migraines

[LucyAlexandrax]

I'm in year 11 and i have had migraine/headaches since year 10. its not helpful having these as i have important GCSE's very soon and my family think its due to stress. however i can't seem to get rid of them. at one point i even had headaches almost everyday for 6 months and i need to find something or a medication that could help me control or even get rid of these migraines as i cannot work in school and i feel sick and dizzy and can't concentrate in school and i cannot be in bright lights or loud noises as it makes it worse therefore when i go home i have to sit in bed in the dark and try to rest and to help my headache. anyone got any ideas of what i could do?

[Claudie4]

Have your Mom take you to the Dr.

[Paws4thought]

I agree with Claudie 4 Lucy, go and see your GP their are plenty of over the counter and prescription medication you could be trying! It may take a while before you find the right one, that's normal, as everyone reacts differently to medication!! I would also start a diary to see if you can work out the triggers for your migraine - it could be certain foods, could be hormonal... Is it worse just before a period? It could be environmental - ie certain weather conditions! Hope this help Lucy as I've been a migraine sufferer for 10 years and I understand how much they can take over your life😞

[Frodo]

It sounds like you should see a doctor first for help with suitable medication. They should also do a blood test to rule out things like anaemia, B12 deficiency, etc.

Even if stress is a trigger, it is still migraine and you need help. Having frequent migraine is stressful in itself as it makes it very hard to cope. As well as that you could see an optician in case you need glasses - eye strain can bring on headaches - you can get coated lenses to minimise glare from a computer screen.

Yoga or massage might help, as sometimes we can get very tense muscles in neck and shoulders from a lot of study hunched over books and computer.

You need to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and cut right down on caffeine/fizzy drinks. You also need to get enough regular sleep and look at your diet.

Migraine is horrible so I hope you are able to get support. See your school nurse and/or counsellor if not.

[Johnny-One]

I have suffered headaches all my life from the age of two after having Pneumonia and Bronchitis being on life support for several months, blah, blah, blah. I had a repeat set of episodes when I hit forty which heightened my headaches, as if that was all possible. In a time when you were given the slipper and told to stop being a whinge bag if you were a lad and had any pain, so I learned to live with it, even though the pain was horrendous most days.

The good news is there is a lot more help now and sympathy out there. I also have managed to get two degrees (Computer Science and Theology) and a life time member of Mensa even with the headaches.

Now down to you and some simple steps after I finally got a good neurologist that has helped me … you might not like it but they do help, and I do not want to ruin your life I want to help you live it and live it to the fullest, you live in an amazing world and you have so much potential ahead of you so enjoy  (an older man trying to be cool)

1. What you put in you mouth has an amazing affect to your body so think about the liquids you are drinking and food you are eating if you are a headache sufferer. Drink plenty more water or fruit teas if you want something hot rather than alternative drinks, since these help clean out your body and help your brain concentrate tremendously, especially blueberries and their juice. The worst offenders for your brain and those that are going to make your headaches worse are anything with caffeine in it, i.e. tea, coffee, chocolate drinks (cocoa), J20 (has caffeine added), and most fizzy drinks especially the high energy drinks. The good fizzy drinks (if you must) are Fanta Orange, all 7Up and Lilt. Next think about what you eat, again anything with chocolate or coffee in because these are laced with caffeine. Funnily enough most white chocolate is OK because the cocoa butter is fine, but you need to watch because some white chocolate products have cocoa solids in. Finally I am sorry to say all painkillers have caffeine in them so they are only OK if you need to get through something important, such as an exam.

2. Get good sleep. If you go to bed late and get up late then that is fine, but that is not normally conducive for school time tables. I suggest varying a little on weekends and holidays if you are night-owl rather than an early bird. For me it is 09:30 to bed and 06:30 up every day, but that does not suit everybody. A steady sleep pattern really is best for headache sufferers.

3. MOST IMPORTANT: Get to see a GP and see if they can get you referred to a neurologist ASAP to see if they can get you on a longer term drug to control your headaches. They may be loathed because of your age. I am on Gabapentin to ensure my headaches do not wake me, i.e. I sleep through the night, and Topiramate for my headaches. I have now controlled my headaches to 1 or 2 a month from everyday and to a scale 3 or 4 from a scale 10 (worst possible for me).

Good luck and all the best for your GSCEs. Whatever happens I am sure you will become a first rate adult in our society.

[determined56]

Johnny-one has put it all in perspective. Yes all my life migraines haunted me when like you had a continuous spell was diagnosed with cluster migraines GP gave immediate prescription to help and then saw neurologist.been on gabapentin for many years still get headaches & migraine outburst every so often but nothing like before.also continuous paracetamol can increase headaches so GO to GP before into exams mode !!

Good luck & special hugs

[Ghost2345]

You need to see your GP there are loads of different drugs that can help you but it can take a bit of trial and error to find what's right for you. Referral to a headache clinic and a Neurologist won't do any harm either. Keep a headache diary to see if you can identify triggers and trends. Make sure you are drinking enough fluid during the day as dehydration can give you headaches as can poor sleep.

[Peaches_7]

I agree with pp's. A good way to help track your migraines and triggers is the migraine buddy app. It's the best app by far and saves you from having to write everything down. I had no idea what I should have been keeping track of with my chronic daily migraines but this app really does it all for you. You can even send a report to your doc. Last time I went to my neurologist I just showed him the summary and it made things much easier. It's free on playstore.

[BarrySB]

I am sorry to hear that you have chronic migraines at such a young age. Many of the replies here have given good advice, but I will add a few extra things to consider.

Drinking water is good advice, but you should continually sip water frequently throughout the day and not just drink a glass full at a time.

Ask your local health food shop about Feverfew. I know a few migraine sufferers who have been pretty much cured by taking one 250mg capsule every day. This will not work for everyone, (me included), but is certainly worth considering.

Another odd thing which may help is Magnesium Oil. If you buy it as a spray and use 2 'squirts' behind both knees before you go to sleep, this may also help.

Although a visit to your GP is vital, do let your doctor know that you are heading towards your GCSE's, as many of the more complex drugs (Topiramate, Amitriptyline, Bisoprolol, etc.), are likely to noticeably affect your concentration, possibly even more so than a migraine !

Try getting rid of table salt and replacing it with sea salt, even for boiling vegetables.

Finally, keep a migraine diary for every day of the week, not just days that you have a migraine, and include a list of all you eat and drink for every day. You should look for 'triggers' (foods that are guaranteed to give you a migraine) and 'antagonists' (foods that if you can eat in small quantities, but larger quantities give you a migraine), but also look for things that are common to days that you do not have a migraine.

I hope that something here may be of help. Good luck with the GCSE's