Things That Ease The Hurt

I've suffered from migraines for many years too.  The ice packs really do help.  Thanks for the tips on possible dehydration.  I'll try drinking ice cold water to see if it helps.  Happy New Year!

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

Some people find cold cloths placed on the back of their neck and/or forehead beneficial, others prefer warm cloths. I am glad to hear something helps to reduce your pain. 

Dehydration can trigger a Migraine attack, as can poor sleeping habits, certain foods and changes in weather patterns. We have lots of information on Migraine triggers you can find HERE. 

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Welcome again,

I also keep ice packs in the freezer as they help me with the pain.

Also, for some reason, fruit flavored Tootsie Pops seem to confuse the nerve endings of pain -- sometimes ending the migraine completely.  Therefore, I am never without a big box of them at home.  I have tried other candies, but they did not help.  So, it is what works for me, and hopefully, it will help another.

Ice always feels good when I have a migraine.  One other thing that helps me is to swim in cool water.  It feels like the pressure in my head gets equalized in the water.  Although it doesn't get rid of headaches at least I have a few moments of feeling 'normal'.

Hello, up until recently I was taking Excedrin for migraines, which seemed to do the trick, but over the years, I started noticing that the caffeine was really taking me for a spin. My migraines got to the point where they were more intense, and would last for up to 2 weeks!! And the Excedrin would work the first few days, then not at all. I thought that maybe my addiction to the caffeine was part of the problem, so I tried to restrict myself to taking the pills less often, but then I seemed to get rebound headaches and stomach pains-even if I ate plenty of food with the Excedrin. So I've been trying to tough out the pain without any coffee, or Excedrin at all. And I've noticed that the last couple times I got a migraine, the pain wasn't as intense, and it only lasted 2 days instead of 2 weeks!! Tylenol only does so much until I can get home and take Excedrin PM which has no caffeine, but I think it's worth it. I definitely think that some people are allergic to caffeine, and I'm one of them.  It stinks to have to stick out the pain for a couple of days, but it's much healthier than what I was doing!! And if it means a headache that is less intense, I'll take that!!

And I also have my natural energy back instead of the artificial caffeine highs.

This is so helpful. Thank you all for posting. I too find that a cold pack on my forhead helps. Also, I like laying in my walk-in closet with the lights out and door closed. I find it is one of the coolest "rooms" in our house and it's away from all the light and noise.  My mom has tiled flooring throughout the downstairs area, when I lived with her I found relief in laying on the cold tile. I haven't found anything that makes the pain go away, these are just things I find that make it a little easier to deal with. I hadn't heard about the peppermint on the forhead but it seems like a great idea...I'll try anything, in fact I'm running to the store tonight to buy some.

Alaskan Mom, I have also tried the hair tug; but my migraine was so intense, that I was literally pulling my hair very hard. I also have the hot flashes as well as the cold spells. I never realized the connection with the hot flashes and nausea. Next time I will try the cold water and cool down. I also have had such severe migraines that I will push the top of my head against the wall, and it  seems to relieve the pressure some. Thanks for the tips.

                                                           Susan S.

I have found essential oils (not scented oils, but the pure flower essences) to be a wonderful help with my migraines.  You can get essential oils at health food stores or online.  Peppermint, rosemary, clary sage, ginger lily, lemon, frankenscence, and myrrh are all good to help with the symptoms.  Ginger lily and peppermint are good for nausea, frankenscence, myrrh, rosemary and clary sage are good for anxiety and to soothe, lemon is good for mental clarity.  Diffusers are available, as well as rings that go on light bulbs, or just put onto a tissue or cotton ball and breathe in.  I really hope this information helps.

Ladies, I cannot tell you how helpful your discussion has been to me.  I, too, use cold packs and hot packs and essential oils.  I've even thought about getting a reed diffuser, but haven't sprung for that yet as I'm not working.  Were it not for my dear husband, I'd be in a mell of a hess.

I loved the list someone gave of the different essentials oils.  I don't remember whether essential lavendar was on the list, but I use it almost exclusively.  I have a diffuser that uses tealights to warm and disperse the scent.  I can light the tealight before bedtime, fall asleep to the relaxing scent and in about 4 hrs the tealight will burn itself out.  I call it "worry free aromatherapy," lol.  I mix my lavendar oil with Walmart cheapie stuff.  I think it is called liquid potpourri, and the scent is lavendar fields.  About 10 drops of the real thing and then I fill the diffuser the rest of the way with the cheapie stuff.

I use hot packs and cold packs at the same time.  Two hot packs, one under my should blades and one under the meaty part of the shoulders and onto the neck...the cold pack across the forehead.  They are reusable, I've had them for years, and they heat in the microwave.

All of this natural stuff doesn't do much to dull the pain or anxiety, but it is just enough to help me sleep, which is also a natural migraine abortive.  Sometimes I feel as though I sleep my life away, but I get so many attacks that it isn't possible to medicate each one without fear of MOH/rebound headaches.

The best rescue combination I've found to date?  Treximet and Valium (5mg).  Treximet is a combination of Imitrex and Naprosen.  I also take Vicodin with Flexeril for the tension headaches.  My tension headaches are almost as bad on the pain scale as the migraines, and sometimes they are worse.

I've learned so much from this website, and from all of you sharing and caring.  I cannot thank you enough for all the encouragement you have been, even when you didn't know you were doing it.

Love to you all,

Mary Ann Hartzler

I was reading and I didnt see anyone mention this and I do not recommend that anyone do this with out asking your Doctor first, but this is what I do. I take about 5 regular aspirin then get in the bath tub and fill it as full as I can with water as hot as I can possible stand it hold my breath and put my head completely under the water for as long as I can and I do that 5-10 times. Then I get out of the tub dry off as fast as I can I leave a towel my head to hold in the heat then get under the covers and wrap them around my head only leaving covers off my nose and go to sleep for at least 30 minutes to an hour long if I can but that normally releives my pain almost completely. When I get out of the tub I cant even fill the pain at all, but it does come back if I do not lay down and go straight to sleep. I have had to do this more than once when I have had really bad ones. Another thing that helps is I concentate on my breathing and try to only think of my breathing  helps me to relax and not stress on the migriane or other things. I hope this helps some one. I told my doctor I do this and I don't think he is crazy about all the aspirin that I take when I get a migraine, but that's all he said. I do have a prescription for Zomig and I am getting ready to try something else for when I cant get to my bath tub to help releive the pain. I also take a low grade blood pressure pill twice a day which has help lessen the amount that I get them. Another thing that has lessened the amount that I get them is going to the gym 3 times a week and working out. And I always make sure I am hydrated that is a definate factor in mine. Like I read lightly pull my hair feels good and one other thing I havent read that seems to lessen the pain is flossing my teeth roughly it lessons headache and actually feels good on my gums. One thing I have been noticing is that if I eat something that leaves a film on my tongue seems to trigger my migraines. I know that sounds weird but I can actuallly scrap stuff off my tongue and I can tell it's there from the bad taste I have in my mouth. It's usually when I have ate something with garlic in it or a hard candy so I try to stay away from them.

i'm helping my little sister with her migraines and your tips REALLY helped, thanks soooooo much!!!!!!!:)