Need Help MIGRAINES: Please share your experiences w/successfully eliminating or alleviating them using Western/alternative medicine, supplements nutrition etc

[darvocet21]

Specifically how do you reduce their occurrence, avoid them (if poss) and how do you mitigate them once they start and are their lifestyle and behavioral factors that can help?

What about dietary ones specifically are any foods are food allergies implicated with migraine severity or occurrence.

What about natural substances, plants, herbs, recreational drugs, research chemicals and other non FDA-approved methods?

What about the newest prescription drugs how effective are they and if you take any are there any side effects/interactions that are not being reported?

Have more effective older medicines been passed up because their patents have expired?

Thanks

 

[Nurse Ratched]

I would love to help and comment o this but I have never suffered with them and have great empathy for those that do. The only med i have heard of that can decrease their frequency is the " tryptan" drugs. They do nothing for the pain when you get them....just supposed to help with the frequency.

When the pain hits and people are in agony I guess a cool washcloth on the forehead, a quiet dark room and a strong painkiller is all that you can really do. There are things on migraine websites about foods that can cause them and stress and diet seem to be factors in the frequency.

My Mom told me that my Grandma suffered horribly and back then they didn't have the preventative meds that they do now and all she could do was isolate in a dark room and she was prescribed benzos as a med. Her Dr. thought it was stress related so she was on things like valium and librium.

Good luck with any treatment you are trying. I know it must be a miserable thing to have to live with them.

 

[darvocet21]

Thanks, the one you mention is definitely a first line treatment, but is it as good as the drugs our parents and grandparents took? So many medicines that were efficacious before have simply fallen out of favor usually around the time the patents expire and the reformulations make the medicine less effective which might be the point. I'm very cynical about these things

But not about you. Hoping you're keeping warm and smiling and maybe even laughing

 

[G_Chem]

First things first you’ve got to learn which foods cause them and which don’t. Often the worst culprit foods are; dairy/cheese, chocolate, and non-distilled alcoholic beverages like beer, wine and cider. I can eat a single bite of cheese or sip of wine and get a nasty headache these days.

Controlling diet is the most important strategy to fighting them. A lot of people don’t put enough weight into that.

If you do get one, DMT and related tryptamines can help get rid of migraines that no other medication can touch. Often times I’ll fall asleep immediately after a DMT session when I have a migraine too.

-GC

 

[darvocet21]

First things first you’ve got to learn which foods cause them and which don’t. Often the worst culprit foods are; dairy/cheese, chocolate, and non-distilled alcoholic beverages like beer, wine and cider. I can eat a single bite of cheese or sip of wine and get a nasty headache these days.

Controlling diet is the most important strategy to fighting them. A lot of people don’t put enough weight into that.

If you do get one, DMT and related tryptamines can help get rid of migraines that no other medication can touch. Often times I’ll fall asleep immediately after a DMT session when I have a migraine too.

-GC

So it's certain types of alcohol and not alcohol itself? It seems like you suggesting that with these food items migraine headaches are an allergic reaction, which is pretty novel or are you just saying that they can make them worse or more frequent? Did you stumble on this on your own?

What about meds specifically a nasal spray version of the old Sandoz migraine standby but I forgot the name

 

[G_Chem]

So it's certain types of alcohol and not alcohol itself? It seems like you suggesting that with these food items migraine headaches are an allergic reaction, which is pretty novel or are you just saying that they can make them worse or more frequent? Did you stumble on this on your own?

What about meds specifically a nasal spray version of the old Sandoz migraine standby but I forgot the name

I’ll answer in order.

Yes, I believe it has to do with the impurities/congeners present that distillation gets rid of, I’ve experimented heavily with this. Although out of the 3 this is the least likely to induce then.

It isn’t actually there’s quite a bit of research that goes over the interactions of these foods and migraines.

Tyramine is a substance found in many aged foods but especially aged cheeses. It’s a known migraine trigger and actually what happens is when it builds up in the system we can get used to the negative effects because of its unique interactions with NE but if you eat it rarely it’ll fuck you up bad.

Tyramine-Rich Foods As A Migraine Trigger & Low Tyramine Diet

WebMD explains how tyramine, a substance found naturally in some foods, can trigger migraine headaches and offers up suggestions on how to avoid tyramine rich foods in your diet.

www.webmd.com

Tyramine causes vasoconstriction among other things through its release of NE but that effect becomes blunted with repeated “use.”

I can’t eat any cheese except certai goat cheeses. This is because Goat Cheese is not a cheese that lends itself well to aging so often very fresh, plus it has minimal casein. A protein which ALSO gives me migraines.

“Milk has casein (the group of phosphoproteins) which makes up 78.7 percent of all milk protein. Casein can trigger milk migraine and other types of headaches in some people. Milk, drinks made with milk and buttermilk are reported to cause headaches.”

This is why cheese/dairy can be so bad, it’s a double whammy of migraine inducing effects.

So as you can see it’s well reported on. To add to the anecdotes I have a family member who suffers migraines with very similar food “allergies” to me.

All this said, I miss dairy/cheese dearly. I was raised on the dairy beeeitch (reference lol) so it’s in my blood to love aged cheese, aged meats, etc. I made myself a pizza recently with goat cheese though, haven’t had that in ages.

-GC

 

[Fiori di Bella]

Thanks so much for your thorough replies, GC.

The OP is asking this question on my behalf. He’s seen me suffer with frequent migraines and I sense he feels quite helpless. I find atmospheric changes to be a big trigger, and lately we’ve had a lot of storms. I’ve been on a migraine-a-rama since late Fall, as a result. I haven’t focused on the dietary portion of this equation. I’m such a quesophiliac that I have never eliminated any cheeses from my diet. I hadn’t heard about distilled vs more impure forms of EtOH. I drink dry white wines, as I have noticed red wine to be a trigger, but it sounds like I ought to eliminate wine altogether.

Triptans are the bomb; nothing else works for me like they do. However, I was given samples of a new migraine drug, Nurtec, by my neurologist some months ago. I understand this isn’t a triptan in the true sense, but it works similarly. Nurtec is absolutely amazing! Unfortunately, as I’m sure you know, new drugs are not often on the formulary for drugs covered by insurance companies, and with 10+ migraines each month, I’d be looking at well over $1,000 for the script.

I’m grateful for my Sumatriptan, as well as my back up triptan, Rizatriptan. My grandma, mother, aunt and sister all suffer(ed) with migraines and I can’t begin to imagine living life 50+ years ago without these drugs.

I need to implement those dietary changes now so I focus on prevention rather than rescue meds. Luckily I’m not a chocolate lover, which I hear is a huge trigger for women especially.

I also suffer from chronic daily tension headaches, but that’s an entirely different matter.

 

[G_Chem]

Thanks so much for your thorough replies, GC.

The OP is asking this question on my behalf. He’s seen me suffer with frequent migraines and I sense he feels quite helpless. I find atmospheric changes to be a big trigger, and lately we’ve had a lot of storms. I’ve been on a migraine-a-rama since late Fall, as a result. I haven’t focused on the dietary portion of this equation. I’m such a quesophiliac that I have never eliminated any cheeses from my diet. I hadn’t heard about distilled vs more impure forms of EtOH. I drink dry white wines, as I have noticed red wine to be a trigger, but it sounds like I ought to eliminate wine altogether.

Triptans are the bomb; nothing else works for me like they do. However, I was given samples of a new migraine drug, Nurtec, by my neurologist some months ago. I understand this isn’t a triptan in the true sense, but it works similarly. Nurtec is absolutely amazing! Unfortunately, as I’m sure you know, new drugs are not often on the formulary for drugs covered by insurance companies, and with 10+ migraines each month, I’d be looking at well over $1,000 for the script.

I’m grateful for my Sumatriptan, as well as my back up triptan, Rizatriptan. My grandma, mother, aunt and sister all suffer(ed) with migraines and I can’t begin to imagine living life 50+ years ago without these drugs.

I need to implement those dietary changes now so I focus on prevention rather than rescue meds. Luckily I’m not a chocolate lover, which I hear is a huge trigger for women especially.

I also suffer from chronic daily tension headaches, but that’s an entirely different matter.

I used to eat nachos or queso daily so I feel you on that Honestly don’t worry about the alcohol just give the dairy a try, you might actually get a headache at first when you quit but after 2 weeks of no dairy take note of how you feel both in regards to migraines but also mentally. Both myself and my wife get mood swings from dairy too.

I never tried many medications, I think just one but overall my connection with healthcare is strained at the best of times.

Have you tried any tryptamines for migraines before? The great part is they often last long past the effects of the drug, not always, but usually a persistent migraine can be gotten rid of for days/weeks. You don’t need to take a trip dose either, a micro to low dose works well.

-GC

 

[Nas47]

Specifically how do you reduce their occurrence, avoid them (if poss) and how do you mitigate them once they start and are their lifestyle and behavioral factors that can help?

What about dietary ones specifically are any foods are food allergies implicated with migraine severity or occurrence.

What about natural substances, plants, herbs, recreational drugs, research chemicals and other non FDA-approved methods?

What about the newest prescription drugs how effective are they and if you take any are there any side effects/interactions that are not being reported?

Have more effective older medicines been passed up because their patents have expired?

Thanks

Psylocibe mushrooms works great on migraine.Drugs containing ergot alkaloids are also very helpful.Avoid anything that leads to vasoconstriction of blood vessels-alcohol in big quantities,smoking tobaco,strong stimulants.Sport or simple walking in clean fresh air.Yoga and its fundament-pranayama.Enough sleep.But thats all things that may be you know very well Darvo.Especially for me and almost everybody that i know with such symptoms theres a cheap,otc pill which is forbidden in most EU countries and maybe in US too-metamizole.Low toxic and very effective,but for some people-especially those living in the north leads to agranulocitosis,which is a fatal condition.This pill always work for me even in most severe migraine....

 

[Fiori di Bella]

@Nas47 -
Thanks so much for your reply.
I’ve never heard of Metamizole, but the name suggests it could be an anti-fungal.
I will have to look into this.

@G_Chem - Do you know anything about this medication?

 

[G_Chem]

@Nas47 -
Thanks so much for your reply.
I’ve never heard of Metamizole, but the name suggests it could be an anti-fungal.
I will have to look into this.

@G_Chem - Do you know anything about this medication?

While I don’t know of its efficacy, agranulocytosis is nasty business and it’s banned in the US far as I know. That’s the condition levamisole gives to habitual cocaine users and can kill. It wreaks havoc on the immune system destroying white blood cell count.

I do recall you were hospitalized not too long ago and that may be a risky side effect you’d like to avoid.

-GC

 

[Fiori di Bella]

Oh, you mean try to avoid being hospitalized? I agree with you. But with the sepsis, they made me stay a little while, then I had surgery 2 days before Thanksgiving.

I’m feeling better and hoping to avoid the viral cesspool that is the hospital.

 

[darvocet21]

Oh, you mean try to avoid being hospitalized? I agree with you. But with the sepsis, they made me stay a little while, then I had surgery 2 days before Thanksgiving.

I’m feeling better and hoping to avoid the viral cesspool that is the hospital.

My dad never went to doctors thought they were all Crooks. He lived to the ripe old age of 84 died in his sleep despite being a smoker

 

[Fiori di Bella]

That’s a nice long life.

 

[Nas47]

@Nas47 -
Thanks so much for your reply.
I’ve never heard of Metamizole, but the name suggests it could be an anti-fungal.
I will have to look into this.

@G_Chem - Do you know anything about this medication?

No.Metamizole known also as analgin,novalgin..etc. is a nonnarcotic painkiller.Affects all pain coming from the head(non effective for backpain at all).Its the most used pill where I live Very popular also in Russia,Ukraine,India.In West Europe you can find it only in Spain,Portugal maybe and Italy as Novalgina.Also popular I think in whole East Asia and South America.Its an old drug synthesized in the 20 years of past century in Germany(those germans are number one in pharmacology...great minds indeed)

 

[Nas47]

While I don’t know of its efficacy, agranulocytosis is nasty business and it’s banned in the US far as I know. That’s the condition levamisole gives to habitual cocaine users and can kill. It wreaks havoc on the immune system destroying white blood cell count.

I do recall you were hospitalized not too long ago and that may be a risky side effect you’d like to avoid.

-GC

Metamizole have nothing compared to levamozole.That is pirazolone derivate as i know.Agranolucitosis affect special etnic group and its noncommon in area that i lived.The reason that is banned for example in US is other i think.Some pharma busyness issues You got ibuprofen which is much more toxic for kidneys and irritable for stomach.Techicaly this med is not NSAID,cause interacts only with C1 receptor(cyclooxygenase).Never heard for even one case of agranolucitosis in this geographical region.We all here are born and raised with that med.Much popular than ibuprofen,aspirin or paracetamol

 

[JTemperance]

I think they have metamizole in Mexico, too.

Migraines are awful, I really feel for chronic sufferers. I've had them before, usually with the aura, but not very often. The first one started in a head shop when I was 13 or so, felt like it was triggered by all the incense.

The last bad one I had, I went to urgent care and got an IM shot of toradol (another strong NSAID) that helped surprisingly well.