, ive not had a headache or migraine!! prior to that i could have 2 x migraines a week. so ive seen a massive impovement for me. She said my neck and jaw were so tight!


    Ive never found ibrufin, paracetamol or migrain head patches to work for me.

    I wondered about seeing an osteopath. Will put that down as something to try.

    Had worst headache since I came off codeine yesterday. It wasn't a migraine though at times I felt sure it would be. I drank a spoonful of ginger powder in some water in the morning. Wonder if that's what kept it at bay.

    This thread hasn't been too money saving so far but yesterday I had an idea.

    Mum (gets headaches not migraines) and I both like these little pots of headache balm but they're £6-7 a pot and the pots are little. They're cooling and soothing a bit like 4head sticks.

    The ingredients seem to be just lavendar and peppermint oils. I had both in. Lavendar to help me sleep and peppermint because I used to make a spray with it to deter spiders from coming on my boat when I lived on a boat. They hate peppermint.

    Anyway, mixed both oils with some moisturiser in a little pot (had saved all the empty headache balm pots!). It felt just the same when I put it on my head!

    Peppermint oil and lavendar oil are both cheap on Amazon.

    Now planning to make my own magnesium spray. It's just magnesium flakes apparently. Again on Amazon but am planning to get from Holland and Barrett as they have smaller and therefore cheaper bags. Online it said Poundworld stock it too.
  • Heres the few things I know about migraines.

    Taking the combined pill triggered migraine, so I stopped taking it.
    Squinting and being out in bright sun all day triggered one. But TBH Im not really a true sufferer of migraines.

    For my husband, it can be the wrong kind of sleep. Fitful sleep where he wakes up too often due to being a light sleeper. He now wears earplugs at night so he doesnt hear as much.

    Initially we cut wheat and processed food from his diet and that reduced the frequency of them. He also stopped smoking.

    He's had even less migraines since going low carb [Keto, 20g carbs per day], and only drinking alcohol occasionally.

    Now it seems the only trigger left is the wrong kind of sleep.
    So, where he used to have a migraine every week, now its about every six months.

    My DD's migraines have always been set off by several nights of not enough sleep, and also not drinking enough water spread out over the day. She doesnt get them if she sleeps and drinks enough and gets daily exercise.

    We try to avoid taking pills, looking for dietary/lifestyle solutions if possible.
    HTH
    ''A moment's thinking is an hour in words.'' -Thomas Hood
  • JennyP
    JennyP Posts: 1,067
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    Thanks, Beautiful_Ravens.



    It's good to hear about the keto diet having an effect. I have been reading up on that this week. There's a book about it called The Migraine Miracle - haven't bought the book but checked out the website.



    Going to go low carb. Just had celeriac chips!!! But not doing the whole keto way just yet.
  • Other things that might help would be looking at how you sleep - I changed to a neckcare/shaped pillow years ago, had one rough night, then one good night, I sat up, my neck clicked really loudly and I have only had a couple of attacks since then. That pillow will only be taken from me when it's removed from my cold, dead hands - the OH gets special dispensation to use it when he's getting pain and I'm at work and not actually using it, as he tends to mess up his posture with his day job.


    With that goes posture - not sure about me, but I can see on the OH when he's likely to get headaches because he starts pushing his head forward past its natural resting point. And yes, dehydration and irregular eating can do it.


    When I do get one, I attack it on several fronts. Paracetamol (I have lot of problems with tolerating meds and allergies, so anything with triptan at the end is actively avoided), a cold, sugary drink, a good decongestant from the chemist, sunglasses even if it's 11.30pm and the lights are off - and chasing the pain around with a squishy coldpack whilst laying down.

    Whether anything other than the cold pack does anything, I don't care. It makes the pain go away.
    I could dream to wide extremes, I could do or die: I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.
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