I get migraines from stress that last for days at a time. How can I get rid of it when I have one?
461549
I just answered a similar question for someone else. I'll paste the answer below. Also...Excedrin now puts out "Excedrin Migraines". I've found that on the rare migraine I get now...it helps a lot! \n\nAnyway, here is how I finally stopped getting migraines so frequently:\n\nMigraines are caused by fluctuating hormones. I've suffered from them terribly! I finally found a doctor who gave me this advice...and it's very rare now that I get them! :)\n\nHe told me to stay away from the following foods for a week before my period is due..and until my period stops:\n\nOnions, caffeine, chocolate, red wine, cheeses, foods with electrolytes and nitrates (such as gatorade, bacon, ham, processed meats), nuts, dried fruit and yogurt.\n\nSounds like there is nothing left to eat..but you manage to find things when the alternate is those AWFUL migraines.\n\nI hope this helps you too!
181024
My migraines (fairly infrequent, thank GOD) are caused mainly by massive stress, flashing lights, or lack of sleep.  What you should really do is keep a headache diary - this is how I narrowed down my triggers.  Keep a notebook by your bed and every night before you go to sleep make a note of what you ate, your stress level, how you're sleeping, anything out of the ordinary.  You may find common threads.\n\nAs for while you're suffering - for me the trick is catching it early.  I have to take some sort of analgesic when I start getting the tunnel vision and the metallic taste in my mouth or I'm in for a world of hurt later.  If I don't catch it in time then keeping my hands extra-warm seems to help.  (I don't know why - I just go with what works.)\n\nMy best to you - I feel your pain.  My mother always said you should never hand a gun to someone with a migraine because they'd surely shoot themselves.
540954
this may seem unorthodox but the simple cure is to sit in a quiet place where you can quiet your mind. take slow deep breaths focusing only on the breath as you inhale and exhale. this is a simple method for quieting the mind as consequently releasing the stress which is usually responsible for the headache. Try it, you'll be surprised at the results!
630524
i suffer from recurrent migranes.  the medicine that dr.'s prescribe all will put you to sleep.  what i try to do is catch the warning signs.  slight headache, blurred vision, flashing lights in eyes, or dizzy.  and take a bc powder and 2 advil or 2 aleve.  some times it helps but not always.  if not get a cold towel lay in a cold quiet room, pray and try to sleep it off sometimes it takes a few days.  just try to watch what you eat, stay out of the sun.  and just try to see what may be causing them.  oh yaeh also try not to stress.  i hope i helped!
471027
the problem with getting rid of migraines is that they can be triggered differently from person to person.  sometimes they are triggered by stress, many times by food, or drinks.  i've know a few people that have had success by keeping a food diary, and noting when in that diary they've had a migraine.  often times you'll see a connection between certain foods, and migraines.  also be sure to stay well hydrated.  dehydration is a common trigger among migrain sufferers.  \n\na friend of mine found 1 method that helps with temp.  relief during a migraine.  he takes a migraine medicine, and fills up the tub with warm water.  then lays in the tub with just his face exposed.  the warm/hot water surrounding the head relieves some of the pressure while until the medicine kicks in.  i recommend doing this with supervision, so you don't drown.
1118183
FIRST BE AWARE OF THE SYMPTOMS BEFORE THE ACTUAL MIGRAINE BEGINS. TAKE YOUR PRESCRIBED MEDS AS DIRECTED. MAKE SURE YOU'RE IN A QUIET, PEACEFUL DIM LIT AREA. RELAX AND TRY NOT TO THINK ABOUT ANYTHING THAT MAY CAUSE ANY UNDUE STRESS. AND BY THE WAY STRESS PLAYS A BIG PART. DO KEEP BUSY WHEN YOU'RE FEELING BETTER, FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY FOODS THAT CAN ADD THIS SITUATION.
329229
Most headaches happen outside your skull, in the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles that cover your head and neck. Sometimes the muscles or blood vessels swell, which means they get larger. \n\nThey also can tighten or go through other changes that stimulate or put pressure on the surrounding nerves. The nerves send a rush of pain messages to your brain, and you end up with a headache.\n\nDifferent Kinds of Headaches\nThe most common type of headache is a tension, or muscle-contraction, headache. This happens when stressed-out head or neck muscles keep squeezing too hard. When you get this kind of headache, the pain is usually dull and constant. It might feel as though something is pressing or squeezing on the front, back, or both sides of your head.\n\nPain that's especially sharp and throbbing can be a sign of a different kind of headache called a migraine. Migraine headaches aren't as common as tension headaches, especially in kids, but they can still happen. Sometimes, just before a migraine happens, the person sees wavy lines or bright spots of light. This is called an aura. Also, people who get migraines often feel sick to their stomachs and sometimes throw up. \n\nWhat Causes Tension and Migraine Headaches?\nSometimes a headache is just a part of another illness, such as a cold or flu or strep throat. When you get better, the headache gets better, too. If you're not sick, other triggers may cause a headache. For example, staying up too late, skipping a meal, or playing in the hot sun too long can set off a headache. \n\nExcitement about a special event or worry about something (a school exam, for instance) can also cause headaches. Some people get headaches from riding in a car or bus or from straining their eyes by spending too much time watching TV or using a computer. \n\nStrong odors, such as perfume, smoke, fumes, or the smell of a new car or carpet, can start a headache. \n\nSome foods can cause headaches in some kids, such as bacon, bologna, and hot dogs. The caffeine in sodas, chocolate, coffee, and tea may cause headaches, too. Kids don't need caffeine, so it's a good idea to limit it in your diet. \n\nSometimes no one knows why a kid gets headaches, but if you get them, chances are someone in your family gets them, too. The tendency to get headaches is often inherited. In other words, it runs in the family.
615140
A type of migraine.  These can be horrible, I have them a lot.  They can be caused by many things, foods, stress, chiropractic spinal issues, etc...talk with your doctor about the best thing to do for them.
1101785
Yeah, I get them! I found a medication that works for me. It's called Amerge and is from the triptan family that Imitrex is from (though imitrex did NOT work for me). I suggest you keep a diary for a few months. Write down what you eat, what your activities are, and if you come into contact with strong perfumes, etc. Also record your migraines with time, strength, duration, symptoms, etc. Often people have more than one type of migraine. This will help you figure out what triggers your migraines. Take the journal to your physician!!!
855557
I feel your pain... literally. I get the worst migraines. They started when I was in 5th grade, but they went away until i got into high school and were about 5x as intense. \n\nWhen I get a migraine I can't move. It really messes with my brain and I can't remember simple things like my home phone number or how to get house from school. I need complete silence and darkness. I usually spend the day lying on the cold bathroom floor (the cool tiles feel good on my hot head plus I usually spend most of the day throwing up, so it's pretty convenient).  When I started having migraines that lasted for 3 or more days they made me get a CT scan. It didn't show anything, and they still haven't found a medicine that works for me. \n\nSo sorry, I can't really offer any advice on how to make your migraines better, because I'm still having that problem myself. Well, I guess the best advice I can give is to talk to your doctor about different medicine's you could be taking. Once you find the right medicine, you can control your migraines and your life will get back to normal. At least, thats what I keep telling myself....
686510
If you can get away. . .a dark room with no noise.  There are many prescription drugs to deal with migraines, but I have luck with an aspirin based over the counter medication, and at least an hour of QUIET and DARK.  Try to catch them early, before they knock you down.  I sympathize.
740014
as for the pain in your head it could be migraine brought on by stress and the paranoia you need to see a psychiatrist and need to be prescribed anti psychotic drugs like lithium then the headache will subside and also the paranoia
584815
I suffer from a couple migraines about once every month.\n\nWhile the exact cause of migraine is not known, most experts agree that migraine pain is caused by swollen blood vessels around the brain and certain nerves in the brain. However, certain "triggers" may bring on an attack. The most common are: \n\nFatigue - from too much physical activity, lack of sleep, or too much sleep \n\nStress - periods during or after stressful situations \n\nSome foods and beverages - particularly foods containing nitrites or monosodium glutamate (MSG); foods and beverages containing aspartame, an artificial sweetener; chocolate; aged cheeses; and alcoholic drinks \n\nCaffeine withdrawal - caused by dramatically cutting back or stopping your caffeine intake altogether. Common foods containing caffeine are coffee, tea, and some soft drinks. \n\nMenstruation - relating to changes in hormone levels at the time of a woman's period \n\n\nhttp://www.webmd.com/content/article/96/103883.htm
450969
Before let me to tell you I'm sharing your same discomfort with headache.\nYou should really go to your doctor and stress out that your problem is loweing your life quality as I seem from your words. He has to prescribe you a drug for the pain relief.\nI don't know what kind of headache you are suffering of but as I know if you suffer of migraine you can discuss with your doctor about the opportunity to take Triptans, such as sumatriptan, zolmitriptan (these drugs help to prevent migraine attacks). During acute attacks you can take a drug that belongs to NSAID like ibuprofen.\n\nMeanwhile there are simple steps you can take to prevent headache.\n\nDont' miss a meal, don't drink much coffee and alcool, don't eat much of preserved meats and foods containing monosodium glutamate (low fat and no fat milk products often include milk solids that contain MSG as drinks, candy, and chewing gum) \n\nMoreover it's important to stay away from stress and to sleep enough. Important is also to keep a correct posture especially for neck pain and to do regular exercises\n\n\nRegardin both headache and neck pain, you can try massage too; someone gets benefit from this\n\nHope this help\n\nCris
702647
Caffeine is a migraine's best friend. One jolt of caffeine and a migraine can last for hours. It won't do much for the sufferer.
318750
Cut down on the caffeine and alcohol, drink more water, get regular sleep, eat a healthy balance of foods.  If absolutely necessary, do not exceed the recommended dose of an OTC pain killer such as Tylenol, asprin or Advil.\n\nFor migraines, what has helped me is taking magnesium supplements (a magnesium deficiency causes the same symptoms as those by a migraine) and seeing a chiropracter.
710416
You feel a headache coming on, so you reach for a pain reliever. Or maybe you take pain medication in advance — even every day — to stave off frequent headaches. After all, that's what pain relievers are for, right?\n\nThink again.\n\nPain relievers offer quick relief for occasional headaches. But there's a limit. If you find yourself taking pain medication more than two or three days a week, you may actually be contributing to your headaches rather than easing them. It's a cycle known as rebound headaches.\n\nThe cycle starts when you take too much headache medication — more than the label instructs or your doctor prescribes. Soon, your body adapts to the medication. You may not even realize that you've been dosing yourself too often until you miss a day and your head starts to hurt again — sometimes more intensely than before.\n\nThe only way to stop rebound headaches is to reduce or stop taking the pain medication that's causing them. It's tough, but your doctor can help.\n\n\nNEXT: Signs and symptoms  ARTICLE TOOLS \n Print this section | All sections \n Larger type \n \n\n    more information     Rebound headaches — also called medication overuse headaches — tend to occur every day, sometimes waking you in the early morning and continuing throughout the day. The pain may be most severe at first, when the medication begins to wear off.\n\nSometimes, a rebound headache causes dull, achy pain. In other cases, the pain may be throbbing or pounding.\n\nYou may notice other signs and symptoms as well, including:\n\nNausea \nAnxiety \nRestlessness, irritability and difficulty concentrating \nMemory problems \nDepression Nearly any pain reliever can contribute to rebound headaches. But some medications are more likely to lead to rebound headaches than are others.\n\nSimple pain relievers. Common medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) may contribute to rebound headaches — especially if you exceed the recommended daily dosages. \nCombination pain relievers. Over-the-counter pain relievers that contain a combination of caffeine, aspirin and acetaminophen (Excedrin, others) are common culprits. This group also includes prescription medications such as Fioricet, Fiorinal and Esgic, which also contain the sedative butalbital. \nMigraine medications. Various migraine medications have been linked with rebound headaches, including ergotamine (Ergomar, others) and triptans (Imitrex, Zomig, others). Interestingly, the ergot dihydroergotamine appears to have a lower potential for leading to this problem. \nOpiates. Painkillers derived from opium or from synthetic opium compounds include combinations of codeine and acetaminophen (Tylenol with Codeine No. 3 and No. 4, others). These can lead to rebound headaches as well. \nDaily doses of caffeine — from your morning coffee, your afternoon soda, or any pain reliever or other product containing this mild stimulant — may fuel rebound headaches as well. Read product labels to make sure you're not wiring your system with more caffeine than you realize.\n\nTrouble sleeping Anyone who has a history of migraine headaches, tension-type headaches or other chronic headaches is at risk of developing rebound headaches from the overuse of pain relievers.\n\nRebound headaches aren't typically an issue for people who use pain medications on a daily basis to treat conditions such as arthritis\nTreatment\nTo break the cycle of rebound headaches, you'll need to restrict how much pain medication you use. Depending on what drug you've been taking, your doctor may recommend stopping the medication right away or gradually reducing the dose until you're taking the drug no more than twice a week.\n\nStopping pain medication isn't easy. Expect your headaches to get worse before they get better. You also may experience withdrawal symptoms such as nervousness, restlessness, nausea, vomiting, insom