Has anyone found good relief for migraine headaches?

The triptan class of drugs work well, but are expensive. One inexpensive alternative to try is caffeine in the form of coffee, tea, soda, or certain over the counter migraine medicines. The other thing to try to do would be to identify triggers other than weather. That way you can prevent the migraines from happening rather than trying to treat them.

This blog from Judith Warner in the New York Times offers a different approach.

Good luck. They are horrid.

Actually, I found that if I took a daily anti-inflammatory (NSAID) after a while my migraines stopped. I was on naproxen for a year or so but had to stop because my kidneys objected. However since then my migraines have been greatly reduced..

Aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen are the most common NSAIDs partly because they are available over-the-counter in many areas.

The biggest risks with these are 1) you must take them with food and/or a full glass of water so you don’t develop stomach bleeding, and 2) keep an eye on kidney function.

Also, try keeping a diary for a while to see if you can figure out what might be causing your migraines. Certain foods can act as triggers as well as allergens.

Good Luck!

3 Advil and a coke. I swear by it.

And then there is always the quiet, dark room with the bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel and placed over the forehead and eyes.

Thanks all for your answers. I have tried all of the triptan class drugs except for the new one Treximet. I use to keep up with a diary of all the trigers and such. I figured out that I would have to stop eating, breathing, walking…you get the hint. Right now I am using the Advil & coke thing but its not helping very well. I was in the emergency room a week and a half ago getting pumped up with Nubain & Phenergan. Even that did not help completely. My brothers keep telling me I may have to amputate! Sometimes it sounds like a good idea. :)

Have you talked to your doctor about naproxen? I found out about it by chance from my Ophthalmologist when the vision in my right eye suddenly went and he diagnosed an “optical migraine” ( in essence the aura without the headache). He said inflammation plays a role in migraines so the anti-inflammatory helps and can even stop them from happening at all. However, you have to take it every day, not just when a migraine hits.

And I, too, have considered amputation.

My daughter takes Aleve daily as a preventative, and Relpax (sp?) as soon as she can feel one coming on. It doesn’t always work, but more often than not.

An older class of medicines is the ergot class, which help a lot of people. Cafergot is a mixture of caffeine and ergotamine.

As far as prevention goes, there are also medications to help that as well, including beta-blockers, antidepressants and antipsychotics.

I talk Maxalt (prescription) when I feel a migraine coming on, and it usually works.

However, sometimes a particularly strong migraine just bowls me over…in that case, I usually take 4–5 Advil Liqui-Gels (ask your doc about this first, as it’s okay for me but may not be okay for you!) and take those pills with either Mountain Dew or REGULAR Coke, and then some coffee to finish. Then I go lie down with the lights off…

My niece suffers has been suffering with migraines for the last 15 years. What helps her is excederin migraine, hot showers, herbal teas and the sauna. Hope this helps.

There’s this hippie method I’ve heard of; you press down on the balls of your feet.

My wife has the worst symptoms and she and others get relief with Excedrin or aspirin and Tylenol if you don’t want the caffeine. I would take 2–3 Tylenol (500 mg) and 1 aspirin (325 mg). Provided you are not allergic to aspirin.

I’ve had migraines since I was five, so I definitely feel for you.

Other than taking whatever medicine works best for you, I suggest buying some migraine patches: http://www.amazon.com/Wellpatch-Migraine-Cooling-Headache-pads/dp/B000GGJBSA/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1235938348&sr=8-1

While you have one on your forehead, place a hot towel on the back of your neck or a different part of your head. I’ve found that the combination of hot and cold works really well sometimes. I get horrible migraines (throw up, get so dizzy I can’t walk, slurred speech, flashes of light, etc.) but it works for me sometimes.

Good luck!

@DrBill is in the house

Get a feverfew plant, available at most nurseries. Plant it in your yard, when needed pull off one or two leaves and chew them. You can eat them but don’t need to, it is the juice you’re after. it has almost no taste

This is a natural remedy and has been tested and approved at St. Louis University Medical School.

I understand the misery… my mother, both sisters and i suffer from them…i have a couple scripts i take for mine (max-alt and fioracet) but honestly anything with caffein helps esp when you do not have the insurance benefits… try alka-selzer morning relief! it works wonders for the all over body pain also…