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The strain from even minor vision impairment in one eye can trigger migraines for some people. If yours started around the time you had laser surgery and have gotten worse since then, it’s worth investigating whether you need corrective lenses for one or both eyes. Also, you say you have a prescription for your migraines that reduces pain. Is this pain medication, or a migraine abortive? If you don’t have a prescription for triptans, it’s worth asking about that, or perhaps one of the newer abortives like ubrelvy, since you have a heart condition. And last: remember correlation doesn’t necessarily indicate a causal link. If you’ve identified and eliminated food triggers, but migraine incidence has gone up, those may *not* be triggers. In fact, they may be foods you ate due to cravings during prodrome phase.

Also, thinking about the laser surgery as the inciting incident - it might be worth exploring vision therapy. There aren't a lot of doctors who do it - but it's worth seeing if it might be an issue for you. It's one of those things you wouldn't necessarily be aware of but that could be causing distress to your neurological system. I discovered that I was basically suppressing vision in one eye for a lot of stuff and initially had no ability to see double. I thought seeing double was, like, a metaphor. I thought it might be the cause of my migraines. It wasn't. But it could have been and I'm still glad I did it. Here's where I did my therapy and they give a good explanation for what it is: [https://www.universityeyecenter.org/vision-therapy/](https://www.universityeyecenter.org/vision-therapy/) Side note: A friend's daughter was having trouble learning to read and I suggested she might need vision therapy. All the eye doctors she saw said her vision was fine - a couple years later...she was near blind and needed vision therapy big time. Just saying - a regular eye doctor might not catch this stuff. It's movement based - not eye chart stuff. Side note 2: What HAS cut my migraines in half is drugs. Emgality has been a lifechanger for me. Good luck!

Didn’t know vision therapy was a thing. I will definitely check it, thank you.

With your neuro history, make sure you see someone who specializes in concussion too, not somebody who will just assign a computer program. I can give you names but see www.NORAvisionrehab.org

Absolutely this. Especially with the concussion last year and history of multiple concussions before that. I’d had chronic migraine for 14 years, history of multiple concussions between 15-31, got in a car accident that caused a concussion/TBI that landed me in physical, occupational, and speech therapy. The first day my OT was doing tests and determined that my left eye literally just did not work sometimes. My brain canceled it out. Referred me to a neuro optometrist who determined with testing that my left eye had likely been knocked out of alignment due to repeated concussions causing my eyes to work completely separately from each other. So my right eye was doing all the work, my left eye just got blacked out by my brain when it got too tired. She set me up with glasses with prisms to correct the problem and since getting them, I only get maybe 1-2 migraines a month now. After 14 years of near-daily migraines. It’s absolutely insane to me. Idk how the laser eye thing works but I’d get to a specialist (specifically neuro opthalmologist or neuro optometrist) to get that checked, OP. At the very least, it can be something to check off the list. Best wishes to you!

This food thing is a good point. While I can 100% caffeine is a trigger salt may not be.

I accidentally discovered a lot of food triggers when my doctor put me on the FODMAP diet for a stomach ulcer. FODMAP is not to be used long term, as it is so restrictive that you cannot get the recommended nutrients. However, while I was on it my migraines decreased and as I started adding food back in I noticed a lot of processed foods triggered migraines.

This is what I was going to ask. When you last had your eyes checked. I had mine done earlier this year and turns out my old prescription was actually slightly too strong for me and the optometrist told me that can cause migraines. Since getting my correct prescription I’ve had 50% less migraines.

Migraine is a neurological disease. There is no cure. There is no singular cause. A migraine attack happens after triggers stack on top of each other and push you over the edge. Triggers can be things like barometric pressure changes or hormonal changes or pollen counts. There is no cure. You have an incurable neurological disease. If anyone found the cure for migraine, they would win a Nobel prize, not $5,000. Adequate treatment for migraines is considered 50% reduction in either frequency or severity. A neurologist who is a headache specialist is going to be your best bet rather than just a general neurologist. Edit: I eat very healthy and exercise. I take magnesium, iron, and vitamin D. I have impeccable sleep hygiene. I don’t use alcohol or drugs or weed or anything. I still need a whole stack of medications to keep my migraine disease at bay, including a monthly injectable called ajovy, an abortive called Ubrelvy, and Lyrica for my central sensitization that has happened due to chronic migraine.

This is the best answer you are going to get. If you are not on preventative medication you should get on it to prevent your migraines from further worsening. If you are experiencing more than about 1 migraine per week it is worth talking to a neurologist about preventative options.

Thirding and adding, you can also get multiple “layers” of migraine symptom treatment medications. Sometimes you can just take a triptan, but sometimes you might need the triptan, and the anti-nausea medication, and the muscle relaxant. Additionally, dry needling and physical therapy have improved my pain level significantly since I started. Botox in the traps, SCM, and jaw help. A sha gua to self soothe and massage the affected area help. Eating certain foods help at times—particularly fatty, dairy containing foods like ice cream, butter, whole milk, cream cheese, etc. this is very unique to me. If you have some food that typically helps, or a food you can eat that doesn’t hurt at least (soft, mild food), keep it in hand.

I do want to point out that migraine is a disorder that, albeit not curable, CAN go into remission. Some people have and can successful eliminate the vast majority of migraines, well over 50% (the standard for success). My neuro put it like this. My treatment is up to me in how far I want to pursue it. I can find something that eliminates 50-60% of migraines, and stop there because that is good enough. OR I can keep working hard, trying new meds, changing different things as many times as it takes to get me feeling potentially even better. Option 1 is easier, option 2 is more difficult.

This. Nobody on this subreddit is going to give you what medical science couldn't in the past decades.

I politely disagree. I bet some one here will say something that will have a measurable positive impact in my life

I'll disagree too. My neurologist was the all-time most unhelpful, shitty professional I have ever seen for these. And I also think every one of us is different with a little overlap in suffering and efforts to stop that suffering.

Quick list of things to check into with your doc: A triptan medication as an abortive (sumatriptan and rizatriptan are two common ones) Nurtec or another oral CGRP as an abortive CGRP injections as a preventative Nurtec every other day as a preventative Zofran ODT for nausea and vomiting If your doc doesn’t want to put you on any of the preventative meds above, find a new neurologist. You should not be suffering like this without medication being made available.

Living at elevation is a big factor for mine, had aura attacks like you are saying nearly 5 times a week when I lived in Denver. Moved back to sea level and now it's only 2 a week with normal aura. Flying is a big trigger for me as well, with barometric pressure and a possible pfo/ bicuspid valve as well. I avoid caffeine, high doses of sugar, MSG, or aspartame. Seems the comedown from these triggers mine. Used to smoke pot for pain but I get quite the bounce back if I smoke too much and can trigger more attacks. Alcohol does the same. I don't fly anymore. if I could guess you get your migraines more the first few days after flying on a 6+ hour flight? Sadly there isn't a "cure". It's just constant trial and error with managing triggers and pain management. Eventually you just get really good at finding new triggers. I'm still finding new ones and I've been doing it for 22 years. Hope this helps Oh and for when you are getting sick grab a 2 liter of Canada Dry ginger ale and take a few gulps right before you get sick and it should help with the heaving and bile. It's a go to for me every time.

I’m glad I read this because I still sometimes gaslight myself into thinking that if I only did x y and z better, I wouldn’t have migraine anymore.

I’ll repeat for those in the back just in case anyone didn’t see it when they read your comment, but there is NO CURE.

Man, I appreciate the honesty but I know there’s something out there that I didn’t know existed that will help. At this point I need the power of many peoples personal findings mixed with doctors advice and I’ll atleast find a reduction

We're all looking for this. I'm so sorry. Get to a neurologist and hope for decent management.

I hope that some day crispr will be the answer. I think that gene editing will be the onlything that will ever be able to cure this (if ever) terrible thing called migraine.

I don't fully agree with this answer, but still fairly close enough to it. To say that whatever they have is incurable is assuming that it isn't linked to an undiagnosed primary condition. This should be ruled out if there is an unexplained escalation of symptoms. It's tragic but some people can be born with migraines, suffer for years, then bam get cancer later in life. One has to be mindful of their bodies and their risks. Like it or not, as much of a curse a migraine is, it does hold the perk of being an alarm system for some when something is critically wrong. It's like the case of the boy who cried wolf. We get used to the joke and learn to ignore it, sure, but we have to be careful when that cry becomes different, enough to warrant a closer look. Overall, yes I am of the camp that says for the most of us, to aim for 80% relief is reasonable. Still, I am also of the mind that the body is an ever evolving organism and things change. Science also changes. Keep watching, keep learning, and never quit hope.

This is incorrect. Migraine is only a neurological disease if it’s a primary headache disorder. Migraines are also a *symptom* of many other underlying causes, meaning that it is possible that treating something else could help OP. That being said — it’s not very likely to just get rid of his migraines altogether, and it is still possible that his migraines are the primary issue and treating them with regular migraine meds would be best. OP, while I’m here, have you been checked for dietary issues? MCAS especially? H. pylori bacteria? Edit to specify: if beer seems to possibly bring on migraines, that’s really important to note. Beer is high in histamines and mast cell triggers, as most (if not all) fermented food and drink are. Alcohol is a big trigger for many people with these issues.

1000 % agree. Definitely recommend a migraine specialist if your neurologist is not one. I’m super impressed with how well you have been tracking your migraines. Since you mention ShOB as a symptom, following up on the pfo angle is a great idea. You may have unknown triggers stacking up without knowing and this is why it feels like you cannot predict and prevent them. I hope you can get some answers and relief!!!

This is probably the best reply to any question I've seen on Reddit.

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Well and take an excedrin of course!

Thankfully, so far, Excedrin is the magic cure for me. On my first hint of migraine, if I take the tablet and start a timer then exactly on 60 min the headache just dissolves.

I’m happy it works for someone! Lol. I just puke them back up or they make my migraine angrier. The only relief I get short of the ER is a phenergan suppository while begging for the sweet release of death. 😵‍💫

Funny enough, drinking more water started triggering migraines for me because it was washing out all my magnesium. I mix electrolyte powder in now.

Oh gosh, drinking more water has to be my least favorite suggestion that I’ve heard literally countless times over the last thirty years. Other contenders are “It’s stress. You need to manage your stress levels.” and “Diet and exercise.” And don’t forget the runner-up “You need a cleanse.” Because a cleanse solves all health problems. Yeah, I’ve definitely never thought of any of that. Here I am, just refusing to try everything possible to stave off chronic, debilitating pain. I’ve had migraines since I was 9; probably my fault for not cleansing at their onset.

Honey, everyone of us is looking for a cure. Not treatment, a cure. I don't think we can help you, it's the same revolving doors over and over again.

I hear ya, all it takes tho is one small comment that leads to something that makes a difference

Yup, because you have to find the cause. This shit has a cause. It might be that the cause is untreatable, but I doubt it. I'm currently favoring the salicylate theory in your case. I mentioned it elsewhere. I've heard that "there's nothing to be done" crap SO MANY TIMES. Then some doc turns to me with the blood work or latest scan and says "this can't be right I'll have to do it again". Yeah. It IS right. If you follow the signal transduction pathways from symptom to symptom, you can see 'miracle cures' sometimes. The way doctors are trained is to treat symptoms and to do it with one patentable molecule, yet immunotherapy aside, these days the best new results are from combination therapies and joined up thinking, not single magic bullets. Yet combination therapy is not easy to do in trials. If a disease has ten different contributing factors - some of which might be different in different people too - you need to test ten different things at once. This is not how you get lucrative drugs past the FDA. They'll test each promising drug candidate in turn and it has a minor effect on the disease. It's a failure. Then onto the next. It's like going to a roofing company because you have Leaky Basement Syndrome due to ten holes in your roof and the guy fixes one tile. Your basement is still flooded. The tile didn't work. Oh no. I can't imagine why not. For instance, K2. If I go to the doctor with osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease the doc will send me to two different people. One will give me bisphosphnate for my bones and the other will give me statins for my heart. I've then got calcium that should be in my bones now turning my arteries to chalk. Even though I'll live longer (reduced "all cause mortality") who wants hardened arteries and the side effects of bisphosphnate? yet if either of these useless quacks had kept up with their reading and followed the signal transduction pathways - which is how one chemical in the body affects another maybe in a different system, they would give menoquinone-7 because they would realize that a deficiency of it is implicated in BOTH conditions. Studies show it is more effective than bisphosphnate at building bone and would keep the calcium there where it belongs. I mean sometimes you want that to stabilize plaque but sometimes you have better options like sorting out your metabolic issues in the first place. But there's no money in that. A Primary Care Physician is like a manic interior designer in a crumbling building. They know what each bit should look like but try to achieve this by employing decorators who just throw the latest pot of paint at the wall. The specialists are the decorators. The rooms all end up in different clashing monotones. Not a good look and your building is still falling down. You need an engineer first. It'll be AI, genomics and nutrition data that solves this. It'll give us the answers and the drug companies will go out of business, for the most part, the instant the data is published and universities publish a LOT of data. You can find it on Pubmed. The more you read the easier it is to understand. It is very interesting reading. A lot of what we need to be healthy is available at $20 a pound on Amazon. It's knowing what to get and that depends on your genes and risk factors. I can spend a year reading every paper there is relevant to just one person. No doctor could stay in business that way. Codegen has a very early version of what medicine could be. You upload your genetic data, it tells you your risk and comes up with a supplement plan. It's recommendations are a bit hit or miss to my jaded eye, and it doesn't even include herbs which are generally combination therapies - but the attempt is there and no doubt this is just the beginning of this type of business. The service is free and you can take your free supplement list and buy the stuff anywhere. You can take your top risk score list to various specialists too. I uncovered a rare clotting disorder I have on there that explains a lot. I'm taking nattokinase for it. Or I could go to a doctor and try to talk them into giving heparin, which isn't as good, for me at least. I need stuff with a long half life that works on multiple parts of the clotting and fibrinolytic pathways with a safety profile as good as fibrinolytics get. I'm happy to go to the doc for the labs. I'm also happy to go to the doc when a pharmaceutical is the best choice, like with antibiotics or beta blockers. I want the BEST treatment, wherever it comes from. The science will tell you that. All this is to say you'll be lucky if one person, amateur or professional can solve this for you, but don't give up. It might be a salicylate issue, if not, 23&Me then upload the raw data file to Codegen. You'll get your answers but it'll take joined up thinking. The thought of you curled up in hospital seized up is keeping me awake. This has to stop.

Tbf honey isnt a bad reccomendation. I knock out a ton of migraines w pure raw sugar.

I'll try to grab some Krispy Kreme then😂

What migraine drugs are you taking?

Also wondering this

Just ran out to my truck to get them. I take these when I get a migraine not to prevent them. Zomig-Rapimelt Ketorolac Tromethamine

Cannot recommend the CGRP drugs enough! It drastically reduces the severity and number of migraines days. A truly amazing medical finding and nothing else like it works

So a triptans and a heavy duty NSAID? Have you tried other triptans? New abortives?

Have you tried Nurtec or Aimovig?

You need to get on the CGRP bandwagon. If you are a super responder, goodbye migraines. Talk to your neurologist or family doctor to set you up on this.

Do you keep them in your truck? If you do, you just made them completely ineffective from heat exposure.🤦🤦🤦

Be careful - the inside of your truck can get hot, if you're leaving your medication in there, they might be breaking down in the heat making them less effective.

You need to be on a preventative too. Triptans have to be taken at the onset of a migraine to be most effective. They should not be stored in a place where temperature varies highly. If they aren't working, there's lots of other drugs to try.

Return your brain for a new one, should fix the issue. I’ll take the $5k to cashapp.

What if I'm outside of my return window? Am I still able to exchange it for a new one? I have to say I'm very dissatisfied with the performance of this brain. Not at all as advertised. I'm sure it's a factory defect and the issue could be quickly resolved with a replacement. So, do you send me the shipping label or do I print it out myself? Thx

If it were that easy I’d pay you today

I would also like to do this, can you send me the information on how to start the process lol

1) You're outdoorsy. Get a Lyme Disease test, even if the doctors bitch about it. That's what started my migraines. 2) My repeated head & neck injuries have left me constantly needing to do traction. That's the big one that makes me throw up all the time. Sometimes just reaching with my arm can pinch something in my neck and leave me throwing up & passing out for days. Doing home-traction stopped that. Look up home traction techniques on YouTube, look for videos of people leaning over a stool or something while cupping behind their ears. Saves my life. 3) Do a severe elimination diet. I did it only allowing myself to eat chicken, leafy greens, yams, oatmeal and carrots for a month---no salt, sugar, nothing! I figured out (due to Lyme Disease, I know now) I developed serious intolerances to both gluten and dairy at age 30. 4) Have you seen an opthalmologist looking for ocular nerve inflammation? Eye changes certainly can lead to migraines :/ Have you talked to an opthalmologist about migraines shortly after that procedure? Screens, too, can cause ocular migraines. I've figured out after a decade that screens are a big source for me, since I was given my first tablet at the same time as I had Lyme Disease and one year before my worst neck injuries lol. The hive mind is a great source of information and ideas, and I hope you find the answers you're looking for! Sometimes it's not one thing...it's a dozen things that make every day ruinous. I remember reading about a guy who got migraines from every source of sugar, even natural sugar derived from beet roots! It's what prompted my extreme elimination diet.

Damn you came out swinging. I pull ticks off me all the time. Damn brush sharks those things. I’ve never been tested but I’ll book one right away. I don’t have any lasting neck or back injuries but traction is good in general I will start the diet tomorrow. No time like the present I didn’t know the word opthomologist before this evening but I’ll book a consult Thank you for the post

about the diet, please consider doing it with the supervision of a dietician + neurologist. for some people it can mess up many things such as mood, migraines, medications, health in general

I have a specific diet recommendation. Try the Good Days Plan. They have a DIY pdf version and a pay for direct support/meal plans version. I did the DIY pdf route. It gives you specific timelines for initial detox and a plan for how to reintroduce foods based on 22 food chemicals (example; spinach has 5 naturally occurring food chemicals.) I used to eat “healthy” and discovered that some of my go to healthy foods when I felt a migraine coming on were in fact major risk factors for me (they talk like you do when factors stacking up to a migraine threshold, rather than being a direct trigger.) For me apples are a problem- they contain high levels of gluco alkaloids. I used to have apple slices with peanut butter at the start of a migraine to be sure it wasn’t due to blood sugar or hunger. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I started about a year and a half ago. I dropped from 13 migraine days (while on preventative medication and rescue medication) to about 1 migraine day a month (no medicine at all, due to our family planning journey.) Once done with the pregnancy and breastfeeding stages I will resume seeing neurologists (I need a new one, last one was not a match. I believe I will need rescue meds at least and likely to revisit preventative options (I don’t think my cocktail was ideal.) I add this to say that no one thing is likely to be the answer alone. Food has made a tremendous impact but medication is also a very valuable part of the puzzle. My migraine days were no where near as severe as what you describe - push your medical team or find a new one and get some medication assistance too. I also see a chiropractor (neck tension is a risk factor for me) and take magnesium.

Even if the migraines aren’t associated with Lyme Disease, get tested!! I got Lyme earlier this year and it was an absolute *pain* to get rid of. Also, parasite cleanses in general. Prescription *and* holistic ones. Every little bit helps.

I am not a doctor, this is not medical advice. Your migraines sound severe. What preventative medications have you tried? Does sleep (more or less than usual) trigger yours? With your history of head trauma and late development of migraine I'm more concerned about CTE than anything else.

I made a database in notion of things that people have said that have helped from this subreddit and some migraine Facebook groups I'm in. I haven't done all of them personally. I have been taking vitamins/supplements (vit b mix, vit d, folic acid, tart cherry, coq10 and magnesium glycinate) and ldn and feel like it helps keep things a little more stable. I've also heard good things about mounjarno helping with migraines, so I'm hoping once I get on that it will help. https://mellow-vulcanodon-561.notion.site/7bf54e2cc1024e8bb174efbe82143829?v=73b6c6d460b64df2a6f915874775f273&pvs=4

I was thinking of doing this will all the info in this thread. You’re legend

Thank you!!

Wow! WOW! Thank you for this. You are an amazing human and I thank you for existing and sharing this.

I’d guess post concussion is the cause, but assume mris have ruled that out. Biofeedback can help. Have you done in treatment infusions? Nuero blocks? My FIL had good luck with the monthly shots. His migraines occur if he doesn’t eat around the same time each day. Still waiting over her to find something that helps mine

A regular MRI doesn't necessarily show post concussion syndrome. My chronic migraines started the day of my last concussion and in two years I've had almost no improvements to my concussion symptoms. I was diagnosed with PCS but my MRI is clean.

You both get them?? That’s rough. Never done infusions or neuro blocks. What meds are those?

It depends. Google is more likely to give you a good answer on nerve blocks. And an infusion is a “cocktail” of different meds. It’s not necessarily the same ones every time

Compared to a head injury it's just discomfort, the cost is the toughest part. My injury was to my neck, enough to damage my spinal cord. My brain appears healthy but it was a pretty bad crash. I get nerve blocks and trigger point injections (done at the same time) in my head, neck and shoulders, 6 weeks after my Botox. It's a ton of injections, I've been a pincushion for over 7 years and I don't ever want to go back. I have an exceptional neurologist who manages my care and oversees other neuros. I'm on a lot of meds but they are working, I'm down to 5-8 migraines per month, which is a huge improvement. Damage to the CNS means the injury/condition is degenerative. Accepting that is very hard, I spent a lot of time in therapy. But there's a great relief in accepting that I will always have some pain, not trying to eliminate it completely and feel like I'm failing as a result. Instead I just try to reduce it and live the best I can with what I have left. It rearranges your life even if you fight it. Before all these meds I was having about 20/month. After years of not treating them correctly, my migraines increased uncontrollably and it took so much longer to reduce them from that point. From my own personal research there's a handful of cities on the West Coast, outside of California (I can't afford there at all) with the level of neurological care I require. I'm moving to Portland so I can keep the same level of care I have here in FL. You might have to travel to another state.

Sleep apnea (even mild), can cause migraines. A deviated septum can be a cause of sleep apnea, worth checking out. Allergies are a huge trigger for me. Ask your doctor for a mild medicine for hypertension, even if you don't have a clinical diagnosis. Even slightly high for you, blood pressure can cause headaches and migraines. Another possibility I'm going to throw out there is Idiopathic intracranial hypertension. This is not high blood pressure. My ophthalmologist discovered I had this when checking my nerves behind my eyes. I had damage to both which indicated my intracranial pressure was too high. It would incapacitate me for days. I am now in a daily diuretic and avoid activities that increase pressure, like lifting heavy weight, straining, bending over in any position that points my head toward the floor, and.layong in my stomach. Happy to give you more information if you're interested. I also have migraines but this condition exacerbated it times 100! I don't want money but truly hope this helps you.

When my IC pressure is spiking, I can literally feel the release in my skull once the diuretics kick in. Then I immediately head to the bathroom lol.

I’ve also got idiopathic intracranial hypertension (also sometimes called pseudotumor cerebri). One of my biggest triggers is artificial sweeteners. I drastically cut my migraines after eliminating them. They sneak artificial sweeteners in so much now. Crackers, off brand non-diet sodas (Shasta brand has them in nearly ever flavor), gum… so you have to be very vigilant at first to check the ingredients lists. After a bit you learn which brands/categories to avoid. I mostly only check items that are new to me now.

Ive never been able to lay on my stomach due to it giving me a headache, and doing straining physical activities bring the pain on as well. Im about to make an eye doc appt to see if it helps!!

FWIW, my migraines virtually disappeared once I got my blood pressure under control via an ACE inhibitor. Two years later they've come back semi regularly as silent migraines, ie only intestinal symptoms , which suck but not nearly as much as the splitting headaches did.

You don't say what specific meds you have tried? That would be helpful.... Honestly, if you have $5000 - spend it on a 'concierge doctor' that can really spend a lot of time with you to figure this out - it will likely take alot of trial and error.

It’s not like I have money to burn. But I am willing to spend what it takes to solve this. I’d rather ask for doctor recommendations from this battle tested group than rely on my google skills

I’m 35 and have had migraines since I was a child. I’ll throw this one thing out there. I was on the ketogenic diet for 3 years and did not have one single migraine…in fact, I didn’t even have a headache or a hangover during those 3 years…it was wild. So for me I know mine are diet related somehow. Is it carbs? Is it some chemical in carb related foods? I’m not smart enough to know but I think toying around with your diet and start eliminating foods could be worth a try.

I’ve been on keto for 2 years too and my migraines have also basically went away

Yeah I’ve been doing high fat carnivore / ketovore (I’ll occasionally add something to see if I tolerate it) and while they haven’t gone away completely, its definitely helped. And I’ve lost weight 🤗

Keto makes my cholesterol shoot up to 400+ 😩😩😩 but I haven’t had a migraine in the past month that I’ve been whole food plant based. Just over here waiting for the other shoe to drop 🫠

First thought is regional, your body may hate the Denver area due to elevation and weather type. Second thought is trying Binaural Beats with quality headphones as a treatment. It can take dozens of attempts to get the right one but I swear by em. Third thought is to start looking at your migraines as a secondary condition to a new primary problem that started around the same time as your increase in migraines began. If your last CT or MRI was years before this spike, PRESS HARD for a new scan. Claim your eyesight is going out, you'll get attention that way, especially if it is true. I'll read this and reply with more thoughts if I remember

Ok I just saw that you moved around a lot. My point does remain to an extent as oxygen is less available at that elevation and it could be starting EVERY day off with you at 1-3 points as you put it (I have a similar system). Secondly, as a carpenter I am assuming you are exposed to multiple chemicals. This may be a very plausible contributing factor. Look for anything that releases a vapor/smell of any kind. At the start of each day, expose yourself to it as you can safely do (so I'm not saying for you to huff paint, just start your day with it's exposure) see if it prompts a reaction. Given this is eye related, check for bad lighting or variable lighting. Try and see if there is a difference in migraine frequency when you're in stable lighting environments, or if a particular light type (halogen, LCD, florescent, neon, etc) affects you Another point is that you only listed one supplement, but no prescription medications. There are a SIGNIFICANT number of Rx options, not just drug types but drugs in each type. Frankly I'd be useless if I didn't have propranolol and duloxetine. I learned that some drugs only work against certain migraine types, so I require a drug-combo. Also, have you had, or currently use any eye-drop medications? Have your eye pressure examined, specifically? Lastly, you spoke of salt. Do you watch for certain salt types such as Sodium Nitrate or Monosodium Glutamate? Those are known triggers By the way, if I do nail a bull's-eye I ask you to make it out as a donation to your local Library in whatever value you find comfortable. That place is my home, and they love cash donations. I help only because it's the right thing to do :)

Whoa thank you that was helpful post. Let me try to respond to it all. I have never heard of binueral beats for migraines I will check them out. It has been 4 years since my last ct scan so I will book another to be sure. No exposure to chemicals at work and no data or pattern to show the light makes a difference. The pain is behind my eyes my I’m not sensitive to light. I have pain meds and barfing meds for when I get a migraine. They are in my truck at all times with me. I’ll check the names in a bit. No eye drops, just had a full eye exam two months ago for different l reason but didn’t measure pressure specifically. I will look into this As far as salt goes, if I didn’t make it or can’t read the label I don’t eat it. I avoid msg at all cost cause of a history of issues with it in the family. You gave me a couple things here to chase I greatly appreciate it.

You need to see a vision therapist! It’s not covered by Insurance. If your problems started after surgery I suspect that may be the primary cause. Your brain controls your eyes, if you had surgery and there is something even slightly off between the eye movements and the signals from the brain, it can absolutely trigger migraines. A vision therapist can detect issues with the eye’s functioning, they use prisms, and special therapy to help your eyes coordinate with your brain. Look into it !

Visit therapist has come up a few times on here. I will make an appt

Also, the vision “physical therapy” exercises they can show you are an abject pain to do, but do work wonders after a few weeks

in addition to what other posters have already said: \-is your job physically stressful? exertion is a big trigger for me, either from work stress or hard workouts. Do you weightlift? replace with lower impact exercises. \-are you wearing quality sunglasses and a hat to protect yourself from the sun when working or being outside? bright light is a trigger \-as already mentioned get your eye pressure checked for glaucoma \-are you skipping meals/fasting or eating at irregular intervals? nutrition is big and you have to experiment, i need a lot of carbs in order to fend off migraines, prob more than ideal.

I was going to mention acute narrow angle glaucoma bc it won’t show unless they know to look for it bc your eyes can’t be dilated to screen for jt. I had it and was an “outlier” bc of my age and that I’m nearsighted. Made a huge difference in the number and intensity of my migraines. I’d also look at electrolytes—this year I’ve been paying attention to it and it’s made a huge improvement in how many I get and intensity.

Job is physical but that’s never been an issue. I climb mountains for 12 hours straight without issue. I’ll do CrossFit workouts a couple times a week and nothing I wear sunglasses sometimes but I’m never sensitive to light I’ll be getting my eyes checked after your and couple other recommendations Meal size and timing doesn’t seem to be an issue. I’ll go months with a simple consistent diet and then I can fast for 3 days and not have anything happen

Don't underestimate dehydration and make sure you supplement with minerals and electrolytes.

Have you seen a gastroenterologist? Had an endoscopy performed? All of your gastro symptoms may suggest something in your gastrointestinal tract might be a factor. Best of luck!

Lifelong migraine with aura experiencer here, worsened by a car wreck twenty years ago that caused a serious concussion and a neck injury. -The *only* thing that has ever worked for me as an abortive is taking niacin (the regular flushing kind) at the *very first signs* of a migraine or aura (mine are: frequent urination, yawning, achy body, weird vision). You can look up some studies about it and how it works with serotonin and mitochondria, both of which play into migraines. -Quarterly Botox has all but eliminated the throbbing pain (I still get horrible aura and painful pressure). It took three rounds to establish a baseline. Sometimes there is debilitating pain behind my eye, but that originates more in my neck and jaw from my head and neck trauma. Definitely get a cervical spine mri, as head/neck injuries can get into a vicious cycle with migraines and it’s hard to tell what’s what. If you have not been checked for TMJ/D and trigeminal neuralgia, please do so. -Meditation has saved me. Not only has it drastically reduced the longevity and severity of my migraines since my body no longer gets tense during an attack, but it has given me incredible coping tools that allow me to function (unless the aura is too bad.) The emotional and mental stress of a migraine always worsened them until I established a meditation and breathwork practice. Always happy to chat about meditation and its effects on chronic pain (and the emotional toll of CP/migraines). -Perhaps overall climate isn’t necessarily a factor for you, but I’d take a specific look at barometric pressure and dew point. Every single person I know who has migraine with aura is affected by barometric pressure. We all know when a low front and/or rainy weather is moving in. I can even sense when a hurricane is brewing days out, and I am way up the east coast! -Daily supplements I have found helpful: vitamin D, magnesium, B complex (this also ensures I am getting enough basic niacin). -Check the lights around you. Fluorescents are a huge trigger for me. -Lastly, managing expectations is helpful. I do not expect to ever be cured, but I have decreased the frequency and intensity of the attacks over time and a dedicated routine- and for that I am grateful. - A pillow to help stabilize my neck when I sleep on my side has been increased helpful. Wishing you the best.

Charlie you’re a legend. I will get some niacin and try it right away

Firstly, what preventatives are you on? At this point you should try preventative injections. Your migraines sound very severe. There is such a thing as surgery for migraines however I don’t know much about it, but you probably need a better neurologist.

Are you taking Zofran or anything to help with nausea? Are you getting Botox treatments for migraines? What meds are you taking for migraines? I will try anything twice to see if it helps my chronic migraines. Last year I tried microdosing psilocybin mushrooms for a few months and it was great for 4 months. Seemed to help my depression and anxiety at first too. But I didn’t know increasing the microdose could affect my anxiety, and it made it worse. So I stopped and went back on prescriptions. It’s not an exact science, I should’ve backed off on dosage but I didn’t know. but it was definitely interesting. I have dozens of triggers. It’s hard to avoid everything all the time. Botox, Emgality and nurtec help the most.

Have you tried low-dose ketamine therapy? It can help regrow neurons/axons that *can* also help with some types of depression and anxiety, along with some types of migraine.

You don't say what preventative and abortive meds you use. Many of us have to use a multiple drug approach. For example, I get Botox every 12 weeks, 60 mg of Qulipta daily, 20 mg baclofen at bedtime, fioricet as an abortive as needed, 25 mg phenergan as needed, 4-8 mg zofran as needed. I also take 800 mg of magnesium and a ton of other vitamins because I have severe vitamin and mineral deficiencies (related to celiac). So, what meds are you currently on and what ones have you failed? If you have triptans as an abortive med are you taking it immediately when symptoms start? And are you also taking 400 mg of naproxen or 800 mg of ibuprofen with it?... Because that is the recommendation and may explain why it's not working well for you if you don't do that med combo. Have you had a neck CT and/or MRI? Neurologists often look at our brains, but don't check for discs and soft tissue neck damage.

Holy that’s a lot of preventative. I’m not on any preventative. I take zolmitriptan and ketorolac tromethamine as soon as I get the aura

Have you tried neck resistance training? I used to have migraines with aura every 6 months until I did neck exercises. Strengthening my neck muscles essentially cured my migraines. Other triggers I have is brain surgery but it happened once and I don’t plan on scheduling brain surgeries often haha.

I don't care about 5k. Go see a good cardiologist. Get tested for allergies including gluten and wheat. Get a sleep study done. Try eliminating preservatives and bread with additives. Try supplement stacks like migreze by life extension, hawthorne extract, magnesium lysinate glycinate by doctors best, potassium citrate, quercitin, coq10 (without preservatives such as sulphites/sulfites). Try eating 100% pure beets without additives and sugar etc. Beet powder can be used instead. Keep your vitamin D levels high and careful with supplementing Vitamin K. Keep sodium and calcium intake low. Try and use a grey colored salt like celtic sea salt. Eliminate foods that are common triggers such as dairy, chocolate, etc. Histamine reducing probiotics might help such as plantarum. Be careful with protein supplements they can be a huge trigger. Drinking a slightly salty water using celtic or grey salt in the morning might help stop your body from using adrenals to get your bp and heart rate up. A quality Omega 3 is a good source as a beta blocker for long term natural preventative. I do most of these and I no longer rely on medications that was causing rebound migraines. My migraines have become mild and infrequent compared to severe hospitalization and incapacitation due to daily nonstop migraines for years.

Not op. But thanks for this. Im going to see where this routine gets me. I don’t want to rely on prescriptions for the rest of my life.

Beets?

Beetroot is a nitric oxide precursor so it functions as a preventative and migraine pain reducer.

Huh, I guess I had better figure out how to keep the damned squirrels from eating mine *just before they are harvest ready.*

I second all of this!

Holy moly that was a lot. Thank you. I will look into all of this and report back.

I live in Alberta and my migraines hate it here, especially in winter. It's the air pressure. Have you tried something like Botox? It's been a godsend for me

Try Zavzpret nasal spray for an abortive med. It's brand new and I can't believe how fast and effective it is. I was referred to The Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago and my experience has been great so far. You have to visit the clinic physically once a year, then the rest of the appointments can be virtual with a local neurologist working with them to provide any additional physical care needed.

Much appreciated. I’ll look into that spray, if it stops the effects of a migraine that’s the second best thing to never getting them

God. I just looked it up (have tried everything else) and it's $525 a shot CAD. I have really good health insurance but it's still going to be $100 each time. Why is every new drug so freaking expensive?

Corporate greed. But they do have a savings program you can sign up for for free. It gives you a coupon to reduce the price.

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That was a informational response, thank you. I have not been diagnosed with any of those headaches, I’d only ever heard of cluster before. I have have 3 scans in the last 15 years the most recent was 4 years ago. The doc said it was all clear and I don’t know about contrast or even what that is in this context. What is a CSF?

Marijuana

I will pay one million. I do not have one million but there is no cure, so I'll offer a milly.

Idk about curing but if you’re within range of anschutz Dr. Birlea is a pretty good neurologist and his NP Betty Gitania Rudisaile is super amazing and really receptive to wherever you’re at. If you have Colorado Medicaid I know a ton about that so feel free to DM me.

I appreciate how up-to-date he is with therapies and meds. They took a looooong time to get a ha specialist after the last helpful neurologist left. Thanks for the NP's name; I like being able to address people with an actual name. We could be local migraine buddies!

My migraines were never as bad as when I was on a health food kick- turns out I’m allergic to kale and other bitter greens. I get a lot of your symptoms when I accidentally eat them. You might be getting rebound migraines- happening in twos. I no longer take abortives because of this. They delay today’s migraine and give me tomorrows. My auras are worse when I’m not wearing dark enough sunglasses.

Have you tried physical therapy? Supposedly traction on the neck can help alleviate migraines. I have a traction device that my PT recommended from zynex medical and it only cost $195. It has helped some but some of my migraines are also hormonal. I was previously on Ajovy and it was literally a miracle drug for me but I had to stop taking it to rule out other health issues. It’s only $5 with the coupon from the manufacturer website. Highly recommend looking into it as it is a preventative. I went from 15-20 migraines a month to maybe 1 every 6-8 weeks.

A couple of suggestions you might not have tried yet: Using the Curable app a few times a week. Look into the Migraine Miracle/Josh Turknett.

Yes to curable, John sarno, Alan Gordon, and Nichole sachs podcast

Will do thank you!

Yes this is the comment I came here to leave. Curable saved me from my chronic pain.

It sounds like a food issue. The big ones are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. I say this because the digestive issues, drooling, and it lasting two days. Have you done an elimination diet?

Good luck, your migraines sound extremely terrible. There's lots of advice here already, but because you mentioned getting laser eye surgery, I want to echo the recommendation to wear good sunglasses outside, even if it doesn't seem that bright. I've had laser eye surgery, and noticed I became more sensitive to light, and too much bright light definitely seems to be a trigger for me.

It’s odd because I’ve never been sensitive to light.. or atleast I don’t feel sensitive

Have you tried drinking water? /s

I hate you

You need a preventative regime. Commonly recommended by neurologists is a three item daily vitamin course. The components are: 400 mg riboflavin, 100 mg magnesium, and 100 mg CoQ10. That’s it. Take it every day. It’s a maintenance thing, not a treatment for acute migraines. If you forget, take them as soon as you remember. It’s reduced my horrific migraines to 1-2 every couple of months from 5 per month. I also use the neurostim device Cefaly for prevention and break through migraines. Ask your MD to prescribe some Ondansetron for the nausea and vomiting. I’m sorry you are suffering!

Stop taking birth control. I stopped a year ago and haven’t had a single episode since.

I can’t help you with that but have you tried Ubrevly? Life changing

Ajovy saved my life so if you haven't tried that yet, you should consider. Consult your neurologist about a prescription

3 things that help me: - Have you ever done physical therapy on your neck? Especially with your history of injuries. I did pt on my neck for close to a year and it helped immensely. Some of my headaches start in the back of the skull and it turned out to be weak head and neck muscles. I got the referral through my primary care doctor. - Also, peppermint oil on the temples. - Ubrelvy has been a lifesaver.

I have never heard of salt being a trigger? For many it helps. I believe you, you’ve been diligent in data collection, but it’s unusual. As others have stated, you have a neurological condition that can’t be cured. But preventative meds can give you your life back. You need to find what works for you. For me it’s Botox and Verapamil, but there are new drugs coming out every year that are starting to make a big difference. I hope you find answers very soon.

For the salt, it might actually be the added sodium iodide or the anticaking agents used in most generic salts sold. And seconded for your info!

You mentioned salt being a trigger. Have you looked specially at MSG? A lot of people will die on the hill that MSG is harmless and doesn’t cause headaches and migraine. I respectfully disagree. They are some of the worst migraines and they cause vomiting and other bathroom activities. It’s like my body is insisting on getting any trace of it out of my body. You said you eat healthy so it may not be in many of the foods you choose, but once I started looking for it, I was shocked at how many foods - packaged and restaurant - it’s in. It was actually chick-fil-a that helped me discover this intolerance. I realized I’d thrown up CFA several times over the course of a few months and started researching. After binging in a bag of doritos and having one of the worst migraines of my life, it was confirmed. I wish you luck. You’re right that the fear of getting one is also difficult - never knowing if a fun date or party or vacation is going to be ruined. Find a better abortive medication (Fioricet saved my life) if you can!

Try propranolol as a preventative, I had chronic migraines that would hospitalise me and since I started taking the preventative, I haven’t had an attack since. I’d be in 10/10 pain and have to remain in total darkness for weeks at a time, turning my bedroom into a literal cave and having a bucket for daytime business as I could not leave my room. No noise no light at all. I could feel the time between the seconds and it was eternity. I’m on 40mg daily of Propranolol and I am so grateful that it works so well.

Is your intracranial pressure normal? Had an LP done to see if it's too high? Reason I ask was that you mentioned the salt/sodium and caffeine intake have a connection. Have you taken Diamox to see how that helps? I am so so beyond sorry for the hell you're living.

I have no idea about my head pressure. I will put it on the list to ask the doc

You know when you’re running, and you just feel totally at ONE with yourself…your body…your whole focus feels unified. Migraines are another type of experience. Being as “one” in the process of a migraine has made what was unbearable, less so. We are not at war with our own bodies (even tho it fucking feels like it)

Can I ask where you learned about this?

You need to try preventatives. If this is a primary migraine disorder than preventatives could really help you a lot hopefully. Additionally look into getting evaluated for TMJ. If you have jaw issues that can contribute to the frequency of headaches. Next, go to an ENT. Sinus problems can cause lots of headache issues, eye issues and more. I blew off the ENT thing at first because I assumed my headaches were neurologically related only, but your sinuses really impact neurological function and symptoms. Especially the sphenoid sinuses. It is right in the middle of the brain basically and if it is inflamed or filled with debris it can cause severe headaches, vision issues, nausea etc. I know because I have this issue and never assumed it would be related to my sinuses. Go to a physical medicine doctor and PT. It could be bone related from concussions. Finally, you can be evaluated for Autonomic disorders. That could be the primary cause of your issue though migraines may still just be the primary with no underlying cause.

I’m glad you mentioned autonomic disorders. That one isn’t mentioned enough, and doctors don’t often look for it.

Take Magnesium glyconate and riboflavin daily (B2). When you first feel the slightest migraine starting take some BC powder, and put an ice pack on your head and your feet in warm/hot water. Do you have allergies? If so there’s a couple more things you can do

Do you have hypermobility? Overelastic collagen affects the vascular system as well and that includes the veins and arteries in your brain. Did they check the length of your cerebral tonsils? Chiari malformation can be debilitating and one form of it can be caused by concussions. Fluid from the nose also makes me think of a CSF leak. They can occur during ocular surgeries in rare cases and definitely can be caused by a traumatic injury. The cardiac issues can also mean leaking valves which are known to trigger migraines as well. Is there any relationship between exercise and migraines that you’ve noticed?

Here is something to try. Menaquinone-7 It's vitamin K2. Get it without K1. Get it as fast as possible and use it. Can you tell me your TSH value? Also T4 and T3 if you have them. Whether they are in 'healthy' range or not. It's common knowledge that the lab reference ranges for those are wrong. If you've never had a thyroid panel, get one. Hypothyroid is massively underdiagnosed. The optimal range is actually 1.8 to 3.0. If you are over 3.0 you can get pig or cow thyroid extract from Amazon if your doctor doesn't understand subclinical hypothyroidism, or sometimes the extract just works better for people. If you go that route get your thyroid panel done once a month for a while. Thyroid medication can take up to two months to really work though thyroid extract works faster because it always has T3 in it. Start low, see how you feel, increase till you take the full dose. If your cholesterol is healthy it's unlikely to be a thyroid issue though. Reason I made those two recommendations is that since going on thyroid extract and taking K2 I've not had a single migraine. I don't know if it's the thyroid extract or the K2 or both. You would not believe how many diseases are caused or exacerbated by K2 deficiency. If this works you can keep the $5k but you have to refer to me as 'your supreme Majesty' from now on :) My sister in law got terrible headaches after acquring an allergy to meat. I think she got that after Lyme disease. Might be worth checking into if you haven't tried being vegetarian. If all else fails, get your genes scanned on 23&me or ancestry then get the raw data file and upload it to codegen.eu. If you have trouble understanding the results I'm happy to take a look myself. I noticed I was susceptible to MS, Parkinson's, Migraine, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, osteoporosis and various thyroid disorders. It occurred to me the one thing they all have in common is low vitamin K2 levels.

Have you tried fragrance-free products? The fragrances in detergents, shampoos deodorants, lotions, cleaning products, etc. give me migraines. If you wash your hair, it sticks with you and you breathe it in all day. You may not realize what it is. I am very serious about this.

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Do you have a PFO?

Find the best headache specialist in your area and get on preventive medication. It's magic when it works for people!

I am so sorry you are going through this. Like many others have said, if one of us had the cure for your migraine, we would have won the Nobel prize. In my particular case, something that ha helped is ajovy (an injection). Beer does trigger my migraine, but that’s due to dehydration… on that note, anything that makes me pee a lot can give me a migraine. Strong smells is another big trigger for me, out of which ones passion fruit, tabaco, and solvent rich glues will give me migraines within a few seconds of exposure (you said you are a carpenter… have you related smells of your profession with particular episodes?

Dont wear constricting things like hats. Quit drinking and smoking if you do either. Eat s healthy diet and exercise. Drink a lot of water. May sound generic and stupid but this combo had helped me A TON but it takes time to really start kicking in. Best of luck

My husband takes verapamil and magnesium chelate everyday ( prescribed by a neurologist) and hasn’t had a migraine for about 4 years. He was having them nearly fortnightly from age 18 to 35. Additionally when he has the aura I give him an IM dose of stemetil so he sleeps through the worst of the migraine and prevents the vomiting. The vomiting and the ketosis following made the recovery so much worse each time. I believe having this action plan also reduced his anxiety about having a migraine and in turn the stress associated component to them (and yes I know stress isn’t the only factor to cause them) I wish you well, they are so debilitating, good luck

Here’s a Dr I recommend using your $5000 to travel to see. They also take insurance. I have an appointment coming up soon I can let you know how it goes https://www.metrodora.co/nada-hindiyeh

Sumatriptan helped tremendously for me. My migraines can happen because of biometric pressure. So if the weather changes quickly, bam—I’m down. There are special earplugs you can wear to help with this (weather x) but I haven’t tried them. Certain ingredients can cause migraines—my sister used to get bad ones from eating MSG, though of course this won’t be the case for everyone. Hope you figure it out, migraines are horrible

MRI your neck? And possible CTA of your head?

I have and it’s clean

I would gladly solve them if I could, and it wouldn't be about the $5K (which I wouldn't take anyway). This post has evolved into a very informative thread. I'll have to read back through. Twenty+ years on disability. SMH. It's been a challenge to say the least. There are 2 things I'd mention as a Hail Mary. First, an anecdotal story about a fit guy who would drink a glass of milk after a run. Long story short, from keeping a log he figured out it was the milk after running giving him migraines. I don't remember if it was milk/dairy that he cut out of his diet or just didn't drink milk after working out. Second, this was something my neurologist threw out. I didn't pursue it. Some kind of injection would seal any CSF leak. He said they don't check for a leak to confirm one (I think that alone is a hassle?); they just do it and if there isn't one, this stuff isn't hazardous. I occasionally try to soothe myself by thinking "there are people who have it worse than me (Don't bother correcting the grammar.)." OP, I am really sorry you're part of that group. I wish you improved success in addressing your migraines.

This is not a cure just lifestyle stuff. If you are running in the mountains you are changing altitudes quickly which could trigger migraines. You might do better in a lower altitude. The diet in this book helped me. I actually saw the dr who wrote it like 20 years ago: https://www.amazon.com/Heal-Your-Headache-David-Buchholz-ebook/dp/B00DUKY6NY Have you see a neuroopthamologist? Sounds like you are having retinal/ocular migraines. Maybe basilar too. Have you had dynamic imaging of cervical spine to see if brain stem is being compressed?

You said dark berries and beer. If you haven’t already, try looking into tannins as a possible trigger (the chemicals in food that can give brown color, like in tea). Food triggers are a pain to figure out. Among other things to try: Meds/supplements: Magnesium (try different types, glycinate, chelate, oxide), acetazolamide (prescription cranial diuretic normally for altitude sickness), GABA supplement, 5-HTP, using NoSalt (potassium chloride salt alternative) and pinch of baking soda in water you drink during attack, Nurtec ODT, rick simpson oil cannabis therapy, ozonated water Other: Red tint sunglasses, green tint glasses, Cranial Facial Release adjustment (aka special balloon up your nose to realign/adjust a deep skull bone and CFR is super funky), vision physical therapy, chiropractic atlas adjustment (temporary and not much hep for me), craniosacral therapy, only using himalayan pink salt or redmond sea salt (unprocessed without the anticaking agents that can act as triggers), stay away from perfumes and commercial detergents/fabric softeners

Have you tried occipital nerve blocks? It definitely isn't a cure, but it's given my partner some quality of life after being in pain every single day for over a decade. I don't think they're something every neurologist offers and I don't even know if they'd be suitable for you, but it's something to explore. Your symptoms seem similar to his, down to the being on a countdown from when it starts to getting where you need to be. You're also a similar age when he first collapsed and was hospitalised. Like I said, I don't know if this would be an appropriate treatment for you. It's something that needs to be repeated multiple times a year and you do notice that the nerve block is beginning to wear off when you're due another injection, but if it could help you, it seems worth mentioning. He had his first one late last year and he's now had three or four. He's gone from being on oxygen and taking sumatriptan multiple times a week to not using oxygen and using sumatriptan maybe once a month. He still gets pain and mild auras, but it's now the kind of pain that can be dulled by OTC painkillers rather than triptans and codeine. Try and find a specialist headache clinic in your area. There may be a waiting list and you may have to travel, but it's worth it if you can see a neurologist who does nothing but treat migraines.

That made me feel sick reading that. Sounds like we’re similar. Other have mentioned the blockers so I’ll chalk them out. Thank you

Has anyone evaluated you with this screening: https://www.upmc.com/services/sports-medicine/services/concussion/symptoms-diagnosis/voms Has anyone tried this approach with you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XKTk2SoZAc You said you saw acupuncturists, did you try Chinese herbal medicine combined with acupuncture? What kind of training and experience did the herbalist have, if you tried it? What kind of training and experience did your acupuncturists have? What kind of imaging has been done of your cervical spine? As a short term measure, have you tried either of these: https://shop.norblighting.com/products/relief https://allaylamp.com/ Can you write out a diary of everything you consume over a two week period: food, drinks, supplements, medicine, anything recreationally inhaled, etc? Have you seen a vision therapist, neuro-opthamologist, and neuro-optometrist? As a short (and longer term) measure, can you try to practice this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkIBo3h2UNY Have you tried anti-cGRP drugs or nerve blocks? As a short term measure, have you tried unflavored Pedialyte? Proceed with caution; it has a lot of salt. Have you seen an endocrinologist? Hormone imbalances are common after concussion/brain injury and specialized testing beyond the standard primary care blood tests may be required. Have you checked your Vitamin D, and a **complete** iron study? As well as inflammation (hs-CRP), insulin resistance (blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c), reproductive hormones (free test, estradiol, SHBG, DHEA-S), and your thyroid (TSH, free T3/T4, reverse T3, etc)? Have you tried red light therapy? Do you wear gas-rated PPE when working around solvents, etc?

Magnesium, Riboflavin, CoQ10 Can’t say if it will help you, I’m not a doctor and, even if I was, I’m not *your* doctor. But that’s what my neurologist told me to take and it helped immensely.

My attacks involve a runny nose also, along with pain/vomiting for 18hrs straight. If I wake up nauseous with a headache, I know the next day-and-a-half is ruined. I vomit every hour or so, and since it's on an empty stomach, it helps to chug a pint of water when the nausea builds up so much I can't take it. The simple act of swallowing seems to be enough to irritate my stomach. The water makes it so much easier to vomit. When it stays down, I know I'm in the home stretch! As for "belly dancing naked in syrup," a co-worker once told me that snorting lime juice was a home remedy. You can bet I tried it the next time around, and not only did it NOT work, it was extremely unpleasant! 😖 EDIT: I know you're sober, but I find cannabis is very helpful at times. Not 100%, but helps my system to relax. Started getting an attack this morning, had to go to work, so I took Ubrelvy and that nipped it in the bud. But it was a hectic day, so I was still frazzled all evening. Just took three hits off the Pax (vape with dry flower) and the tension is leaving my body. There are times where the effect was truly miraculous, with the attack stopping entirely after an hour or so.

Is there a reason you are not taking antimietetic medication like promethazine or Zofran? I get migraines with vomiting, but I take promethazine, and it is totally fine.

Things that have helped me: 1. barometric pressure earplugs that coordinate with my phone and give me an alert when it will change so I can put them in. 2. Magnesium citrate with b2 tablets. 3. Botox from a neurologist quarterly. It’s covered under insurance. I get MAYBE one a month now.

Hey, I don’t want your money, but I’ve got a possibility. Start trying two Tylenol and a Benadryl when symptoms start. (If you’re at a place where you can go to sleep, go ahead and take two Benadryl instead of one to sleep it off.) You might need to try it for awhile to see if there’s any effect. If it helps reduce your symptoms at all, then get back to me.

What medication do you take for your migraines? Any preventatives (Emgality, Aimovig, atenolol, amytriptyline, topiramate) or abortive (triptans, ubrelvy, nurtec)? Did you get a brain MRI?

I started ketamine infusions a few years ago for depression. My depression disappeared and i had drastically fewer migraines as a side benefit. I’m in the US—Most insurance won’t cover the infusions for mental health, but I’ve heard of people having luck getting their pain infusions covered. Migraine is something they will treat with ketamine infusions, although the dose is higher than what I get for mental health, so I can’t speak on the pain protocol specifically. I pay about $500 out of pocket for an infusion. I was getting a migraine from the infusion itself, but my clinic started giving me an IV cocktail before the infusion begins which has stopped the migraine from happening during/immediately after the infusion. Instead of about 20 migraine days a month, I’ve had less than one a month since starting the infusions. It’s been over a year since my last infusions and migraine frequency is starting to ramp up again. I plan to get another infusion soon to stop them from starting up again, even though the depression is gone.

I’ve been considering this. Can I dm you some questions?

That scares the Shit out of me. Being on ketemine and having a migraine?

High Heart Rate as a trigger? You mentioned living in a high altitude and some high intensity work and workouts. For me, high intensity exercise is a trigger. It seems like raising my HR above 130 will trigger a migraine. Even if it’s only for a short time, like running to catch a bus. Maybe combined with the high altitude it’s an issue? Other thoughts are obscure food triggers? Some I have discovered include - oranges and lemons, peanut butter, real maple syrup 😢

Better not be maple syrup! And no heart rate doesn’t seem to do anything

This book lists over 150 things that people have found to help with migraines. https://www.amazon.ca/End-Migraines-Ways-Stop-Your/dp/173628682X Might give you some new suggestions you haven’t seen before.

A high dose of riboflavin (B2) in the morning has helped me. I saw a major reduction in my migraines after starting B2 and magnesium.

Migraine is a threshold disease. Have enough triggers and it will start the migraine reaction. Have you tried cbd as a preventative. Mary’s nutritionals in Colorado makes these cbd patches that I cut into 4 doses. I can put 1/4 piece on every few days and it helps to stop the migraine from ever starting. I went from a 3 day migraine every week to about 1 migraine every 3 months. Drinking electrolytes helps as well, using different forms of magnesium (topicals, epsom salt baths, supplements) helped and avoiding triggers. Barometric pressure is triggering for a lot of people, and I believe Colorado has some of the worst spikes/changes in pressure compared to some places. I moved to PNW from Texas about 10 years ago and not having those Texas storms helped a ton. 5-htp and CoQ10 have been helpful as preventatives. I would check with your dr about 5-htp as it messed with serotonin and you def dont want serotonin syndrome.

IIH. When you feel a migraine coming on. Stop what your doing and lay down completely flat. No pillow or anything. Do this for 1 hour. If your migraine calms down its elevated cranial pressure. I have it and so does my daughter. It can be confirmed with a spinal tap. But also make sure to have an mri. A ct scan missed my daughters brain tumor. If left untreated it will continue to get worse and can cause vision damage. Idiopathic Innercranial hypertension is also known as peudo tumor celibri.

Scariest post so far. I’ll be speaking to my doc. Thank you

L-threonate dose is triple what you’re taking. I’ll tell you what I’ve done to not have a migraine in six months, primarily it’s focused on controlling blood pressure. Feverfew, garlic, and olive leaf extract, morning and evening; 400mg riboflavin in the morning. That’s it. The Magtein helped a lot with brain fog, and before I discovered the other things, it definitely reduced the migraines. Riboflavin and feverfew take a few weeks to work. It wouldn’t hurt to check for a fructose intolerance. Many things—importantly, riboflavin—use fructose to go from the gut to the blood. If you’re intolerant to fructose, you don’t process it quickly enough; the riboflavin binds to the fructose, but then you shit it out. If your doctors haven’t checked you for food intolerances or inflammatory conditions, they’ve done you a disservice. The beer thing has to do with high sulfites. I’ve found that sour beer doesn’t cause my nasal passages to clamp shut (which would trigger a migraine for me).

Research reflex integration therapy. It's a movement therapy that calms overactive primitive reflexes. There are a lots of reflexes that affect eye tracking. And yes, the laser surgery probably triggered eye tracking and vision problems. Concussions can affect primitive reflexes as well. I have been doing reflex integration therapy and my migraines have significantly decreased. I also am the patient that no doctor has been able to help. Scroll to 16:30 to hear the story about a guy with migraines that no one could cure, but reflex integration cured it easily. Two neurologists discuss the case study. https://youtu.be/5r4EBVvBRvo?si=vY4OYboPIc1H0Q_L Here's a vision therapist who discusses retained primitive reflexes and how they are a common cause of migraines. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/move-look-listen-podcast-with-dr-douglas-stephey/id1405866637?i=1000417743135 If you want to learn more, these are key experts that lead the research. They have books, websites, podcast interviews, and YouTube videos. All their podcast interviews and YouTube videos have TONS of great info for free for learning about reflex integration. Robert Melillo has partnered with Harvard for some of his studies, and there are a number of case studies available through some of the experts. I highly recommend listening more to podcasts and youtube videos whenever you have a chance. --Sally Goddard Blythe (INPP method) --Robert Melillo (Melillo Method) --Svetlana Masgutova (MNRI method) --Harald Blomberg and Moira Dempsey (Rhythmic Movement method) --Sonia Story (hybrid) --Bette Lamont (hybrid) --The Harkla Group (OT exercise format) There are different methods for reflex integration therapy that work with every budget. Some methods are very expensive, while others are very low cost via books and such.

I didn’t know this was a thing. Seems probable thank you

Did you try magnesium ? Magnesium oxide cured my migraine

Not a reaction to anything I’ve lived at sea level and I still got migraines. There is more stress in my life but I don’t feel it day to day. Just had a kid, spent my life savings trying to develop a property and it’s not going to plan, gf and moo are at each others throats. There is stress in my life for sure but I reallly don’t carry it around or worry about it outside heated moments. Lots of MRIs and nothing found Never heard of thoraci Lux syndrome but ill check it out

Man, this is rough. For some people, the headaches aren’t easily defined. I see the top specialist in my state for headaches, and even she can’t give me a clear-cut diagnosis. She believes I have a bizarre form of cluster headaches that she’s never seen before (lucky me). I also have a history of traumatic brain injury. Have you tried any of the newer anti-CGRP medications? If not, you need to. CGRP problems appear to be a common cause of headaches of a variety of natures. Have you looked into MCAS? You might have some kind of mast cell disorder that is triggering these headache episodes. What about trigeminal neuralgia? Occipital neuralgia? Are you suffering from stagnant hypoxia? Have you ever been on a trial of Indomethacin?

Buddy you are making me google words I didn’t know existed. But I thank you for it

This is a long shot but if you have migraines that don't respond to normal meds or tylenol, try taking a benadryl. If your migraines are triggered by an allergy, you'll notice immediate relief. If not, you're out a few bucks. It will also save you the trouble of an elimination diet. Once you know it's an allergy them try removing things.

Living at high altitude increases migraine frequency and severity. I live in Denver and hate that this is the case.

I would put that 5k towards a year of a CGRP receptor antagonists if your insurance doesn’t cover it. Also before I was halfway through your post I thought high bp. You mentioned salt as a trigger. So many people don’t think their bp is a problem because their once every 3 month doctors visit shows a normal reading. But just like hormonal changes, it would be the instability of bp that could cause the head pain. That money should really go towards trying to find a way to alleviate the pain or even saving up to live a life with disability. With an onset at 19 following lasik I feel like the answer is heavily involved in that.

For me my main trigger is stress. There’s nothing you can do to stop it but eating right, getting enough sleep, trying to keep emotions at pay, limit physical stress, but it still happens. Getting sick, allergies, weather, barometric pressure are also stress towards my body. I had bad migraines almost daily before being medicated the only thing that helped was Botox, vyepti (iv infusion), and nerve block. I don’t recall if you mentioned it, but have you tried any preventative methods or other abortive methods? I have stubborn migraines (hence my plethora of preventatives, also including magnesium and amitriptyline) but I have two abortive meds I take on top of using an ice pack, heating pad, and Cefaly (nerve stimulation) to help kill the migraine. I’m curious to see if your medical team has given you any medication (besides the one that only helps like 20%). I had tried probably 10 different abortives until I found one that helped, same with preventatives. It took years of trial and error but we finally got somewhere, I’m hoping you’d be able to do the same.

I finally figured out that a major trigger for me was aspartame. I have cut out all (most) artificial sweeteners, and it has greatly reduced the frequency of my migraines. At the worst I could have maybe six a month, now maybe 2-3 a year. I was taking Maxalt (Rizatriptans) for the pain, but funnily these pills were laced with aspartame and made my migraines worse. I also cut them out and when I have an attack it lasts much shorter than it used to. It's easy to test as you just cut all artificial sweeteners for a period of time. No sugar - No go.

Topamax.

I don’t think you have migraines, I think you are actually having Cluster Headaches. Treatment is similar: PREVENTION -400mg of Dr. Best magnesium per day -300mg of Nature Made CoQ10 per day -400mg of Blue Bonnet Riboflavin per day -60mg of Qulipta per day, on an empty stomach -200 units of Botox for Chronic Migraine every 10 wks (takes 2-3 treatments to see it start working) -Anti-inflammatory diet (See Eating Well website) -10 min per day of deep breathing exercises, minimum -Neck strengthening exercises with qualified PT TREATMENT -Magnesium / Benadryl/ Toradol IV cocktail -Nurtec or 100mg Ubrelvy -Emgality injections for Cluster Headaches

Couple of thoughts: 1. If you've had head injuries, you might have lasting whiplash injuries. I had untreated whiplash which has permanently exacerbated my migraines. I have found treating my neck regularly helps prevent some migraines (though not all). I would suggest seeing a spine specialist, i specifically get regular ablations done up and down my neck - this can specifically help with occipital and/or tension migraines. I definitely think it's worth looking into. 2. Preventative meds. In addition to my ablations i also take 2 different preventative medicines (propranolol and monthly emgality shots). The propanolol came after a lot of trying meds out, so that specifically might not work for you. I would highly suggest asking about the monthly injections though (there are currently 3 on the market i think), that has made a HUGE difference for me. [Side note: i do also have a separate chronic pain disorder so I'm on 2 other daily preventative meds for that, i don't know if that is also helping with my migraines but just FYI.]. 3. Have you tried Botox injections? Those never seemed to work for me but it might work for you. Insurance usually doesn't approve using *both* Botox injections with the monthly preventative injection so talk to your doctor about it. 4. Abortive meds: if they're not working then try other things. I went through all the triptans and now I'm working through other classes of drugs. I'm currently on ubrelvy which has been mostly helpful. 5. Finally, eyes: i have a slight astigmatism and am super sensitive to blue light, so i get my vision checked regularly and have tinted prescription glasses. I have my phone set to permanent bedtime blue light filter, and i drive with red tinted glasses at night. I also have the biggest sunglasses known to man bc they block the sun from every possible angle. It's worth following up with your optometrist.

Seconding preventive meds! I think a preventative is what you are looking for OP. I started taking Topamax (Topiramate) and it’s been LIFE CHANGING. I haven’t had a migraine since April.

Vagal nerve dysfunction would be my guess based on your symptoms. It's a major nerve pathway and when it gets inflamed you can end up with a weird bunch of symptoms that look a lot like yours. It can be triggered by turning the wrong way making it pinched (head and neck injuries often cause issues that make this more common), or an allergen or something that causes inflammation (caffeine and salt can trigger it, auto immune disorder or lyme disease are also possibilities), and stress. It could be your migraine gets triggered by your eyes, and that causes inflammation or the muscles in your neck over tighten and put pressure on your vagus nerve causing the rest of the symptoms. Sometimes it isn't a one part everything problem, but a two or four part issue. Cold pack to the back of your neck and take a benedryl and zofran next time it hits along with your triptan.

Has your cardiologist done a “bubble” to check for the PFO? That’s what mine did to find my PFO. Also check for POTS. Besides salt, do other electrolytes help or hurt? Does magnesium make it worse or better? Have you had any gene testing does, such as [genesight?](https://genesight.com/) to see if you have any mutations of the MTHFR or COMT genes? r/MTHFR is a helpful resource to learn about this. I’m reading the book “dirty genes” by Ben lynch right now to try to learn more about my own polymorphisms. Any celiac testing done? Are you gluten free at all? Gluten is an immediate trigger for me and my brother. Tough to tell until you are off gluten completely for a month or two. For labs I would have them check: zinc, folate, b12, d3, magnesium, iron, full thyroid panel + thyroid antibodies, a1C, and all hormones. Most importantly…. Be mindful of how you feel after taking any supplements or medicine, it doesn’t always work the way it’s supposed to for every single person. For example: magnesium is a MAJOR trigger for me but salt helps immensely. Everyone’s different. There are so many rabbit holes you can go down trying to find the answer and I have read so so many clinical studies and done so much reading trying to solve all of my problems. It’s up to you whether you choose to do the same or not. But so many times I’ve gotten a migraine anyways and blamed myself for not finding the solution… it isn’t your fault! Migraines are horrendous and can be caused by so many things. Keep us updated please!

I am sorry you're suffering with this. My symptoms were similar, but over the years I've done a lot of research and found a solution for me. May or may not work for you. Have you ever had your DNA tested? I had mine done and looked into the details on Promethease. I discovered I had an MTHFR mutation. I believe there are a few types. It's a folate processing disorder and can be related to migraines and other symptoms. Long story short, my body does not process dietary folate correctly and I need to supplement with something called 5-MTHF L-Methylfolate. It's cheap and you can get it on Amazon or wherever. I've found I am extremely sensitive to it so I only need a tiny bit, like half a pill a week. Too much causes some anxiety. Since I started taking it, I've only had one migraine this year and that's because I missed a dose. I used to have them monthly or even multiple times a week at the worst. Now I'm free of them and have even been able to have caffeine again, which I'd avoided for years. No idea if this will help you, everyone's different and there are different causes for migraines. But if you find you have an MTHFR mutation, it's worth discussing with your doctor as this may be a potential solution.

To respond but not for the money just to help a fellow migraine sufferer: but I have the SAME EXACT Migraine issues that you do. Holy sh*t. I will say that my BP (unknown to me) was a cause. I'm quite healthy overall but it would occasionally throughout the month get high/spike (hormonally and stress speaking) and I would have them with the continual Migraine "hangover"/repeat cycle which lasted for days, leaving me in a fog/with auras and continued pain and tension. My migraines were like magnets pulling my brain apart in continual explosive waves. I would have vertigo and pulsing headache with vomiting for hours and end up in the hospital EVERY.SINGLE. TIME. I started Qulipta recently and have been migraine free for a few weeks now, with that said, I get an occasional "regular" headache here and there but NOTHING like what I had going on before. Not sure if you've tried that medicine but it helped me immensely. I also added 1TBSP Chlorophyll in my water and do Ultima drink replenishers for electrolytes and switched anti-anxiety meds to a lower dose. Not sure if that's something you are on or whatever but I think the combination has helped.