migraines from heat/sun exposure - perspiration

I am a 50 yr old male in decent but not great shape.  I like to play tennis in the summer but one of the drawbacks is a migraine after playing in the sun/heat/humidity.  I have since realized that I've gotten sick from prolonged exertion to the sun/heat since I was a kid & played little league.  I do take Imitrex for the Migraines (I have 4 sisters who also deal with Migraines so obviously hereditary).  My question is, is there anything I can take before playing tennis or after to alleviate the migraines.  Sometimes the Imitrex helps tremendously & sometimes it takes more the one 50 mg pill.  I was just readin about salt/sodium deficieny & wondered if that could be part of the problem but I normally don't cramp up like you think of when thinking dehydration.  I always drink plenty or sports drinks & water during & after tennis.  Although it's not just tennis I get these from.  If I'm out working in the yard for a couple/few hours & find myself in the sun/heat & sweating quite a bit.  Anyway ... any suggestions would be most appreciated

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Both preventive and acute medications can be prescribed to help deal with migraine headaches. Acute or abortive drugs are taken during migraine attacks while preventive medications are taken regularly,  to reduce the severity or frequency of migraines. Preventive therapy includes beta blockers, antidepressants, and anti-seizure drugs. These can be taken if you have two or more debilitating attacks a month or pain medications are not helping. However, these do not eliminate headaches completely, and some can even cause serious side effects. It is best that you see your doctor for proper management. Your medical history and direct clinical examination are important in evaluating the medicine suited for you. Take care and do keep us posted.  

[blues7210]

Hi, I do have a prescription for Imitrex which I do take for these migraines & it usually helps.  The last 2 weekends they've been pretty bad so I actually took the pill when I first got home from tennis & then had to take another 1/2 pill later on at night to finally kick the pain.  I've heard about beta blockers but am concerned about side effects.  Is there any suggestions for my diet, vitamins, anything you can suggest?  My Dr. had never seen a case like mine & unfortunately his suggestion was different sunglasses.  I'm just looking for something to try because I believe there has to be a root cause & some sort of addition to my diet or something to help alleviate these.  Thank you for your response.  

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
Thanks for the update. Indeed, there has been an increasing demand for food, vitamins and supplements for management of migraine headaches due to adverse side effects of medications. Supplements  such as magnesium, Petasites hybridus, feverfew, coenzyme Q10, riboflavin, and alpha lipoic have been found to help in migraine prevention.
(ref: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19454881
Take care and best regards.