What triggers your migraine attacks and prevent them?

[Yuki Kinjo]

I'd like to know what triggers migraines for other people and how they
try to prevent or know how to prevent attacks.
I have a history of migraines for about 15 years now (it has started
when I was in highschool). I bring Maxalt medicine anywhere I go in
case I get migrain attacks.
Although I'm not quite sure what actually triggers migrain attacks and
how to prevent it, I have some ideas when and what causes migraine.
By knowing what triggers attacks, it might help other people to
prevent it.

Here is mine.
Triggers: Lack of sleep, stress, hunger, dehydration, heat, cold,
extreme exercise (playing soccer and tennis for a long time under high
heat).

Prevention: try to have enough sleep (8 hours), try to be hydrated,
try not to get hungry and get cold at the same time, moderate exercise
or daily work out, relax as much as I could (taking bath, saunas,
massages, etc).

I've read here that some of prevention methods are taking aspirin,
avoid vitamin K, take vitamin B12, and smoke pot?

I'd like to hear if you have any magic trick to prevent attacks.

[ragamufin]

Triggers: Overexertion such as playing soccer for hours, too much
direct sunlight, lack of sleep, lack of food, dehydration, noise

Prevention: Sleep, if I'm experiencing an aura I lie down in a dark
room and cover my eyes or take a shower/bath with the lights off,
drinking lots of water, caffeine, relaxing music, food and vitamins,
weight lifting and moderate exercise, avoiding gluten and MSG,
avoiding certain types of florescent lights. Medication that works for
me: Aleve.

[Laura Shirey]

I've never quite been able to figure out what triggers mine.  I started having an "aura" with no headache (or at least no major headache) following it a couple of years ago.  I had one weekly for several months.  I eventually cut out MSG (which I had no idea was in so many chips and processed foods) and all artificial sweeteners (switched back to regular soda).  Since then I have only had 3 or 4 over a four-year period.  When I got the first round of auras, I was 24, had just moved to a new city where I didn't know anyone, and started a new job, so it may have been stress related.

 

I treat mine by popping a few advil, turning off the lights, and taking a nap. I'm usually tired for the next 12-24 hours, sometimes get a dull headache, but otherwise fully recover right away.

 

I also noticed something else last time... for a few days after an aura, my vision is just slightly different - for example, the "afterimage" that you see after looking at a bright light or bright colors seems to last longer than usual.  I also think I have more floaters than I used to have, but I might just be getting older, or I might notice them more.  I've had several eye appointments since them and everything checks out fine.

 

Laura

 

[Rich]

Triggers: caffeine! Stress, sugar
Prevention: Avoid caffeine!
Rich

[Yuki Kinjo]

Very interesting.
I also avoid MSG and any artificial sweetner. I'm not sure if this
causes migraine but it gives me light headache, indigestion and
dullness.
So I was thinking I'm allergic to them.

I drink tea alot and not sure if caffeine triggers migraine since even
without caffeine I get migraines. To me, caffeine helps migraines from
triggering but not sure.

I noticed too that my vision is slightly off for a few days after
getting migraines. My doctor said that's kindda normal since my brain
vessels are adjusting back to normal.

any other info?

On Sep 22, 3:38 pm, "Laura Shirey" <laurajshi...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've never quite been able to figure out what triggers mine.  I started
> having an "aura" with no headache (or at least no major headache) following
> it a couple of years ago.  I had one weekly for several months.  I
> eventually cut out MSG (which I had no idea was in so many chips and
> processed foods) and all artificial sweeteners (switched back to regular
> soda).  Since then I have only had 3 or 4 over a four-year period.  When I
> got the first round of auras, I was 24, had just moved to a new city where I
> didn't know anyone, and started a new job, so it may have been stress
> related.
>
> I treat mine by popping a few advil, turning off the lights, and taking a
> nap. I'm usually tired for the next 12-24 hours, sometimes get a dull
> headache, but otherwise fully recover right away.
>
> I also noticed something else last time... for a few days after an aura, my
> vision is just slightly different - for example, the "afterimage" that you
> see after looking at a bright light or bright colors seems to last longer
> than usual.  I also think I have more floaters than I used to have, but I
> might just be getting older, or I might notice them more.  I've had several
> eye appointments since them and everything checks out fine.
>
> Laura
>

> > > I'd like to hear if you have any magic trick to prevent attacks.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[ragamufin]

I think the word is that caffeine causes migraines but oddly enough,
once you're having a migraine caffeine helps to get rid of it by
opening up the arteries in and to the brain allowing more blood flow.

Again the thing that has been really helpful for me is a healthy dose
of B12 and folic acid vitamins, especially the sub-lingual ones from a
store like GNC.

[Yuki Kinjo]

I found this clinical study currently ongoing testing effect of
caffeine with Maxalt (migraine medicine).
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00471952?term=migraine&rank=7

Detailed Description:
Oral Maxalt has an extensive record of providing relief of acute
migraine headache with 2 hours in the vast majority of patients,
especially when undertaken as an early intervention strategy. Caffeine
has been demonstrated to have analgesic effects in patients treating
tension type headache and is found as part of a combination including
aspirin and acetaminophen as a treatment for acute migraine headache.

The mechanism by which Maxalt relieves migraine headache is believed
to be through action on 5HT1B/1D receptors both on blood vessels as
well as centrally. Caffeine may have effects on relief of migraine
through modifying norepinephrine related mechanisms which have been
suggested through clinical research. Patients commonly report that
they may obtain partial or complete relief of their migraines by
consuming the modest amounts of caffeine found in a cup of coffee.
this is estimated to be approximately 100mg per cup. The analgesic
effects of caffeine appear to be most significant in the first 3 hours
after ingestion. Recent work suggests that intervention in migraine
when the pain is still mild and has not persisted for a prolonged
duration may increase the likelihood of complete migraine response.
Therefore, the combination of the two agents with activity in migraine
that work early in the migraine process, have good tolerability at the
proposed doses and working via different mechanism may increase the
likelihood of patients achieving better response with their migraine
treatment than that which is currently available.

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[rickyr...@gmail.com]

I used to get the aura, with no significant pain... I say, 'used',
hoping that I get no more! Started in my 20's, but has decreased in
frequency (never very frequent) over the last 2 decades... never been
formally diagnosed but have come to realise that's what I get,
migraine without the headache, or if I do hurt, very low dull pain.

Lack of enough sleep, AND lots of stress, seem to be the most common
trigger, although I have on occasion been taken quite by surprise when
they first began in my youth. Now, I can sometimes kinda feel when
I'm at risk for getting one... just the way my vision behaves warns me
to calm down and chill out. For good measure, I'll grab a Coke and a
pack of Reese Cups.

If it happens, I pop 2-4 Ibuprofens, grab a coke and any chocolate/
peanut butter I can lay my hands on, and if I can, lie in a dark room
and try to relax and chill for the next hour, preferably the rest of
the day if I can. I have noticed that when I'd freak and get even
more stressed, and not do anything to alleviate them, I have on at
least one occasion had the thing start all over again as the
fortification lines were about to slide off the edges of my vision.
Since I learned to just stop what I'm doing for at least a few
minutes, and chill, that hasn't happened again. Indeed, now that I
know what triggers them for me, and how to ward it off (avoiding
getting too stressed, Coke and Reese's), it's very rare that I get one
anymore.