Chronic Migraine: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

How To Get Rid Of A Migraine:

how to get rid of a migraine

Herbal remedies for migraines like butterbur and feverfew may also help when dealing with migraines. Butterbur is beneficial for seasonal allergy symptoms, and feverfew ‘ an herb that prevents blood vessel dilation ‘ may help combat try what he says migraines, too. Chronic migraine sufferers know the feeling all too well ‘ that debilitating, hide-in-your-room pain that seems to always hit at the wrong times. Researchers are studying the role of serotonin in migraines.

Try meditation or deep breathing exercises to help you relax, since stress and muscle tension can make your migraine worse. You can also try placing an ice pack or a warm compress on your forehead or at the base of your neck. If you get migraines regularly, you can ask for a prescription such as an ergot or triptan medication, which may alleviate your symptoms. Read on for tips from our medical reviewer on when to seek medical help, such as if you experience a headache combined with a stiff neck or seizures. Your healthcare provider can help you identify your triggers.

how to get rid of a migraine

You can store info in a written journal, the Notes app on your phone, or via an app like Migraine Monitor. It’s not common, but exercise actually triggers headaches for some people. And see your doctor so they can make sure you don’t have another health problem. Devices that deliver electrical or magnetic stimulation to certain nerves or areas of your brain can help treat and prevent migraines. These neuromodulation devices modulate, or change, activity in your brain to stop pain signals. While they don’t work for everyone, they’re thought to be safe and cause few side effects.

There’s a strong genetic component, meaning people with migraines often have a parent, sibling, or child with the condition. People who menstruate are more likely to get migraines than people who do not. Cold therapy reduces inflammation and also slows nerve transmission of pain messaging so that your brain registers coldness instead of pain. Try using a cold pack product or a bag of frozen veggies. If you don’t have either of those, you can soak a towel in cold water, wring it out, fold it, put it in a plastic bag, and put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

It teaches you to control autonomic reactions to stress. During this therapy, electrodes are applied to your skin to monitor physiologic processes that change with stress, such as your heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension. The researchers concluded that yoga could be beneficial as a complementary therapy for treating such a good point migraine. You should also develop a support system to lean on when a migraine strikes. You may be limited in what you’re able to do while dealing with migraine pain, and support from others is a powerful coping tool. If you can’t get an appointment with your doctor, you may want to consider emergency or urgent care services.

When you get acupuncture, a trained practitioner inserts small needles into specific spots on your body. This is thought to boost blood flow and endorphins (chemicals your body makes to lessen pain). Biofeedback could reduce how often you get headaches, and how serious they are, by 45% to 60%. For some of these therapies, there’s scientific evidence that they can be effective. What’s more, you can generally use them along with migraine medicines for even better results. Migraines can be genetic, meaning you’re more likely to have migraines if you have a close biological relative, especially a parent or grandparent, with this condition.

Together you and your doctor can manage the disease of migraine. If you’d like to learn more about migraine, watch or other related videos or visit mayoclinic.org. With preventive treatment, we can reduce the frequency as well as the severity of attacks so that you’re not having attacks more than two times per week. However, for some individuals, despite preventive treatment, they may still have migraine symptoms more frequently throughout the week. If you have frequent migraine attacks, you’re all too familiar with the throbbing headaches that can wreak havoc on your day. Medications ease the pain for many, but they can sometimes be ineffective or overused or cause unpleasant side effects.

If you’re prone to them, cover your windows with blackout curtains during the day. You might also add anti-glare screens to your computer and use daylight-spectrum fluorescent bulbs in your light fixtures. The authors note that one larger study published since the 2004 review found 0.6 fewer migraine days per month in people who took feverfew versus a placebo.

If applying topically, always dilute with a carrier oil at a safe concentration. Acupressure involves applying pressure to specific parts of the body. The aim of stimulating these points is to alleviate pain. Massage may not be suitable if people have migraine and are sensitive to touch.

During a biofeedback session, you work with a therapist to manage stress using changes in your physiologic processes as feedback. According to the authors, many studies had a high risk for bias, and more high quality research is needed. If you need help finding a primary care doctor, then check out our FindCare tool here. If you’ve ever put an ice pack on an injury or a heating pad on a sore back, you know the power of temperature therapy. Here are 12 tips you can try to help treat your migraine early and keep it from getting worse.

Likewise, migraines are often triggered by a poor night’s sleep. The same is true for chewing your fingernails, lips, the additional reading inside of your cheeks, or handy objects like pens. Avoid crunchy and sticky foods, and make sure you take small bites.

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