Opinion Migraines- How to alleviate them when your Doctor won't help

[KeirenReine]

I been having migraines for years but since being on BC for womanly issues I won't discuss haha, if you know you know, it had increased like 2-4x a month sometimes more depends on the seasons, weather, stress, everything!

So far this week/end I've had 2. Though the last one was also brought on by grief/stress. But I have to resort to easily purchasable painkillers but they are starting to not work as I am getting too immune to them.
I also use ice packs as well, baths if needed, Tiger Balm sometimes helps it but it burns so gosh darn much on your forehead haha but it smells great, tried vicks vapour-rub for the same effect as well. I even have lavender oil, peppermint tea etc. Music sometimes helps but not always and not all the time the light hurts.

What are some remedies? Aside from getting another doctor, since we are strapped for doctors here sadly we have to take what we can get.

 

[peritwinkle]

BC should normally not have side effects of that extent. I have had to change doctors 6 times in order to find one who actually diagnosed me properly and gave me a BC pill that was suitable for me. My only advice here is to change doctors if the one you're currently under does not acknowledge the severe side effects of your medication.

 

[KeirenReine]

BC should normally not have side effects of that extent. I have had to change doctors 6 times in order to find one who actually diagnosed me properly and gave me a BC pill that was suitable for me. My only advice here is to change doctors if the one you're currently under does not acknowledge the severe side effects of your medication.

I've been taken off BC since I was on many of them all different strains and doses before being taken off from being on them for over 10+ years. He was worried about me having a stroke or something from them due to the types of migraines. But didn't give me anything to alleviate said migraines. Can't swap doctors here sadly as well as we are low on them and most are too old to take on new patients. But for him to do anythign we have to fight with him even just to get me bloodwork done (which always shows nothing abnormal sadly).

 

[peritwinkle]

I've been taken off BC since I was on many of them all different strains and doses before being taken off from being on them for over 10+ years. He was worried about me having a stroke or something from them due to the types of migraines. But didn't give me anything to alleviate said migraines. Can't swap doctors here sadly as well as we are low on them and most are too old to take on new patients. But for him to do anythign we have to fight with him even just to get me bloodwork done (which always shows nothing abnormal sadly).

That sounds absolutely awful. Unless you're very financially limited, maybe travel to another city for a new doc. That's what I did. 3 different cities, hours and hours away, until I eventually found the one, it took years for me as well. Migraines are a very difficult territory. You do need to find someone else.

 

[KeirenReine]

That sounds absolutely awful. Unless you're very financially limited, maybe travel to another city for a new doc. That's what I did. 3 different cities, hours and hours away, until I eventually found the one, it took years for me as well. Migraines are a very difficult territory. You do need to find someone else.

Yep, kinda limited as of right now Not even sure if work is going to give me much in the way of shifts once back permanently in the office either D:
plus it takes eons just to go and see him in general. May have to make an appointment to see him about other issues with being taken off BC. As a child I had that monthly bs early (11 years old) and may have pcos or early endo idk. but that was why after so long I think 17 maybe 16 I was finally allowed on the pill. It took those symptoms away but now that I am off for 2 years again now, symptoms are resurfacing. He did say to go see him if that happens.

 

[peritwinkle]

I have PCOS. They told me not to go off the pill unless they stop working or I notice any side effects. Going off them for me was the worst mistake and only lasted one month before I was convinced I cannot work without them.

This is your call, but if you value your health and your doc is refusing to run the tests necessary to fix your problem, then my point stands.

 

[KeirenReine]

I have PCOS. They told me not to go off the pill unless they stop working or I notice any side effects. Going off them for me was the worst mistake and only lasted one month before I was convinced I cannot work without them.

This is your call, but if you value your health and your doc is refusing to run the tests necessary to fix your problem, then my point stands.

The main issue is we need more doctors here but 9/10x they stay a few months and then leave for another part of the Country. This is the 4th doctor I've had. Our last one was also not helpful on the Migraine stuff but wouldn't blink at the opportunity to have me go for bloodwork lol I also hate bloodwork/needles D: my body hates it too as my Nan has had to pick my limp body up off the floor before. But my boss also has migraines and she is prescribed Maxalt which seems to work so I am trying to see if I could somehow get on that |D, I don't need BC really as I am not active in that aspect. But if there are other alleviation. Also can;t afford to travel to even look at someone on the mainland either. The plus side though is a friend's brother's fiance is now a certified Doctor. So maybe she will be a family doctor soon.

 

[Crayons]

OK I have chronic migraines - I had a constant migraine for literally the whole of April - so I can give you a bit of advice I hope.

Firstly: You should be able to use progesterone-only birth control. It is the pills with oestrogen that have negative possible consequences for migraine sufferers. This could be mini-pill, implant or IUD. It might even stop you having periods and therefore stop your migraines if migraines are related to your menstrual cycle.
Secondly: Try out different painkillers. I'm allergic to codeine so I can't take most of the hardcore painkillers, but you could give ones with codeine and caffeine (if caffeine isn't a trigger for you).
Something that works for me if migraine is mild is to use 900mg dispersible aspirin dissolved in a can of coke (MUST be full sugar, full caffeine coke).
This is kinda obvious but a cold wet cloth is great for relief.
I have also heard that you can try taking magnesium supplements but not tried this myself. Worth a shot though.
A friend of mine recommends eating watermelon but idk if this works. I like watermelon so it's not a hardship for me to eat it. XD
Cut down your screen time and use a screen colour shifting program like F.lux which will help you avoid staring into bright blue lights which are a common trigger.
Use dark mode on all your devices if you can.

My main point, and I cannot stress this enough, is if migraines are severe, causing you to miss work and lie around in terrible pain you NEED to see a doctor. If your doctor is giving you shit about medications you have to be assertive and not let them bully you. Demand it. IDK what the healthcare situation is in your country but the doctors may be incentivised to not prescribe you medicine. Be the Karen you need to be, take someone with you for support if you feel more confident.

Ask (or demand) your doctor if you can try sumatriptan. Triptans are a really good migraine reliever (you take one when you have a migraine and it should stop it.) There are lots of different ones, I tried three before I found one that works for me. My problem with it is that you can only use it ten-twelve days a month which isn't enough for me, but might be for you. They usually start with sumatriptan as it's the one that most commonly works, but if you are finding that migraines are related to your menstrual cycle the best one may be frovatriptan.

There are also a BUNCH of different prescription medicines you can try if those don't work. Which you can also demand your doctor tries. Beta blockers are a common one, but there are all sorts.

Here is a useful website that may help you: The Migraine Trust - a patient focused, research driven UK charity

Good luck, Migraines are the effing pits.

EDIT: Keep a migraine diary so that you can track what your triggers are, keep an eye on how often you get them and also show it to your doctor to prove that you need help.
EDIT 2: Make sure you are drinking enough water.
And ... turn the font sizes up on all your devices. Staring at tiny letters is awful.

 

[welian]

Now, I'm no expert since I don't get migraines often, but I've heard that some people swear by acupunture or chiropractics for migraines. Is it possible that introducing some physical therapy into your lifestyle could reduce your symptoms?

For me personally, I have a routine of instant ramen and either a can of Coke/Pepsi or a hot coffee. Something about the caffeine, salt, and sugar combo really helps take the edge off.

 

[KeirenReine]

OK I have chronic migraines - I had a constant migraine for literally the whole of April - so I can give you a bit of advice I hope.

Firstly: You should be able to use progesterone-only birth control. It is the pills with oestrogen that have negative possible consequences for migraine sufferers. This could be mini-pill, implant or IUD. It might even stop you having periods and therefore stop your migraines if migraines are related to your menstrual cycle.
Secondly: Try out different painkillers. I'm allergic to codeine so I can't take most of the hardcore painkillers, but you could give ones with codeine and caffeine (if caffeine isn't a trigger for you).
Something that works for me if migraine is mild is to use 900mg dispersible aspirin dissolved in a can of coke (MUST be full sugar, full caffeine coke).
This is kinda obvious but a cold wet cloth is great for relief.
I have also heard that you can try taking magnesium supplements but not tried this myself. Worth a shot though.
A friend of mine recommends eating watermelon but idk if this works. I like watermelon so it's not a hardship for me to eat it. XD
Cut down your screen time and use a screen colour shifting program like F.lux which will help you avoid staring into bright blue lights which are a common trigger.
Use dark mode on all your devices if you can.

My main point, and I cannot stress this enough, is if migraines are severe, causing you to miss work and lie around in terrible pain you NEED to see a doctor. If your doctor is giving you shit about medications you have to be assertive and not let them bully you. Demand it. IDK what the healthcare situation is in your country but the doctors may be incentivised to not prescribe you medicine. Be the Karen you need to be, take someone with you for support if you feel more confident.

Ask (or demand) your doctor if you can try sumatriptan. Triptans are a really good migraine reliever (you take one when you have a migraine and it should stop it.) There are lots of different ones, I tried three before I found one that works for me. My problem with it is that you can only use it ten-twelve days a month which isn't enough for me, but might be for you. They usually start with sumatriptan as it's the one that most commonly works, but if you are finding that migraines are related to your menstrual cycle the best one may be frovatriptan.

There are also a BUNCH of different prescription medicines you can try if those don't work. Which you can also demand your doctor tries. Beta blockers are a common one, but there are all sorts.

Here is a useful website that may help you: The Migraine Trust - a patient focused, research driven UK charity

Good luck, Migraines are the effing pits.

EDIT: Keep a migraine diary so that you can track what your triggers are, keep an eye on how often you get them and also show it to your doctor to prove that you need help.
EDIT 2: Make sure you are drinking enough water.
And ... turn the font sizes up on all your devices. Staring at tiny letters is awful.

I use Migraine Buddy haha, so whenever I do see him I can whip it out *snort* and be like SEE! I get them for numerous reasons, weather, air pressure here is terrible. Usually above 1000. But I do get them from periods as well most of the time. but also from work as the office lights are murder. I been struggling with them since my teens and am 30 now at this point. I have to have estrogen-basec Bc for them to work to regulate my periods sadly. I've tried ones without before.

 

[KeirenReine]

Now, I'm no expert since I don't get migraines often, but I've heard that some people swear by acupunture or chiropractics for migraines. Is it possible that introducing some physical therapy into your lifestyle could reduce your symptoms?

For me personally, I have a routine of instant ramen and either a can of Coke/Pepsi or a hot coffee. Something about the caffeine, salt, and sugar combo really helps take the edge off.

I have an ample supply of caffeine |D be it coffee/tea. I try not to have pop as I get hooked on it too quickly (pepsi ftw though).
The pills I take are brought over from the US since Canada doesn;t have Excedrin. But it has caffeine in it and is a NSAID

 

[welian]

Canada doesn;t have Excedrin

That's terrible! We should set up a drug running ring to get you a steady supply!

 

[KeirenReine]

That's terrible! We should set up a drug running ring to get you a steady supply!

When there was the "Head-on apply directly to forehead" there was a migraine one and it darn well worked like wonders! WONDERS I TELLS YA!

 

[KeirenReine]

Hello there
There isn't much that I can add to what was already said, but seeing a specialist is definitely necessary. May I ask if you are seeing a gynaecologist? I have no idea how it works in Canada, but our National Health System is similar to UK's NHS, so whenever someone is in need of specific treatment they normally send us to a specialist paid by our health system. Getting such migraines that unfortunately don't allow yourself in order to work properly is a situation that definitely can't happen, much less if it is because of side effects of bc (which, as aforementioned, should not happen, as they are extremely rare).
Also, talking to your family doctor is also important, because said migraines might actually not be caused by bc, but by another inherent problem. For instance, when I started taking bc pills, I thought that the abdominal pain that I was feeling was connected to them, but, in fact, it had to do with the consumption of red meat.
Something very important as well: talk to your doctor before starting any type of medication, even medication that doesn't need to be prescribed. My mum, for instance, was taking a non-prescribed medicine that was messing up her hearth rhythm, when taking alongside with her normal hearth medicines. Not making any comparisons, but it is overwhelming the number of pet owners that come to our university's veterinary hospital after self-medicating animals. So, talking to a doctor about the possible medication is always the best option.

Btw, about the beta-blockers: they might take a bit of time working because you are basically altering neuronal pathways by taking them, so your brain needs time to adapt to them, and when on them, it is not recommended the intake of caffeine.

Nope I don't have one of those as of yet, I'm not nor ever have been active. But I have taken Gardisol before as my first doctor recommended it to prevent Cervical cancer and who boy they were a doozy. I don;t do well with needles at all. And this had 3 needles within 6 months I think. First 2 I didn;t pass out etc but. If I take something sweet with me (which isn;t allowed in doctor offices now which is bs) ie, iced coffee and sip it I sometimes can counteract the shock that my body goes through from my fear. Not with that one. LOL My nan went with me for all 3 needles and any and all needles, even the flu shot, blood work etc. and the 3rd gardisol needle. I did not feel right at all. I had a Tim's iced capp with me. Nan had to go to the bathroom so I followed her and leaned against the wall but as she was in a stall, I blacked out. She went to sit me up, iced capp was everywhere LOL, but I kept blacking out and waking up and blacking out and waking up. For a solid like 20 minutes. Also scared to have people go diggin around there yaknow D: *self-esteem issues*

 

[welian]

I blacked out.

I'm not the only one with vasovagal syncope when the nurses come near me with the flu shot?!

 

[KeirenReine]

I'm not the only one with vasovagal syncope when the nurses come near me with the flu shot?!

Flu shot is finally getting better, i bring iced coffee, music, look away always, and sit for 10 minutes after and take off my sweater etc and go outside into the cold to walk to the car and roll down the car windows, also bringing someone who can drive you bum home in case! Bloodwork though omg RIP

 

[welian]

You clearly must be one of my sisters!

 

[lnbb2rptj6]

You might like a topical with capsaicin in it, those tend to be very warming instead of very cooling. Be careful with repeatedly applying those though, especially something with methyl salicylate/eucalyptus/wintergreen oil, as they can severely poison you if enough is soaked into your skin over the course of a day. Most of them can, eventually, but those in particular are much less forgiving than the others.