Sick to death of popping pills at the first sign of a bad migraine. Does anyone have first-hand experience of successful natural or alternative remedies?

Legal ones, please 😉

reading glasses.

Hiya. I never found feverfew any help, and it tasted foul.

Sorry if you’ve already done this: you do know what the triggers are?

As above, I’d attempt to identify the triggers first if you’re getting migraines.

I don’t want to facetious but you are confident they are migraines aren’t you? So many people complain of a migraine when really it’s just a headache.

Oh, and legal beta-blockers didn’t help me either.

Just waking up in the morning seems to be the biggest trigger…

An eye-test is not a bad idea.

Decapitation – natural cure to all ‘above the neck’ ailments 😀

When I get a migraine I use Sumatriptan. If that doesn’t ease the feeling that my head is being picked apart from the inside by an angry dwarf with a pickaxe I use cocktail of ‘brufen, paracetamol and codeine. If that hasn’t worked I hit the diazepam and try and sleep through the next 24 hours of pain and dizziness.
Have tried many different treatments, natural or chemical of varying legality. Even tried having a 5 finger shuffle to release endorphins! In the end only the ‘carpet bomb’ medication approach brings me any sort of relief.Probably not doing me much good long term but at the time, if someone said drinking boiling bleach would stop the pain I would consider it.
Getting my eyes tested and ending up with glasses helped reduce the frequency of these attacks but still get maybe one a month.

Sleep

o many people complain of a migraine when really it’s just a headache.

This

I suffered terribly as a kid (very sensitive to light) but fortunately grew out of it.

But I do find that a good remedy for a headache is simply lying down, relaxing, closing eyes, generally slowing down. A cool compress helps too (you can now get drug-free stick on things that are pretty good but a flannel is often enough.

Run cool water over your wrists and on ear lobes (sounds daft but works for me).

I suffered terribly as a kid (very sensitive to light) but fortunately grew out of it.

I used to get headaches all the time from age about 10, triggered by bright light. Used to be quite severe (ended up vomiting etc), but not really migraines. For some reason they just stopped in my 30s and don’t get them any more.

I am going back some 30 or so years ago – they called them migraines then and they included the vomiting too – I agree they may not have been ‘migraines’ as such though.

I was prescribed sunglasses though (I was a small kid and my mum couldn’t get decent sunglasses that fit me 😀 )

Sleep if possible is the only way for me.

I believe that there’s a natural remedy, derived from willow bark that is cracking for headaches etc.

I can’t remember for the life of me what it’s called though…. 😕

I used to get relaly really bad headaches. They’d be called migraines in todays wimpy drippy namby pamby world.

They seemed to be triggered by eating cheese.

I used to take paracetamol, that usually didn’t really make any difference, and just lie down in a dark room until it subsided enough.

Weirdly, driking Coca Cola seemed to give some relief. Didn’t work with Pepsi.

Only thing that ever worked for me was Imigran (which is sumatriptan).

Get more sleep, ease up on the caffeine, drink more fluids. </random advice> Try keeping a food diary, look for patterns.

Here’s a useful guide I always find clearly classifies the difference between a headache and a migraine.

You are currently experiencing the symptoms.

Are you afraid that…
a) You will die
b) You won’t die

If the answer is a) then it’s just a headache. If the answer is b) then it’s a migraine.

If the answer is a) then it’s just a headache. If the answer is b) then it’s a migraine

Similarly, if a £50 note landed on the window sill outside, if you’re able to get up to get it you’ve just got a headache.

Same test works with bad cold vs flu.

Where are you based TM ? I have helped quite a few clients with headaches and migraines.

Similarly, if a £50 note landed on the window sill outside, if you’re able to get up to get it you’ve just got a headache.

Not necessarily, I definitely get migraines (aura, tunnel vision, headache, etc.) but they’re short-lived and I can still move around. I might not be able to see the note, but I could certainly pick it up!

Yup they vary massively for me from having sensitive eye and bad headache to a serious headache, vomiting, light sensitivity, vertigo and nausea.

Not had a full in proper one for sometime but when I do I’m not use to man or beast.

Paracetamol and codiene is what works for me or takes the edge off but sleep and a darkroom will always work for me.

Paracetamol and codiene is what works for me or takes the edge off but sleep and a darkroom will always work for me.

Also add that ibuprofen often seems to make it worse.

Ibuprofen is good for me if I take it early enough, and I mean the instant my eyesight starts flickering. I still go blind, throw up and lock my spine out but it does seem to take the edge off the head pain. I seem to have none (which touch wood I’ve not for a while now) or have absolutely full blown shutdown, nothing in the middle.

Eat some almonds – works for me, dunno why. Or putting something from the freezer on your head and neck.

Get your BP checked… I used to have loads of really bad headaches / migraines then found out i had high BP . Since its been undercontrol via medication I very rarely get any headaches at all.

Helps mine too if I take it straight away. I get the visual stuff still (luckily that’s all I get before pain) but it stops the pain for the most part, still makes me utterly drained though. I’ve had a lot less the last couple of years, dunno why…

Have had migraines for almost 50 years and doctors have prescribed virtually every migraine medication that’s available.
Most work, but the side effects really suck.
About a year ago I came across an over-the counter medication called Lipigesic M You can find it online, but don’t know if they have a distributor in the UK, so if not, don’t know what the issues would be in having it shipped.
It is a sub-lingual gel that comes in a packet and the key ingredients are Feverfew (herb) and Ginger. The Feverfew knocks the migraine and the Ginger helps with the stomach issues/vomiting some people get.
Much cheaper than most Migraine prescriptions (my Zomig prescription retails for about $35/tablet in the US and the Lipigesic M is about $18/US for a box of 8 gels. You use one gel at the onset and a second in about 5 minutes.

Works just as well as any prescribed meds I have ever tried without the side effects. Turned my doctor on to it as well.

I have up to 15 migraines a month and have tried loads of different things. What works for me to some extent is tiger balm (takes the edge off it) and also physiotherapy on my neck.
It’s still a big problem for me, so I’m interested in this thread. I’ve tried beta blockers but had terrible side effects, occipital nerve block (no effect), topiramate (made me feel suicidal), and all the other meds I’ve had suggested (amitriptyline, sodium valproate, gabapentim) I refuse to take because of the side effects.
🙁

had terrible side effects

vickypea—I know what you mean about the side effects of most migraine meds—also most have pretty strict limits on how often you can take them.
Do see if you can find the Liquigesic M
I was astounded at how well it works—I take it at the onset of the aural symptoms and the aura is gone in about 5-10 minutes and no onset of the migraine.

Thanks busydog, I’ve made a note of it.
Migraine attracts very little research funding compared with many conditions, and although it’s not life-threatening, it’s been trying to ruin my life for the past 15 years!

vickypea their website is: http://www.lipigesic.com/
they key will probably be seeing if you can get it in or into the UK.
Walgreen’s drugstores here (not all) carry it.

The best cure is sleep.

Simple but bloody effective!

Zomig is the only thing that gets rid of mine. I average 2-3 a week, and put up with the side effects as I wouldn’t be able to operate on a daily basis with the severity of headache I can get.

If only sleep was the answer! Migraines wake me up from sleep.

Place your thumb and first finger in the web of the opposite hand between your thumb and first finger. With the thumb on top gently and slowly make circular movements with your thumb. Apply gentle pressure from the finger underneath.

Swap hands and repeat 3-5 times.

This action tells your body to release a natural painkiller which will alleviate your headaches.

It does work.

If only sleep was the answer! Migraines wake me up from sleep.

Yeah, sleep in virtually impossible with a full-blown migraine in play. Feels like someone has driven a 6 inch nail into my forehead

drink water

I found paracetamol plus codeine the best for me. That was the prescription one with 30mg of codeine, the over-the-counter version with 8mg didn’t help.

drink water

– and throw up

In true stw style only read first few replys, i get bad headaches that paracetamol dont touch and migrains where you just lay in a dark cold room hoping to go to sleep. Think turning the computer off and on again.

For regular headaches its normally stress/ work, but they also become more regular as exercise decreases. So exercise more give a #&€= about work less.

Juggling is good as your concentration levels are high and it clears your mind.

Having said all that i do get bad headaches after long ride (4hr out) it seems to be a mixture of salt and sugar depleation as a nice packet of crisps some ham & pickle sandwiches with a sugary drink have made them less serveer. Finding that out was a long process