Migraines have been responsible for some of the worst days of my life. As a matter of fact, it was a week of migraines that preceded the beginning of my health problems back in 2013.
And I’m just guessing anyone who suffers through these nightmares can say the same…that they have lived some pretty painful and miserable days.
Another thing we have in common – we’ve all tried some weird and wacky ‘cures’ in the name of stopping a migraine.
Magnets, piercings, and pressure points are a few that come immediately to mind. And heck, some of them even work.
Doctor’s and medicine aren’t always available, so we have a tendency to reach out to easier to access resource. Like Facebook groups or chronic illness resources like The Mighty.
Sometimes you need advice from someone who knows
There’s a lot of different type of advice on the internet. Good, bad, and UGLY.
And you can literally google a topic to death and decide that your migraines are caused by an inoperable and deadly brain tumor (which is possible but not statistically likely).
So who do you turn to?
Aside from a doctor, who should be very high on the list of resources, I like the turn to other people who experience the same thing as me.
For my laundry lit of health issues, I like to find groups of similar people and quiz them about their experiences dealing with symptoms or side affects.
And as I mentioned above, The Mighty is an excellent resource for this. They describe their community as:
The Mighty is a safe, supportive community for people facing health challenges and the people who care for them.
HOWEVER…there is A LOT of info on this website. Unfortunately, tens of thousands of people with migraines frequent this site and so it’s easy to get bogged down. Especially if you feel an attack coming and want a quick answer.
With that in mind, I’ve searched the threads of The Mighty and come up with the best and/or most frequently suggested migraine treatments so you don’t have to.
Take a look at these ideas and see if there is one that resonates with you or that seems reasonable and give it a try.
You might have to talk to your doctor about these options and some may not work for you. But some you can just jump straight into trying!
Best migraine treatments on The Mighty
–One user describes her new medication regimen as giving her a new lease on life. Specifically, “Emgality and Nerivio which is a neuro modulation treatment that vibrates your arm and you use it when a migraine begins. Both together have cut down on my
migraines and I don’t need painkillers anymore.”
–Avoiding your triggers. This may sound overly simple, but sometimes it takes work and encouragement to identify your migraine triggers, especially if they are food related. Threads like the following allow users to share their triggers and it may spark a thought for you that helps you identify a trigger.
What are some unexpected things that trigger your migraine?
-Users shared their experiences with daith piercings for migraine relief. Several indicated that they went from multiple migraines a week to none at all or a single one a month.
-Eye masks for sleeping allow for better sleep and help keep light at bay. Additionally, there is a lot of advice in this thread about which masks work for users and which don’t.
Any recommendations for eye masks for sleeping? #Migraine #nosepain
–CBD oil and products are much debated, but some on The Mighty have found relief using it in specific ways. If you haven’t tried, or tried it with no success, you might check out some of these suggestions for products and methods to help your migraines.
-Get a handle on your health by calculating your days. This one is really fascinating. It essentially shows you an alternative way to look at your life to ensure you’re living it as well as possible.
What a hidden “equation” in your health journey?
-Try a migraine cap. If you haven’t heard of them, don’t worry…I hadn’t either before reading about them in this thread. You can find lots of options of Amazon, but according to Migricap (who seems to be the original source) they combine therapy and darkness to stop a migraine from starting or that won’t go away.
-Find a hobby that can get you through. The author of this story used writing. She did it on good and bad days and it became the part of her life that she looked forward to and made the bad days not so bad. In a sense, it was her therapy. You might also be interested in this thread where people share the hobbies that did not work for them.
-Make smoothie ice cubes for when you can’t keep food down. Honestly, there are a lot of decent ideas in this post. But this one really resonates for those days when you’re nauseous or vomiting but still need nutrition to keep the migraine from stretching out even longer.
-Say no to something! It’s hard but necessary. On migraine days – or days when a migraine is threatening – try to keep you day to the minimum and don’t feel bad saying “No” to something that is unnecessary.
What can you say “no” to today? #CheckInWithMe
-Try blue tint glasses. My theory is, I’ll try anything until I know that it doesn’t work. And blue tint glasses fall into the ‘hmm might work’ category. But several users have shared their positive experiences with them on this threat and it is enough to make me look into purchasing a pair!
-Get an emotional support pet. Sure, they add extra work into your day but the benefit far outweighs the negative, in my opinion. Just check out the dozens of people who share they positive experiences below. If nothing else, they act as a fluffy and entertaining distraction when you are struggling.
My ESA
-Botox might be an option for your chronic migraine. Check out Adam’s story of how he was convinced to try it and how it changed his life!
-Know who your supporters are. And limit contact with those who are not supporters. We know who those people in our life are who take more than they give. And we don’t need them (hopefully).
-Participate in a community. The good news is, most of these communities are online these days so you don’t have to worry about missing a meeting or not being able to travel. I highly recommend you read Michelle’s story about why friendships with fellow sufferers are so important! If you can’t tell, I think The Mighty is a great community to start in.
Bringing it all together
When migraines get bad enough, I think we’re willing to try just about anything to alleviate or distract from the pain.
And who better to turn to than a group of fellow migraine sufferers! The Mighty has a community of 248,000 people with migraines who come together to share ideas, thoughts, and pains that might just resonate with you.
These 15 ideas for migraines are shared by people who actually know what it’s like. And some ideas -like the migraine cap- might be brand new to you!
As I’m so fond of telling my doctors, “what do I have to lose!”
With any luck, you will find something in these ideas that give you at least some relief.
Don’t forget it. Pin it!
