Migraine / Cluster Headaches

[azasmouch]

Touching out to the fellow PSB'ers who may currently or in the past suffer Migraines or Cluster Headaches?

I have the lucky (not) ability to suffer from both of these, and they vary in intensity from the usual light sensitivity and head banging pain, to the eye ball-popping-feel-like-someone-is-sticking-an-ice-pick-through-my-temple-want-to-die kind of pain.. You get the idea

I live on a constant supply of panadiene forte and aspirin (or aspalgin when its not so bad) but I am wondering for those who do or have suffered from these, what else is there to do? Have had CT scans, MRI of my brain, blood tests etc all to no avail, I am now looking into more alternative types of medicines, or natural pain relievers I can take because it cant be good for my body/liver etc to be taking tablets as much as I need to.

Cheers for any advice you can give because its driving me insane..

[g0zer]

Is Marijuana an Effective Treatment for Migraines? - Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org

i occasionally get migraines not as bad nor frequently as yours sound though. if its bad enough to make me worried something might burst inside my head lying down with a wet hand towel across my forehead and eyes helps.

is it always or just this time of year? this is peak time for hayfever.

Study on hay fever and migraine

Of those with hay fever, 34% also had migraine. That’s an astonishing number, considering that only 4% of those without hay fever had migraine symptoms.

maybe experiment with a hayfever medication like telfast?

also avoid triggers if you can for example my triggers this time of year as well, is i normally work inside an air conditioned office and get sent to site and spend a few days in 40C+ direct sunlight. add to that sleep deprivation and too much smoking and i spend the weekend with my head exploding.

[mekon]

My wife gets them bad. Just went back to a neurologist. She now takes imigran nasal delivery. Works quicker and unlike the tablets she can't vomit them up as soon as ingested. She's had all sorts of scans and tests still no closer to a real solution.

The latest neurologist is a cock. He told her to keep taking imigran. She mentioned she's breast feeding and he still said it was ok. Everyone else advised not to. He was very lassaiz-faire about the whole thing.

[gilly71]

i researched this on the internet a while ago for an old friend.... there are heaps of natural remedies and what not to do's. water intake is huge and cut back on alcohol and smoking and they can be triggers, normal nasal sprays and humidifiers are also meant to help. my old friend tried these things and said they helped

[Tempo]

Yep im the same, had a headache for about 5years now, which started out as what I would describe as a vertigo attack. And have never recovered. Just get dizzy really easily and have a constant pressure feeling behind my eyes.
Have had multiple brain MRI, CT, blood tests, seen neurologist, ENT specialist, optometrist, vestibular testing, chiro on my neck, a few other therapies. Pain relief tablets do nothing for me. Dont know what else there is to try but its bloody annoying when all these 'experts' cant tell ya whats wrong, and expensive!

[AZAZL]

Mine are related to my eyesight. Prevention, by using reading glasses and not straining to read helps. I wear sunglasses a lot, outdoor glare and change in lighting can trigger the visual auras that signal the start of an attack, especially if I'm working in very hot environs and not hydrating sufficiently.

With good preventative management, I wouldn't have an attack for months.

If I start getting the visual auras that precede a full bore vomiting headache, I need something with a lot of codeine, like mersyndol. Nothing else works for me. Pop a couple, close my eyes for 10 mins and I'm usually right. Mersyndol used to have 12mg of codeine but I think now it is about 10 mg.

Not recommended, but I do it if really bad, is popping 4 mersyndol with alcohol. Zones me right out and no headache.

Codeine is very addictive and I wouldn't do it if my problem was once a week. I'm probably also wrecking liver and kidneys but this is the best relief I've ever had.

[Fozzy]

Ive suffered for years with horrible migraines to the point it was causing me issues in my work and personal life.. I got them to the point of vomiting and the inability to walk..

Went to the neuro and had all the usual shit with Ct's. Mri's etc tried chiro, acupuncture etc etc etc Its all already been mentioned in this thread and none of it worked I still got them. Admitidly they got better and alot less frequent I was getting them a couple of times a month and then I would have a pounding headache for about a week afterwards. Then I went through all the above and they reduced to once a month and feeling better a day or so later.

In June this year I made a decision to cut out all processed food, Gluten, Grains, Diary, refined sugar etc out of my diet in a effort to lose weight. I have had 2 manageable headaches in that time which I think were mainly due to lack of sleep and poor hydration. Im not sure what has made the difference but I am pretty sure it was diet related for me and the fact I am over 30kgs lighter might help who knows..

I guess what I am saying is look at what you eat it could be having an effect on you or be a trigger.

[benlikesbikes]

Kind of repeating what was said already but I manage my headaches/migraines by keeping hydrated, cutting all sugary things out and being mindful of eyestrain, I still get them but far less frequently. The diet change is something you can play with easily, find your triggers and then avoid them.

[Rat750]

[MENTION=25453]Ms AGRO[/MENTION]

[TROUBLE]

[MENTION=25453]Ms AGRO[/MENTION]

When it feels like a Hot Ice pick being screwed into your eyeball from behind and you have your head in a bucket puking ... the LAST thing you want is an... Orga sm

[Gothchick]

I get two different types of migraine

A few times, I have had relief from peppermint oil in a burner. Sounds odd, I know when Imigran and Maxalt won't do anything but it worked. Just stuck it by my bed, darkened the room and kept inhaling.

I have had some, 'beat your face against a brick wall for relief' jobbies and they have been awful. I also get '3 dayers' which are hormonal and not as severe.

Shitty thing is, my son has inherited them Two so far

[Ms AGRO]

I was cursed with both!
I have been getting migraines since I was 9 but the cluster headaches only started about 6 years ago.

I take Imigran spray and Panadene forte for the migraines. The cluster headaches are a different kettle of fish altogether.

I get them twice a year, about mid March and then again at the end of November. They usually start at about 2:30 in the afternoon and last for 3 or 4 hours for about 3 weeks at a time. They are without a doubt the most excruciating thing I have ever experienced and fully understand why they are referred to as 'suicide headaches'!
They have no idea what causes them (babies and kids can get them too) so the only thing they can do is treat the symptoms. Fortunately now, I know the signs of the onset and start taking my tablets a few days prior to them hitting hard and end up only getting 3 or 4 less severe ones.
I was put on Indicid (an anti-inflammatory) Nexium (to protect my stomach from the Indicid) and Oxynorm. These 3 medications together are the only way I am able to cope with the pain. They truly are debilitating.

There has been some investigation into oxygen therapy as an alternative to the medications but I am yet to find a doctor to explain if and/or how it works.

[Old frt]

I started getting cluster headaches when I was about 15, this was back in the sixties when they were not even diagnosed as such.
The Doc put it down to sinusitis and gave me antibiotics which of course did SFA. Pain killers seemed to make it worse.
The symptoms are exactly as [MENTION=25453]Ms AGRO[/MENTION] explained above, they last for 3 to 4 weeks, the pain is indescribable and I have a very high pain threshold (unless it involves toes or testicles)
I was eventually diagnosed in the 80,s but finding a treatment that helped took several years.
They have become less frequent, I just found a bottle of tablets dated 2010, I haven't had one since then.
Sandomigran (Pizotifen Malate) works for me when I get an outbreak and I avoid alcohol during this time as it the only trigger I have found.
The only way I know when to stop taking the tablets is to have a couple of beers and see if I get a headache.
Strong coffee might help during an attack but it doesn't work for everybody.
I actually thought I was getting an attack last night but 4 days trackside right next to some very loud old bikes is more than likely the cause this time.

[mekon]

Ive suffered for years with horrible migraines to the point it was causing me issues in my work and personal life.. I got them to the point of vomiting and the inability to walk..

Went to the neuro and had all the usual shit with Ct's. Mri's etc tried chiro, acupuncture etc etc etc Its all already been mentioned in this thread and none of it worked I still got them. Admitidly they got better and alot less frequent I was getting them a couple of times a month and then I would have a pounding headache for about a week afterwards. Then I went through all the above and they reduced to once a month and feeling better a day or so later.

In June this year I made a decision to cut out all processed food, Gluten, Grains, Diary, refined sugar etc out of my diet in a effort to lose weight. I have had 2 manageable headaches in that time which I think were mainly due to lack of sleep and poor hydration. Im not sure what has made the difference but I am pretty sure it was diet related for me and the fact I am over 30kgs lighter might help who knows..

I guess what I am saying is look at what you eat it could be having an effect on you or be a trigger.

This is a good point, there's a huge list of numbers to avoid, the wife also cut out tomatoes, milk and chocolate this seems to reduce the intensity of them.

[Whatever]

I struggled for years and would you believe it, water. No shit, I over hydrate (drink far more than I think I need, go to the pisser a heap and they just don't get them anymore. The minute I stop drinking water, get smashed on alcohol and start to get dehydrated they come back. Water is a shit load better than all the drugs I used to take, I just carry a bottle of water with me and I don't even realise I'm drinking it anymore.

Interestingly enough I also suffer from terrible hayfever... Never new there was a correlation... Must look into that.