Ideas for getting rid of headaches/ migraines?

One of the key things is to avoid the triggers – like chocolate, coffee, sleep deprivation, whatever does it for you. Take your medication when you are supposed to (or visit your doc if you haven’t to get some medication). Rest in a dark room – don’t try and tough them out

When I was younger my mom had frequent migraines. She didn’t know what caused them, but when she got them they were really bad. It got to the point that they were having a serious effect on her daily life. She ended up going to visit a chiropractor, who worked with her to find the cause of the migraines (it ended up being head trauma earlier in life). Once she knew what caused them and worked with the chiropractor some more, the migraines went away completely.

If you have frequent migraines, getting rid of them might be as easy as going to a chiropractor. However, if you get them really frequently and they’re bad enough that you have to compromise daily life for them, you should probably see somebody.

Try keeping a headache diary. Note down what you are doing and what you’ve eaten etc. and when you get a headache. You may be able to work out what is causing them.

Peppermint oil is supposed to help

I used to get migraines all of the time, but thankfully they have not plagued me lately. Whenever I feel one coming on (blurry vision, etc.), I immediately take something for it.

Ice packs help as well…

The best is prevention. Try eliminating chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol, especially wine. If you drink caffeine currently, you will get a massive headache (not necessarily a migraine, but there is a chance) when you go off, be warned. Taper down, and have ibuprofen ready. If you choose to stay with drinking caffeine, then take it like a drug that keeps you alive. Be regular about it, and don’t change the amount much each day.

If you get a migraine, people say ibuprofen is better than some of the other OTC drugs. Imitrex supposedly works very well. If you are a caffeine drinker, have some caffeine.

I have chronic migraines, and too many triggers to avoid getting them.

Some of my triggers:
*Foods (including hard cheeses, chocolate, sulfides, some carbs)
*Hunger/Thirst: need for protein & water
*Sudden temperature change
*Sudden light change
*Barometric Pressure changes (especially sudden or extreme changes)
*Weather
*Lack of sleep
*Scents (perfumes/candles/cleaners)

My tip is aspirin, caffeine and patience. For me, it takes 3 aspirin and 2 shots of espresso to help ease the pain. This does not always send the migraine packing, though. Sometimes it will still be present for days.

I take Epsom salt baths to help ease them away, along with a magnesium supplement. I also exercise daily. If my migraine is seriously bad, I don’t exercise…but I try to at least take a walk.

If the migraine is caused by a weather event, I must ride it out…there is no help for barometric change. Usually I must curl up, possibly vomit…and most likely shed a few pain tears.

@JLeslie gave great advice. I decided not to do migraine specific drugs to assist me. I had done many in my teens and found the drug side effects to be worse to live with than the headaches. (dizziness/nausea were two things I couldn’t live with on a daily basis)

As @Judi said, peppermint oil can help some people. If I’m having a strong migraine, I’d probably vomit from the smell…BUT, I wear a Burt’s Bees lip balm nightly that has peppermint oil in it. The smell is just enough to calm my head.

In the past, I have taken low dose amitriptyline prior to going to sleep. It helped immensely. Good, restful deep sleep can help keep migraines at bay.

For me, spaced out protein, plenty of water, exercise and good sleep is the best prevention for the controlled triggers. I keep aspirin in my purse, water in my car, and take protein with me when I leave the house.

If you can, keep a journal for 3 mos or a calendar just for this purpose. Write down a what you ate, and what you did. In that amount of time, you should be able to tell what your triggers ( or most of them) are so you can begin avoiding the ones you can control.

One of my daughters has migraines. She landed in the ER a couple of weeks ago because of one. When she comes home from school this summer I’m going to recommend she start to cleanse her body of toxins, as well as search for triggers. It may help, and won’t hurt. Here’s a link. http://www.avoidamigraine.com/migrainesymptoms-1.html

I don’t know if this is a myth or not, but the way I get rid of headaches is by pushing one of my thumbs into the gap between the other hand’s thumb and index finger. Whatever side you feel the headache on, press on the opposite side. I think I just pick one randomly, or do both (not worth explaining now, figure it out). I don’t know if this works, but the placebo effect may if you put your mind to it.

See a doctor, they can help you figure out what’s going on, how to prevent them, how to treat them, and eliminate any other possibilities.

@dxs Actually that can help.

I knew it! @snowberry

@dxs LOL, there are plenty of people here who will insist it’s a placebo effect, but honestly WHO CARES? If it works, why not? They will get really stupid about it too.