Headaches and Migraines

[wicked_j]

@demps thats my general attitude towards doctors!
If you do feel up to going to one again though, ask specifically about migraine meds - the actually medication is sumatripan, main brand is imigran. See if they'll give you a prescription to try see if it helps.
Dr gave me a second option which was a tablet you take every day, but he said if the imigran works it's probably better than having a daily tablet to remember.

 

[Ponyo]

Could be from going to hard at the gym and not rehydrating properly, although I doubt you would make that rookie error. Is Gatorade better than effervescent tablets though?

Maxalt (rizatriptan) wafers do the trick for my partner - you'll need prescription though
Look into it and good luck with it.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

Do the drugs. Topamax (Topiramate) is a good drug which can be prescribed by GPs.

 

[Spud_Murphy]

I get them, maybe twice a month, sometimes worse than others.

I went to a Dr years ago and he wasn't helpful ( just gave me a prescription pain killer, said to take one and sit in a dark room ).

They got worse / more frequent mid last year. I noticed that I usually had a sore neck in the lead up to it - hot showers or deep heat helped ease my neck and gave temporary relief to my head. Like Spud mentioned, I started seeing a chiropractor around then - it hasn't reduced the frequency of my migraines but does seem to help with how severe they are.

I also saw a different Dr around the same time. He organised an MRI of my head to rule out anything severe (thankfully it showed nothing except proof I have a brain - although it would have possibly been easier if it did find a cause). After the results, he prescribed me with imigran, which seems to clear my migraines up within half hour (most times I only need one or two, occasionally up to 4). It's supposed to do something about helping your blood vessels work normally as there is some theory that certain vessels widen causing a migraine.

When I did see a Dr to get my prescription renewed last, he checked my blood pressure as he noticed it was high last time, and it was high again - thanks family genes! Apparently high blood pressure can result in headaches also if untreated, so might be worth making sure that's okay too. I'm trying adjusting my diet at the moment so I'll see if that helps at all.

Apparently peppermint 'essential oils' are supposed to help, but don't really work for me - I have an aunt and my MIL that are both into these and got me to try it. I do have this Chinese menthol oil thing somewhere that my mum found, which does help a bit (more so with headaches than migraines though).

**> I been to the doc countless times.
No help at all.**

Just gotta self manage I guess.

Panadols and that do nothing.
Mersyndol is the best but knocks me out.

That’s why I recommend the chiropractor but if you prefer to ignore that and continue to self manage then go right ahead.

 

[tiger_one]

Who else gets these regularly?
How do you manage them?

Hey @Demps, very sorry about you getting migraines - I'm a lucky one who missed that.
Hope you find some comfort there.

But you gave me palpitations!
I saw the thread name and just thought it was another game-day thread!

 

[TheDaBoss]

Not a headache nor a migraine....but

If u r wanting to go deep sea fishing.... get proper anti sea sick tablets from a chemist....not ones from a servo....


I just did that and yea had to come back in early cause I was absolutely buggered.....still feeling the effects...

If u have a weak stomach....i advise dont doing it

 

[happy_tiger]

Who else gets these regularly?
How do you manage them?

I get a migraine like 2, 3 times a month and the only thing that helps is a long shower, some gatorade, a mersyndol and a long sleep.

I'm pretty sure there is a medication for it now Demps

One of my ex staff had a medication she would take to lessen the effects of migrane's

I would suggest not reading Geo's comments also

 

[fibrodreaming]

I get migraines. I always thought that they were stress related; however, I get more now that I'm retired (and living a stress-free life - except when watching the WT play) than I did when I was working in a pretty stressful job.

The best tip I have received is from my doctor. He told me that research has shown that aspirin and vitamin B1 is just as effective for dealing with the after effects of a migraine as prescription medication.

I have found it works for me. When I start getting an aura I take two Aspro Clear and a Vitamin B1 and I have practically no after effects (headache; stiff neck; pressure at the base of the skull; nausea or fatigue) which I usually get if I take nothing.

 

[GNR4LIFE]

My step dad used to get cluster headaches. They are brutal by the sounds of it.

Not to change the topic, but my biggest fear is getting kidney stones. I’ve known people who’ve had them. Apparently as physically painful as giving birth. I wake up in cold sweats thinking about them.

 

[Demps]

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

I just get the optical migraine now, its like a lightning strike across my vision which temporarily blinds me. Lasts for about 15 -20 minutes then goes away, I cant find a cause or a trigger of any kind. Used to get the pain but haven’t had that since my mid 30s.

I get migraines with aura regularly. At least once a week, sometimes two or three.

My back and neck are ruined though and I reckon a chiropractor would probably be able to fix it.

 

[Cultured_Bogan]

When did Tom Segura become a neuroscientist?

 

[1eyedmel]

A simple fix remedy would be not to watch any wests tigers games.

 

[Wagga_Tiger]

I get migraines with aura regularly. At least once a week, sometimes two or three.

My back and neck are ruined though and I reckon a chiropractor would probably be able to fix it.

Wow that is intense, do they wear you out for awhile after?

 

[Tiger_Fanatic3]

This thread should be dedicated to all the blokes on the 360 panel and every other journalist

They're all the main cause of all our migraines.

 

[NT_Tiger]

I had cluster headaches on and off over about a twenty year period. The only treatment I know of, is an oxygen inhaler within the first few minutes of one coming on. Unfortunately I lived remote so that option was not available to me.
Specialists told me of cases where sufferers bashed their heads against walls to deal with the pain. Not something I tried.
The good thing about them is you can sort of tell when a cluster is about to begin. It's just a feeling in your head that they are going to start happening again. Once a cluster starts, they are predictable and hit at precisely the same time every day. Mine used to hit just after 6pm. I could watch the clock and know it was time to shut off.
It's important to explain to partners kids etc what is happening and that there is nothing they can do to help. Just let it happen, put up with it, and it goes away as quickly as it starts. They last for a defined period and then you're good to go again.
I always made sure I was in a safe stable place once a cluster started. You don't want to be driving or otherwise in a public place if you can avoid it. I coped by either standing in a cold shower or sitting in the dark. I just treated it like I was shutting down for a period. It wasn't pleasant.
Years later I discovered that the cause of the headaches was a broken neck (displaced vertebrae) I got in a rollover accident. That now produces migraines on a fairly regular basis. I was lucky that I saw a brain specialist that linked the cluster headaches, and the migraines to the neck damage and was able to explain the physiology behind why it was happening.
I take some fairly mild drugs to account for about 60% of the migraines and regularly see a physio that is able to manipulate the displaced vertebrae into a better alignment to get rid of almost all of the rest.
I know that certain activities I do can bump it back out of alignment so I have to have a regular booking at the physio.
I don't agree that medical professionals can't help. You just have to find the right ones. If you are a regular sufferer I would suggest finding a good physio and talking to them about it. Little things like posture can influence your migraines. Try to understand how they happen and progress when one starts. A good medical person can perhaps define the cause.
I haven't had a cluster headache for about 18 years (touch wood) and I haven't had a migraine for about a week.
Good luck.

 

[Properossi]

Keep hydrated avoid sugar drinks coffee and cheese.

 

[Suzie-Q]

I have had migraines intermittently throughout my life, starting as a 4 year old. I had them 4-8 years old, then again at 25-30, and again at around 44-48. At 48, I was seeing a chiro, taking panadeine forte like lollies, and having 2-3 migraines a week. I had both daiths pierced and since then, I've had about 10 headaches that 2 panadol or 2 nurofen have got rid of, 2 really bad headaches that needed 2 panadol and 2 nurofen to get rid of, and 1 almost migraine that a 3 hour nap and 2 panadeine forte got rid of. No more loss of vision on the left side. No more nausea. No more needing a dark, cool, silent room for hours. It worked for me, and I'm very happy with it.

 

[Red88_Tiger]

I have had migraines intermittently throughout my life, starting as a 4 year old. I had them 4-8 years old, then again at 25-30, and again at around 44-48. At 48, I was seeing a chiro, taking panadeine forte like lollies, and having 2-3 migraines a week. I had both daiths pierced and since then, I've had about 10 headaches that 2 panadol or 2 nurofen have got rid of, 2 really bad headaches that needed 2 panadol and 2 nurofen to get rid of, and 1 almost migraine that a 3 hour nap and 2 panadeine forte got rid of. No more loss of vision on the left side. No more nausea. No more needing a dark, cool, silent room for hours. It worked for me, and I'm very happy with it.

Did you get them pierced in the hope of helping or was it pot luck

 

[Winston Churchill]

I take some fairly mild drugs to account for about 60% of the migraines and regularly see a physio that is able to manipulate the displaced vertebrae into a better alignment to get rid of almost all of the rest.
I know that certain activities I do can bump it back out of alignment so I have to have a regular booking at the physio.

Just a general note to all the lads and ladettes on here that never go to the Drs with the "she'll be right" attitude, stop kidding yourself and go see a doctor if something is troubling you.

To share my story with fellow headache sufferers -

About 8 years ago my life was a wreck. I used to get migraines every single day and they'd last for hours. I also had a terrible back that caused me pain for about 4hrs of the morning until I settled the old girl back in throughout the day. I used to wake up sore, tired and could hardly move to get out of bed.

The only way I could stop the headaches was to disappear from life. I had to sleep it off, id go to bed early like 4 or 5pm just to escape the headache. Problem though was then I'd wake up at crazy times in the morning like 1am and couldn't get back to sleep. My whole life was out of order. I'm also middle aged and at the time overweight. Not obese just a dad bod, I'm 6'3" so I carry weight better than others but I could afford to lose 10-20 kegs to get back to my old playing weight days.

Then one day I decided to actually go to a doctor, the first time in about 15 years. Turns out my blood pressure was 210/140 and had pretty much been living my life in a permanent state of hypertensive crisis. The Doc told me if I didn't drop my levels immediately I'd be dead from a heart attack or stroke inside 6 months. The Doc gave me a daily blood pressure tablet which I was not keen on taking, as you can imagine, after never going to a doctor my entire adult life I wasn't too keen to start using meds. Took the med and within a month, the headaches mostly stopped to about 1 mild headache a week and the blood pressure was back to within the normal range of 120/80 - 90/60.

Id be damned if I was going to stay on meds and be a pharma customer for life. I also got a physio and did chiropractor sessions, they found out my spine was beyond stuffed up with two displaced vertebrae which they believe coupled with the blood pressure was causing intense headaches. I decided to get my act together. With the headaches mostly gone, I could finally take my life back. I did my physio, took up yoga, made sure I had a solid 8 hours sleep a night, drank 2-3L of water a day, gave up caffeine, exercise 6 days a week. I reduced takeaway to my cheat days, 1 lunch and 1 dinner throughout the week, stick to salads for lunch the other 6 days are a rotating dinner of steak, chicken, fish, and vegies. changed snacking to just eating a handful of nuts, some jerky or grab a couple of dry crackers to ward off any hunger but if your lunch and dinner portions are big enough you don't even feel like snaking in between once you are used to the lifestyle change.

This change was about 5-6 years ago. Today I no longer take any meds, my blood pressure reading is regularly 105/75 and I've gone from 110kilos to 90kilos stable and I don't even remember the last time I had a headache.

Moral of the story, if you are getting headaches, check for hypertension and get your back checked out for nerve damage as its all intertwined. Get plenty of sleep, hydration, de-stress, eat good food and exercise at least 4 days a week to get the heart pumping.