I by no means am an Expert on Migraines. But I do feel that I know quite a bit about treatment options for migraines as I have tried just about EVERY treatment known to man to get rid of mine. So today I will talk about possible treatment modalities for migraines, oddly enough while suffering from one of the worst migraines I have had in the last few weeks. But our world goes on right? From having so many I have learned that our world just can simply stop just due to a migraine. Do I do all I can to slow my world down during one? YES!!! We all have to do what works best for us to keep our world going. The things I am going to talk about are things that have been recommended to me by Medical PROFESSIONALS, and any thing I discuss should not be started into your regimen without the approval of your medical provider. This may be a little long but I get asked several times a week about what I do to treat my headaches and all of this has been or is currently part of my headache journey.

1. Pain relievers like Aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) could potentially help relieve mild migraines. Tylenol can also work to help the mild migraines in some people, especially in the population of people who are on Blood Thinners and can not take medications like Aspirin or Advil.
   There are medications on the marketed that are specifically for migraines, such as the combination of acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine which is known as Excedrin Migraine, these could potentially ease moderate migraine pain. However, none of the over the counter meds will be effective on their own for a severe migraine. And with many of the over the counter meds like Aspirin, Advil, Ibuprofen if they are taken too often or for too long at one time it is possible for them to lead to bigger problems such as stomach ulcers, GI bleeds and even Medication overuse headaches.
   There is a prescription pain reliever called indomethacin that may help diminished the effects of a migraine and is available in suppository form (not fun I know!!!), which may be helpful if you’re nauseated. Narcotic pain medications are rarely ever used in migraine treatment simply because many Providers feel like narcotics will cause rebound headaches in the long run and cause more problems than good, which is controversial to many, So I won’t go into it any further at this point
2. If over the counter meds don’t work for you migraine than the next step is usually a medication group call The Triptans, which often used in treating migraines. Triptans make blood vessels constrict and block pain pathways in the brain. You have probably heard of them, they are medications like Imitrex, Zomig, Relpax. Triptans effectively relieve the pain and other symptoms that are associated with migraines. They are available in pill, nasal spray and injection form. The fact that they offer different forms is helpful due to the fact that if you are vomiting it is hard to keep down a pill for said migraine.
3. If the Triptan class of drugs do not work to control your headaches and you are having to take them more than a couple times a week it is time to call your Provider again. At this point they may talk to you about how often your headaches are happening and if you have been able to pinpoint a cause. If no cause has been noted they mas discuss with you about doing some imaging like CT SCAN or MRI just as a precaution to rule out anything further that could be causing your migraines.
4. If you have vomiting with your migraines, first let me say how very very sorry I am! I have terrible nausea and vomiting with mine. And thankfully my Providers have been nice enough to prescribe me anti-nausea meds to help when or should I need it, so don’t be afraid to ask!!
5. Another kind of medication that your Provider may discuss putting you on if the Triptans and Over the counter meds like Aleve are not helping with the migraine is what they call Preventatives. These are medications that you take daily to help prevent your headaches from getting to the point of a migraine. However, there are requirements one must meet in order to be considered for a preventative med, which I will list below. Taking preventative medications can help to reduce the frequency, severity and length of a migraine and couple potentially increase the effectiveness of other meds used to relieve symptoms during attacks.  These medications will not take effect overnight it can take several weeks to see results. It could be recommended that you take preventative meds daily or just around your triggers. For instance if you get migraines around menstruation you might take the medication just around that time of the month for you,. Eventually if you have good results on the preventative meds your doctor may discuss tapering you off the medications to see how your headaches do without the medications.  The most common classifications of medications used as Preventative meds are Cardiovascular (heart) Medications, Antidepressants and Seizure medications. The qualifications I mentioned above are:
6. 1. You have four or more debilitating attacks a month.
   2. If attacks last more that 12 hours.
   3. If pain-relieving medications are not helping.
   4. If your migraine signs and symptoms include a prolonged aura or numbness and Weakness
7. The last prescription medication I will discuss is Botox. I know you are thinking, “Wait, isn’t that the stuff that people put in their faces so they can’t move them and get no more wrinkles? Yup, same stuff! Just works a little different. I have yet to find an exact explanataion as to why it works but it does. There are some terms that have to be met before you can sign up for Botox. Here is what the Botox website says “BOTOX® is a prescription medicine that is injected to prevent headaches in adults with Chronic Migraine who have 15 or more days each month with headache lasting 4 or more hours each day in people 18 years or older.
   It is not known whether BOTOX® is safe or effective to prevent headaches in patients with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days each month (episodic migraine).
   BOTOX® prevents on average 8 to 9 headache days and migraine/probable migraine days a month (vs 6 to 7 with placebo) after 2 treatments (at 24 weeks).”Botox website
8. Some over the counter supplements that are often encouraged for migraine sufferers are Fever Few, Magnesium and B12, B6 and Folic Acid. Fever Few which is known as a herb used to control the pain of migrain. While Magnesium is used in hopes of preventing migraines. Some research has shown magnesium levels in the brain if often low during migraine attacks. And because magnesium is needed for a persons nerves to function properly, some think that low magnesium and migraines are somehow related. Vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid have been found that they  may reduce the frequency, severity and disability of migraines, according to new research. Daily vitamin supplements were found to produce a two-fold reduction in migraine disability.
9. Invest in GOOD DARK SUNGLASSES- This may sound silly but you can never had dark enough sun glasses when you have migraines so invest in a good pair that is super dark and will really shield your eyes. There are multiple places to buy these but there are four good pairs on Amazon ranging in price from $49.99- $99.99, and are available as indoor and outdoor lenses!!!
10. Another item that you can’t go wrong with and would be a great Christmas gift would be a good EYE MASK!!  These like anything vary in thickness and size and in bandwidth. You can find them at many different locations from the pharmacy to Amazon to Bed, Bath and Beyond,. The one below Is one that I recently purchased from Amazed that is desidned for those of us with migraines and has the ability to be frozen. And was only $10.
11. If I had to pick one non-pharmacological item that has helped me the most it would be my ICEKAP!!! It is exactly what it sounds like. I hat with ice. But the ice packs are spaced properly so you don’t have to try and keep one on the front of your head and the back and keep them from sliding, It has really been a game changer. The Icekap website And last but not least Peppermint Oil. I am not big into oils but this is one things that I can carry in my purse and use anywhere when I feel a migraine coming on. And it also works for nausea. So killing two birds with one stone so to speaks with one oil. Unlike many of the other things that I have talked about. The more well known companies are the best to buy for like Young Loving because you know that their oils are 100% pure.

I hope that you find this list helpful and maybe I was able to give you a tip or two that you had not tried before. If you have any questions or comments or suggestions please don’t hesitate to leave them below!!

With Love,

Amber