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Migraine

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What to Do About Migraine Triggered by Intimacy?

Ask the Clinician , Health Professional

Question:

This is a somewhat sensitive question, but my doctor hasn’t had any suggestions, so I thought I’d ask the two of you. Sexual intimacy almost always triggers a migraine for me. My husband is very understanding, but we both miss it. Is there anything I can do or any medication I can take to avoid these migraines? Thank you, Joanie.

Answer:

Dear Joanie;

Thank you for being brave enough to ask this important question. The effect of migraine on relationships, and intimacy in particular, is often overlooked despite how important these issues are.

There are a couple of potential reasons for migraine being triggered by sexual activity. The first is similar to migraine that is triggered by any physical activity or exertion. For some, however, the trigger is specific to sexual activity. For many, it seems to occur at or shortly after orgasm.

There are not well studied treatments specific to sexual induced migraine, but there are a variety of things that can be tried. First, if it related exertion, going slowly can be helpful. But it’s less likely that this will solve your issues. If you have a migraine abortive therapy that usually works for you, like a triptan or an anti-inflammatory, you can try to take it prior to initiating sexual activity. If this is not effective or you value spontaneity, ask you doctor about “long acting” triptans, such as frovatriptan, which possibly could be effective if taken up to 24 hours in advance.

Thank you for your question,
Dave Watson and Teri Robert

Credit: Thinkstock

About Ask the Clinician:

Credit: Thinkstock

Questions submitted to our Ask the Clinician column are answered by Dr. David Watson and Teri Robert.

If you have a question, please click** HERE. Accepted questions will be answered by publishing the answers in our column. Due to the number of questions submitted, no questions will be answered privately, and questions will be accepted only when submitted via THIS FORM**. Please do not submit questions via email, private message, or blog comments. Thank you.

**_Please note: We cannot diagnose, suggest specific treatment, or handle emergencies via the Internet. Please do not ask us to diagnose; see your physician for diagnosis._** For an overview of how we can help and questions we can and can't answer, please see _**[Seeking Migraine and Headache Diagnoses and Medical Advice](https://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/c/9924/162100/migraine-headache-diagnosing)** _.

We hope you find this general medical and health information useful, but this Q & A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. For all personal medical and health matters, including decisions about diagnoses, medications and other treatment options, you should always consult your doctor. See full Disclaimer.

Do you have questions about Migraine? Reader questions are answered by UCNS certified Migraine and headache specialist Dr. David Watson, and award-winning patient educator and advocate Teri Robert. Questions may be submitted via our submission form. Accepted questions will be answered by publishing the answers in our Ask the Clinician column. For an overview of how we can help and questions we can and can’t answer, please see Seeking Migraine and Headache Diagnoses and Medical Advice.

Published On: Sept 12, 2016
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