Exercise and Migraines

By pinkpony Thursday, May 22, 2008

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I have to say I really doubted this would help; but thought why not try. My doctor wants me to exercise. I would start and would get a migraine everytime. Then I started taking a triptipan right after I walked. No headache. (I only did this maybe 3 times) Next I just took 2 aleve before I started. Again no headache. Now a month into it I have been migraine and headaches (above a 3 out of 10) free. I still continue to take my prevenative medicine and drink plenty of water and propel. I am training for the 3day walk here in Detroit at the end of September. I am up to about 17 miles of walking (some running) a week. So this is not light exercise. I wanted everyone to know that this helped for me...hope it will help for some others. The docs do know what they are talking about!

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Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

5/22/08 8:51am

Congratulations! What wonderful news to hear you are able to exercise without pain.

Good luck on your long walk....I'm sure you'll do great. Will you let us know?

tucker317

5/31/08 11:23pm

I started walking in the mornings last fall after school started and the vet told me the dog was too fat! I put the kids on the bus at 7:25 then get the dogs ready and we walk for about 20-30 minutes. I did go walking and head to the gym on my days off for a few months but when I started working more FT I couldn't make it to the gym anymore. But even thru the winter I kept up my walks (happily we had a relatively decent winter here in VA).

Every morning I wake up with a stiff neck (and often a stiff body) and a grouchy grumpy HA. I've probably spent $500 on different pillows over the past 5 years. But I've had to tell my boss that sorry, I'm never going to get to work early b/c I need to take my walk to help get my body going. On days that it's raining, I go back to sleep for 30 minutes and feel awful all day. (HA! I am not motivated to put on music and dance around the house that early in the morning.)

So while I'm not motivated to run like I was in my 20's (when I also didn't have headaches!), this daily walking has been a lifesaver. We got another dog a month ago so the 2 of them will definitely keep me going for many years to come!

Diane

pinkpony

6/ 1/08 11:38am

That is so cool. I'm not walking everyday; but I going to start trying. The days that I am not walking I seem to get tension type headaches. It must be a stress reliever and boost the "happy" hormones! Kristin

tucker317

6/ 2/08 10:12pm

Yes, happy is a good word! I used to have episodic migraines which turned into chronic daily headaches which were really doing me in. When I finally went to the doctor, he put me on topomax. We happened to start a "walking program" at work and I lost about 20 lbs between the 2 of them. Fast forward a several years and my headaches have evolved into more less severe pain but still pretty frequent (mostly later in the day now). I think the walks in the morning help me get going. I had dropped them off last summer when it got so hot and the kids were out of school and the HA came back again. (HA, plus I gained a few pounds back....)

Now I can see a difference in my morning pain anyways! I always went back to sleep before (can't lie, still do some days like today, but then I get up and walk) but forcing myself to get moving must get that blood flowing or something! Maybe oxygen to the brain is a good thing! Especially cool fresh air. We'll have to see how the muggy summer air does.... It's cranking up in the next few days - ugghh.

Good luck on getting out more often. It is hard -find a motivator- I listen to books on tape so that helps. Maybe good music would too? And of course the pleading eyes and exciting jumps of the dogs do for me. And always when my waistband is a little too tight.... :):) LOL! That weight loss effect of topomax wore off pretty quickly for me - maybe 6-12 months tops! I'm in my 3rd year on it and hungry all the time!

Diane

Nebula

6/ 6/08 10:28pm

Thanks, that is very useful information. I have been trying to exercise more and I find that I only sometimes get headaches. I'll be sure to ask my Doctor at our next appointment since I already take elavil at night

Exercise and Migraines

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