Migraine treatment feedback

[Jaker17]

Starting at age 7, I got debilitating migraines once every two weeks or so. It would come on with the “lighting strike” or “floater” in my vision, then my hands and fingers would get numb, I’d feel disoriented and would have trouble forming thoughts or sentences. About thirty minutes after this onset I would get the vice crushing headache that felt like my brain was swelling against my skull while somebody was crushing my head. I’d get nauseated and throw up multiple times. The pain would somewhat be lessened by pushing hard against my temples to create a separate pain to try to distract me, but then it would return even worse. Usually lasted for 8-10 hours before the “migraine hangover” started. During the aftermath, I couldn’t exercise do to the feeling like my brain had had trauma...it hurt to move my head side to side and I felt generally off for most of the following day. So, I’ve had some fantastic luck with my migraines and I typically only get them three times per year now (I’m 36). I thought I would share what I’ve done in the off chance that it helps anybody else. I have tried various medications...started with something (can’t remember) before trying Imitrex. Imitrex didn’t touch them, so I was prescribed MaxAlt 10 mg. If I catch the symptoms early, this can cut the misery by around half and I can generally have a conversation later in the day. What REALLY made a difference, though, was identifying patterns in what triggered them. For me, it is almost always associated with heavy physical exertion after less than normal sleep when I haven’t had enough to drink and eat in the previous half day. By being sure to sleep at least 7 hours every night, drinking plenty of fluids and not overdoing physical exertion, I have been able to make a change. Aside from this lifestyle change, the frequency of migraines was drastically reduced when I started smoking marijuana in college. Whether it was the drug itself or the stress reduction, or something else associated, I have had excellent results with it. I literally went from a migraine every two weeks to one every six months. When I get the onset symptoms, I immediately take the MaxAlt (with me always in various locations), get to where I can have one to two hits of marijuana, drink a sugary, caffeinated (preferably carbonated) drink, apply pressure to various pressure points in my hands and legs, turn off all of the lights and sounds and try to sleep for at least 30 minutes. After that, I am usually able to recover the same day and function normally the second day. I’m sure that migraine treatment is unique for the individual, but I am wondering if anybody else has had this same experience and if anything works for them. Thanks!