What are some good remedies for migraines?

My partner suffers from migraines, any home remedies?

• my partner suffers from migraines constantly and has done since she was young. When it first got brought to the attention of the doctors they just said it was due to stress and she'd just have to live with it but after years of the constant pain i managed to convince her to go again and she has been put on some medication but she'll have to try alot of different ones to see which one works for her... this could take a long time meanwhile she's clutching her head like someone's drilling in the side of it and i feel helpless.... i was just wondering if anyone had any home remedies i could try while we wait. I know about putting them in a dark room, lots of water and look out for certain foods and drinks that can cause them but i mean like, i dunno, the smell of peppermint or something random that might help ease it? thank you. x

• Answer:

  Hi, I feel for her it's awful suffering from migranes! Firstly it sounds as if your partner is suffering from Cluster headaches, Cluster headaches begin unexpectedly. They're much more painful than migraines or any other type of headache. They're called cluster headaches because sufferers usually get one to three of these attacks every day, for several weeks or months, before they subside. A pain-free period will follow, which sometimes lasts months or years, before the headache attacks start again. Each cluster headache lasts between 15 minutes and three hours (but often less than an hour). They may start in the early hours of the morning and wake the person from sleep. Because of the intensity of the pain, some people will pace the room, rock, or bang their head against the wall out of frustration, restlessness and despair, this is how painful they are known to be! Plus they are common in Spring and Autumn for some reason so it could explain why she's feeling so bad. As you've already said dark room and lots of water, that's good advice, as her headaches are as intense as a migrane it's highly unlikely paracetemol and other painkillers available over the counter will work unfortunately, I would recommend in the mean time researching Sumatriptan. The drug sumatriptan (Imigran) is commonly used to treat cluster headaches. It works in a similar way to a brain chemical called 5HT. It causes your blood vessels to narrow, reducing bloodflow to the brain. Sumatriptan is usually given as an injection, which you can give yourself as soon as the headache starts. It works very quickly (within about 10 minutes). The adult dose in an injection is 6mg and you can take a maximum of two injections in 24 hours, as long as they're at least an hour apart. If an injection is unsuitable, sumatriptan or zolmitriptan nasal spray may be used. It's honestly worth looking into, I think you'd have to mention it to your doctor, it's worth a try. I would also recommend visiting a chinese herbal medicating centre. Research it on Google to find your nearest. Basically they can attempt to manipulate the muscles in your head and temple to prevent the onset of migranes, It's worth going a couple of times and you could go along to, you could pick up on the method and try to do it yourself when your partner gets a migrane, it will make you feel less helpless and will hopefully distract her away from the pain.Other than that there's not much you can do unfortunately, headaches are horrible things and the doctors are usually not very helpful as they are quite common and it's not normally known what can cause them! Another tip for you is when your partner feels a migrane coming on you could give her a back massage, this just basically gives her some pleasure, she probably wont forget about the pain of the migrane but it will help to help her relax, remind her that being tense will make the headache worse. When I get a headache I usually run myself a hot soapy bath, inhale the steam, drink a hot drink and have a nap. I'm sorry there's not a specific answer to your question but I hope I've helped and given you some ideas to think about.