As someone who has struggled with migraine headaches for the last 14 years, it is difficult to find a treatment for migraine headaches that actually works. Most of the migraine headaches treatments are things I am not excited about changing in my life, i.e. diet, caffeine intake – basically everything I like. However, I have found that there are other ways to treat my migraine headaches.
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Diet
There are ways to find out where these migraines are coming from. Remember that caffeine was mentioned earlier? Yeah, that could definitely be a trigger for some people. Make sure you keep a calendar on hand to track your migraines headaches and what you can change throughout the day, week, or month. This will help you see any trends that may be occurring. Have you missed a meal lately? Eating regularly throughout the day can help prevent migraines headaches from ever making their way into your life.
Do you drink alcohol on a regular basis? It might be worth cutting down those nightcaps to once a week if you want to take preventative measure for your migraines. Did you have a rough night of sleep? Getting enough sleep is super important for your body as a whole. But not just that; getting enough sleep at night is also an important remedy for migraines. These are all factors that should be considered when you are trying to find the source of these massive migraines headaches you are experiencing.
Medication
There are both medical and natural remedies to help with migraines. On the medical side, you can do quite a few things for migraine treatment. injections have been proven to help with a slew of medical issues. Chronic migraines are no different; the treatment comprises of getting about 31 shots over the course of 3 months. Antiseizure medications and antidepressants have shown some great improvement for headaches. These have their downfalls, though. For instance, antiseizure medications have been known to cause sleepiness and confusion.
Anti-depressants are not recommended if you don’t already need a course of treatment for depression. You may be interested in getting a prescription for antihypertensives from your doctor. These are usually used to treat high blood pressure, but the drug is proving to help relieve migraine headaches. A side effect of this blood pressure medication is that it may cause the heart rate to drop to a hazardous level. The last option from the medical side is Triptans. This prescription drug was created to stop migraines and seems to get the job done but may cause rebound headaches.
Natural Remedies
On the natural spectrum of migraine treatments, there are quite a few ideas for solving this problem. You can take part in relaxation techniques, such as yoga or tai chi, which will also help with your emotional and mental health. This would be especially helpful for people who get stress headaches. There are acupuncture points on your body that could potentially help your migraines. Some think this is largely due to the placebo effect (mind over matter), but who knows, it may be totally worth it.
You can do more outward things such as use an ice pack on certain pressure points, take vitamins (particularly B2) on a daily basis, and drink herbal teas throughout the day. Herbs can be so invigorating. According to recent research from the American Academy of Neurology, herb butterbur can be used as a treatment for migraine headaches. I have found that bedtime or stress relief teas (mostly chamomile-based) have been great for my migraines.
If you continue to have migraines and can’t seem to find any reason or rhyme to them, make sure you speak with your physician about the options you may have. They may recommend that you try the more natural treatments first but may be willing to work with your case to find what works best for you.
Featured Image Source: Thinkstock/Andreas Rodriguez
Posted on February 15, 2023