Oh Migraines, how I hate thee...

You send gremlins with ice picks to jab the backs of my eyes.. Jackhammers to the back of my head, and every light, every sound makes you want to cringe. Asprin and motrin don't help.. so when I get home it's time to take out the big guns, heating pad, a muscle relaxer and a small drink and then lay in a very dark room with no lights, no sound.

Imitrix doesn't work on me, I can take a fierocet when I can feel one coming on (but honestly I don't like having that kind of stuff on me at work) .. Anything ya'll can think of?

Oh, and last year when these flared up I did try your suggestions of aromatherapy, acupuncture and a chiropractor.. they worked off and on on a varying degree, but no magic bullet......

So not wanna be cowering in a dark room for 2 days

uh i jsut sufferd a migrane 3 nights ago plus i was in the middle of having a bad cold it was the worst!! i had good pain meds from my bf who broke his collar bone(oxycoton i think it was?) i took 4 then 6 no help!!! i would begin to fall asleep and then one of the animals in the room would make a little noise or move and somthing wake me right up in pain lasted all night and into the next day!!
i wish you the very absolutly best of luck and pray it goes away in a matter of minutes not hours!!

Fioricet is the only thing that works for me (but only if I take advil along with it.) Imitrex makes me feel like I want to die... worse than the migrane.

I hope you feel better soon. Migranes really just suck.

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I had to cheat tonight.. The migraine came on at work so when I got home 2 asprins, 2 motrins, one muscle relaxer and 2 shots. I will sleep about 12 hours straight but my wife will understand. I am after all; leaving a sticky note on my forehead.

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That is not fair, I laughed out loud and woke up both dogs... now they think they need to go out and pee.

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That is not fair, I laughed out loud and woke up both dogs... now they think they need to go out and pee.

if I laugh my eyes will explode and pour forth little mogwai.. and it is well past midnight in my side of the world so lock up yer goodies and food!

I feel your pain (sometimes quite litterally)..
drugs don't do much for me either.
here's what I've found works:

1) chiropractor... ongoing maintenance for years after 6 months of 2 or 3 times weekly - very intensive work. I have a disk in my neck that won't stay where it should and when it's wrong, it's a migrane. regular maintenance visits are required, sometimes once a week, sometimes once every two or three months. If I can get to the chiropractor within the first 20 minutes of the start of a migraine and get my neck cracked, it turns the migraine around and it's gone in another 20. if I miss the 20 minute window, it can be hours or days.

2) sinus drugs. sometimes, even though it doesn't feel like I'm having a sinus attack, that is what's happening. if it's the sinuses in the front, I can feel the pain and stuffiness there. if its the ones behind my eyes, no "sinus" pain, no stuffiness or breathing issues, but it will trigger a migraine. sudafed works (not the PE non-drowsy kind, but the ones you have to sign a pledge and give your ID for.) Sinus-Buster works (it's a capsicum sinus spray... basically pepper spray for sinus issues.)

3) an ice pack on the back of my neck at the base of my skull and 8 or more advil works. bad on the stomach lining and liver, but that's the level of drugs that takes to put a dent in it. Ice pack is critical to this working, the drugs don't work alone.

4) deep tissue massage by someone who's used to working with athletes helps, especially in combination with a chiropractor or accupuncture (takes a combination approach here.) this is not an immediate fix when I'm having a migraine, but using it as a mantenance thing on a regular basis helps decrease the frequency of the attacks.

5) moving to Missouri out of California. the number of migraines has gone down by more than half since I moved. don't know if it's the air, polution, humidity, water... but it's better.

wishing you a better day.

SO Sorry, Boyd..
I dont get them, so i cant give you any advice....
Sorry you are hurting though...

I suffered with them for years! Not so much now that I'm older. There is a whole list of food stuff that can trigger them..aged sharp cheese is one of my things to avoid, along with red wine. Chocolate is also suppose to trigger them (glad thats not one of mine!) That fiorinal will really screw you up, plus cause a rebound headache, kinda like a hangover.
Ice on the back of my neck never worked, but the heating pad on my neck and a very hot wash cloth over my eyes seems to work. You can get a gell pack that can be hot or cold, those work great! I even went to a pain clinic for them, horrible experience..forced migraine so they could try different drugs etc..had one nurse try accupressure on my neck...worked awesome..no migraine for quite a while.
Good luck, wish I could offer a cure, I feel your pain! Oh, changes in the barometric pressure can also be a trigger. When you are better, check out the food list that causes them, maybe there is something there you can avoid.

I have suffered from migraines since I was a kid, tried everything and ANYTHING! I avoid caffeine like the plague, no aged cheeses, wines, fear barometric changes,etc. I have seen neurologists, had scans, the whole nine yards, none of the meds EVER worked (and most made me worse) until...

RELPAX!

Try it, I used to have severe migraines, auras, loss of vision, vomiting, unbearable pain, numbness on one side of my body and difficulty speaking. with the relpax taken at onset, I get my vision back within 1-2 hrs and avoid most of the other symptoms, the lingering pain is managable with a pain killer like vicoden.

Good Luck!