Any headache sufferers?

[NutMeg]

When I was kid I always took it for granted that people got headaches all the time, and it still boggles me when people say they've never had one. I think I'm going to get a migraine in the next couple of days and I'm definitely not looking forward to it. My diet and stress levels haven't been great in the past week or so, and I can just feel it settling in. I've got a very low level headache right now, but the location and pattern in the last day or so are just alerting me that it's going to happen soon. Ugh. I hate headaches.

 

[Shadowy Lady]

I have headaches pretty much every day. The more stressed I get the worst. I also get massive headaches when I'm out in the cold

 

[capmorlovesmac]

I always have bad headaches when the weather changes

or I get my period... yay...

Once it was so bad I just could lay on the couch and barely move for almost two days. Aspirin is my best friend!

 

[Shimmer]

I live with a constant headache >.< I love Aleve. And excedrine.

 

[Willa]

I also frequently have migraines
I missed work last friday because of it and it only stopped last night

There's nothing I can do when it starts, except sleeping
It usualy is because of my periods but it can also be stress related. I'm reading a book right now that gives some tricks to reduce it a little... Can't wait to try it.

My sister has migraines too, she took natural products and it helped her very much. Do you want me to get the name for you?

 

[xsnowwhite]

I hate headaches and I usually get one everyday. I don't really take medicine for them that often anymore because I would needto take it literally everyday so I just don't bother.

 

[vocaltest]

I get headaches everyday. Sometimes small, sometimes bad. I used to get migraines all the time, but I haven't had one for a while.

Ughh do you know what grinds my gears? When someone says 'I have a migraine' and they're standing right in front of me. IF YOU DID have a migraine, you wouldn't be standing in front of me saying that! Try having distorted vision, numbness and shooting pains in your arms, projectile vomitting and a pain so bad that the slightest move hurts it, THEN you can say its a migraine! Not a pissin headache!! Rant over. Haha.

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

I dont have headaches often, but when i do get them they turn into migraines that lasts for a few days. It all starts off with neck pain

 

[fresh76]

i get them all the time! i should really go see my doctor about it.

i have a headache right at this very moment

 

[FiestyFemme]

I've had headaches all my life. I hate them.

I usually have a headache at least twice a week, sometimes more. Like last week for example, my head hurt literally every single day the whole week. Mine is usually a sinus headache, due to my allergies. I also suffer from migraines, but not as often as I used to, and only when I'm stressed. I think people who don't regularly suffer from headaches can't understand how horrible it is. They're like, "Take something" like that's supposed to make it all better. Sometimes I can take something and function, sometimes I can't. But when people say things like that I want to smack them.

 

[NutMeg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vocaltest Ughh do you know what grinds my gears? When someone says 'I have a migraine' and they're standing right in front of me. IF YOU DID have a migraine, you wouldn't be standing in front of me saying that! Try having distorted vision, numbness and shooting pains in your arms, projectile vomitting and a pain so bad that the slightest move hurts it, THEN you can say its a migraine! Not a pissin headache!! Rant over. Haha.

Oh I know, I think a lot of people have this misconception that a migraine is just a bad headache. No. One of the reasons I know I'm getting a migraine is my right cheek and lips are numb, which is always a warning sign for me. And my mental function is starting to go (as in I turn into a complete idiot), I'm getting light sensitive in my right eye, and the vision in that eye just seems... weird. Not quite an aura, but along those lines. The pain is starting to get worse too, so I'm not going to be able to go to rehearsal tonight. A couple of hours ago I could have pushed through, but I've misjudged before and ended up with a full blown migraine in a band concert. On stage, with trumpets blaring like only trumpets can do literally two feet from my head, lights, playing a french horn (so borderline hyperventilating at times, huge pressure in my face), everything. It was probably the worse scenario I could create for a migraine, I could barely walk home.

My regular headaches vary, the longest I generally go without one is a couple days and it's not uncommon for me to have one for a week straight, but that's usually a sign that a migraine is on it's way. I generally don't take pain killers for them because I would be taking them a lot, so unless I can't sleep I just deal with it.

 

[trip75]

I get cluster migraines. Which basically means I'll get a migraine everyday for like two weeks then won't have them for a couple of months. It sucks. The timing and frequency always varies and it is horrible.
OTC meds don't work. I've tried anti-depressants which seem to help with the frequency but it doesn't make them go away.
I get the "auras" before hand and all the other typical side effects. Vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smell. And even after the headache is gone I still get that "swimmy" head feeling.
They are hereditary. My mom and one of my sisters and an aunt get them too. I've just come to the point where I know I just gotta live with it.
I sympathize with all you guys who have migraines.

 

[NutMeg]

Yeah a lot of my family members have migraines, some of my cousins, my uncle and my little brother surprisingly enough. I'm so lucky, I get nausea but usually not vomiting. I'm trying to make something to eat before the nausea sets in, my plan is to crash and try and sleep out as much of it as I can, but I want my blood sugar to be decent while that's happening.

Do you guys know what some of your triggers are? Be it for migraines or regular headaches? Mine are: too much salt, not enough exercise, not enough sleep or too much sleep, stress, dehydration, etc.

 

[TISH1124]

Migraines...My triggers are Stress, Salt, too much sun, elevated Blood Pressure and my cycle

 

[redambition]

i occasionally get migraines - usually when i am really stressed.

they aren't as bad as some described here, but the pain is so bad that moving my head makes me see stars and makes me want to throw up. makes getting to bed very difficult.

for me the warning sign of a migraine is nausea and a mild headache. if i can get some pain killers and some rest at that stage i can sometimes avert it.

 

[vocaltest]

I don't really know what my triggers are, it can vary. I don't get periods anymore but when I did that did it. I know that there is pressure coming from my brain though as when I had an eye test when i was about... 13? i think as I kept getting migraines, it came back that my optical nerves were swollen, so I was whisked off to the hopsital immediately to have an MRI scan as it could be a sign of meningitis. I didn't have it, but the doctor said I had a small amount of fluid around my brain but it wasn't anything to worry about on that scale. I had another one a while later and it had gone... and funnily enough, so had my migraines. Since then I haven't had them as much by any means. I think the last REAL bad one I got was this time last year, but my headaches still make their regular occurences. I think its mainly down to eye strain/swollen optical nerves. One of my friends gets migraines and her trigger is oranges! Or anything citric I think.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutMeg Yeah a lot of my family members have migraines, some of my cousins, my uncle and my little brother surprisingly enough. I'm so lucky, I get nausea but usually not vomiting. I'm trying to make something to eat before the nausea sets in, my plan is to crash and try and sleep out as much of it as I can, but I want my blood sugar to be decent while that's happening. Do you guys know what some of your triggers are? Be it for migraines or regular headaches? Mine are: too much salt, not enough exercise, not enough sleep or too much sleep, stress, dehydration, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by trip75 I get cluster migraines. Which basically means I'll get a migraine everyday for like two weeks then won't have them for a couple of months. It sucks. The timing and frequency always varies and it is horrible. OTC meds don't work. I've tried anti-depressants which seem to help with the frequency but it doesn't make them go away. I get the "auras" before hand and all the other typical side effects. Vomiting, sensitivity to light, sound and smell. And even after the headache is gone I still get that "swimmy" head feeling. They are hereditary. My mom and one of my sisters and an aunt get them too. I've just come to the point where I know I just gotta live with it. I sympathize with all you guys who have migraines.

Ughh cluster migraines, I had them when I was younger!! I feel for you with that.

 

[FiestyFemme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trip75 They are hereditary. My mom and one of my sisters and an aunt get them too.

Yep, that's what my doctor said. My mom and I both get them, and she says when I describe what mine is like, it sounds exactly like hers. Thankfully I don't get them as bad as some here, but it's bad enough that I can't function. Usually the pain is so bad that I have to be in bed (I think somebody said moving their head makes them see stars... yeah seriously!), nausea (with occasional vomiting), and super sensitivity to light and sound.
I know once its coming because the pain starts at the back of my head and works its way around to the front. My sinus headaches only hurt at my left temple and above/behind my left eye, and the pain is just different. Much more tolerable, albeit incredibly annoying.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NutMeg Do you guys know what some of your triggers are? Be it for migraines or regular headaches?

My allergies are generally the cause of my sinus headaches. A front is enough to give me a headache, and it's even worse when something is in bloom that seriously triggers my allergies. My old allergist (who was super old, pain in the ass know-it-all) told me that my headaches had nothing to do with my allergies. Riiight. 'Cause I haven't lived in this body long enough to know what's going on with it.

My migraines are usually triggered by stress and too little sleep. So needless to say I try to avoid stressing and get lots of sleep! I've tried Rx migraine meds and preventative meds, but the best thing is just trying to prevent my triggers. I used to have 2-3 migraines a month, but now I have maybe 2-3 year, if that.

 

[xxManBeaterxx]

I think bright lights trigger my migraines, espeically when the sun gets in my eyes, or if i stare at the computer screen when the room is dark. I found out my eyes are permanatly dialated, my pupils dont get smaller when im in the light.

So I get shooting pain up my neck and the pain makes me feel very nauseated and it lasts anywhere from 2-5 days. Thats when i just want to cry and bash my head agaisnt the wall lol...

 

[venusapollo]

I started getting really bad migraines a few times a month a few years back when I was 23 or so. I thought it was my wisdom teeth but the headaches stuck around after I had my teeth removed.

At first I got the nausea and would be in bed all day crying from the pain.
Over time they seemed to get less worse but I was still getting bad daily headaches and mini migraines.

I switched birth control to junel (or whatever the new generic one is) and that seemed to help a lot.
I also started taking Migrelief daily. It is basically a supplement that has riboflavin, magnesium and feverfew. My dad found it online and bought me a stash, and as long as I remember to take them daily it seems to help.

I notice the really bad ones are from lack of sleep and stress and also during that time of the month. I saw a study that said lower estrogen levels can cause a person to suffer from headaches/migraines.

I usually take Excedrin Migraine at the first sign of a headache and usually that knocks it out for me. If for some reason it persists, I have a prescription for Midrin(costco has the generic version still) (which I rarely take) along with an anti nausea pill. Midrin reminds me of a muscle relaxer or something that just sorta makes you sleepy and when you wake up the headache is gone. For those of you who have seen Sixteen Candles when the older sister is loopy at her wedding from relaxers...that is all I can compare it to. (My drug experience is highly limited)
I used to take Imitrex but once my health coverage ran out(I am a student right now) I couldn't afford the $350 for 18 pills.

This sounds lame but since mine are always on one side of my head, I lay down on my stomach, with a cold rag pressed to my temple and use the weight of my head face down to apply pressure with my hand and the rag. It seems to help. Also having someone rub/massage your temples seems to help too.

For those of you in the bay area of cali, SF has a research institute that does migraine studies. When they called me I had already moved unfortunately but you should check it out if you are nearby.

 

[MiCHiE]

Mine are triggered by my cycle and stress. But, I've noticed that I'm doing a lot better since I've left Excedrin alone. If I pop an aspirin or 2 when I feel it coming on, I'm fine. If not, I'm throwing up and sleeping it off.