Migraine Headache Relief – Ice is Nice
Sandra Aileen Greenberg asked:
I am a migraine sufferer and I have chronic migraines. I have had migraines since I was 17 years old. My mother had migraines, my grandmother had migraines, and I have two first cousins who have migraines. Migraine headaches are a genetic neurological disorder that has baffled doctors for decades. I have tried 33 different types of medication and none have made my migraines go away. I have been to the best doctors in the country and none could tell me that they could make me better.
One of the approaches neurologists, (headache specialists) have taken for people with severe migraines is preventative (prophylactic) medicine. These medications are taken daily for the purpose of reducing the frequency of recurring headaches. This medication was primarily used as a seizure medication. In addition to the use as a seizure medication, in 2004, Topamax was approved in the U.S. as a medication for migraine headaches. Topamax has also most recently has been approved for weight loss control.
Another popular approach is to abort the headache when you get it. People who have fewer headaches, do not want to take medication daily if they don’t have to. The most popular abortive medication would be pain killers, if not for the new Triptans (serotonin receptor agonists) that came on the market in 1992. The first Triptan was Imitrex, There are several different Triptans on the market that successfully treat different headache profiles. However, this medication is too new to know the long-term effects on its users.
However, on some days absolutely nothing works. The abortives, the painkillers, the darkroom, lavender pillows, the meditation music, the bio feedback that you learned, have not touched the pain cutting through your brain. I have four headband soft pack ice packs with Velcro that wrap around my head. Ice is Nice!
A doctor friend of mine explained that when you put the ice on your head, the message that is sent to your brain is that the ice is at the front gate, and the headache gets temporarily displaced. When I was in the Michigan Institute for Pain there was a lady with headaches so severe she never left the room. The only thing she ever found relief from was ice. She always had an ice pack on her head. It may be simple, but it works. Not a fix, just to break in the pain.
Peace and aloha to all my migraine soul mates.
Migraine Signs And Symptoms
I am a migraine sufferer and I have chronic migraines. I have had migraines since I was 17 years old. My mother had migraines, my grandmother had migraines, and I have two first cousins who have migraines. Migraine headaches are a genetic neurological disorder that has baffled doctors for decades. I have tried 33 different types of medication and none have made my migraines go away. I have been to the best doctors in the country and none could tell me that they could make me better.
One of the approaches neurologists, (headache specialists) have taken for people with severe migraines is preventative (prophylactic) medicine. These medications are taken daily for the purpose of reducing the frequency of recurring headaches. This medication was primarily used as a seizure medication. In addition to the use as a seizure medication, in 2004, Topamax was approved in the U.S. as a medication for migraine headaches. Topamax has also most recently has been approved for weight loss control.
Another popular approach is to abort the headache when you get it. People who have fewer headaches, do not want to take medication daily if they don’t have to. The most popular abortive medication would be pain killers, if not for the new Triptans (serotonin receptor agonists) that came on the market in 1992. The first Triptan was Imitrex, There are several different Triptans on the market that successfully treat different headache profiles. However, this medication is too new to know the long-term effects on its users.
However, on some days absolutely nothing works. The abortives, the painkillers, the darkroom, lavender pillows, the meditation music, the bio feedback that you learned, have not touched the pain cutting through your brain. I have four headband soft pack ice packs with Velcro that wrap around my head. Ice is Nice!
A doctor friend of mine explained that when you put the ice on your head, the message that is sent to your brain is that the ice is at the front gate, and the headache gets temporarily displaced. When I was in the Michigan Institute for Pain there was a lady with headaches so severe she never left the room. The only thing she ever found relief from was ice. She always had an ice pack on her head. It may be simple, but it works. Not a fix, just to break in the pain.
Peace and aloha to all my migraine soul mates.
Migraine Signs And Symptoms
Tags: Best Doctors, Bio Feedback, Doctor Friend, First Cousins, Headache Relief, Headache Specialists, Lavender Pillows, Meditation Music, Migraine Headache, migraine headaches, Migraine Sufferer, Neurological Disorder, Neurologists, Pack Ice, Pain Killers, Receptor Agonists, Recurring Headaches, Seizure Medication, Triptan, Triptans