I have been suffering from migraines since I was in college. For most of my adult life, the migraines would come and go with no memorable pattern or consistency. I would hole up in my dark bedroom, a place I often referred to as the "cave," and hide out in agonizing pain for a few days until the migraine passed.
Then, in 2001 I moved to Washington, DC, and my migraines slowly increased in frequency and intensity. In 2004, I was finally officially diagnosed with migraines and given triptans to stop them once they started. The triptans were great. I would pop one and within an hour my migraine would disappear. Unfortunately, the frequency and intensity kept increasing, despite the use of the triptans. I ended up going on Topamax as a preventative treatment, which worked great for a while. However, eventually, I was back to almost daily migraines even while on Topamax.
During this time period, I also began what I refer to as the migraine diet. I based it mostly on a book, called "Heal Your Headache" by Dr. David Buchholz, and a handy list from the folks at Berkeley (see link below). I stopped drinking caffeine (and even decaffeinated) beverages, as well as alcohol and citrus juices. I avoided chocolate, MSG, bananas, nuts, yogurt, aged cheeses, too much dairy, etc. I stopped overusing the triptans to eliminate the rebound headaches. But, nothing ever seemed to work on a consistent basis. Each tactic would work for a month or so, and then I would be back in the same position of the chronic daily migraines.
When I moved to London in March, I had just had one of the worst years of migraines of my life, all while following the migraine diet and taking Topamax. I stopped taking the Topamax just before I moved to London, because it wasn't working anymore and the side effects were out-weighing the benefits at that point. I knew I was taking too much of the triptans, but I had to balance out how much I took versus the need to function on a daily basis. It's not like I could call in sick to work every day. I had to be able to function on some minimal level.
After a couple of rough patches this summer, I ended up going to the Migraine Clinic of the City of London. I figured if someone could help me, they could. It turns out they gave me one of the keys to the four-pronged approach I am now using to prevent migraines. As a part of my initial exam, the doctor went through my history with migraines and asked me all kinds of questions, such as when I usually got them (I wake up with them), when I eat, how much I eat, etc. She said that they now believe that people who wake up with migraines get them because their blood sugar levels dip too low over night. She suggested that I eat smaller meals and snack throughout the day instead of just having three larger meals. I decided to give that a try, while still following the migraine diet of foods and beverages to avoid. I have to say that in addition to helping with my migraines, I actually feel better all over my body. It's amazing how much better life is when you are not hungry all the time.
In addition to eating more frequently, I started going to a chiropractor. She doesn't just do the adjustments that chiropractors are known for, but she also does a lot of soft tissue work on me, massaging knots out of my muscles, putting pressure on pressure points to relieve the tension, etc. When I first saw her, I went three times a week. Then we tapered down to two a week, and now we're at once every couple of weeks. Since going to the chiropractor, my posture has improved, my neck and shoulders aren't constantly sore from built-up tension, and my headaches have gotten better.
The final, and by far the most difficult part of my four-pronged approach, is that I stopped taking all medicines for my migraines and headaches. No more triptans, Tylenol, Aleve, or Advil. It was difficult at first as my body went through withdrawal from the medicines and I was rebounding like crazy. But after a tough first few weeks, I began to see results with the migraines decreasing in frequency.
It's really helpful to have someone with you who supports the decision not to take any meds. My husband is onboard with this program and is such a great support. When my head is pounding so hard that I can hardly see straight, I always ask him if I should take some medicine. Intellectually, I know I shouldn't, but emotionally, when I am writhing in pain, it's a little harder to convince myself not to go for the easy fix. When he reminds me of the plan and holds me through the pain, I know I can make it.
I still follow the migraine diet, but after some trials have been able to eat a few of the previously prohibited items from the list. For example, I can now eat nuts, which is really a big help since I am eating more often now. A handful of nuts for an afternoon snack really seems to help me keep my blood sugar levels stable.
I believe that any one of the above approaches would not have worked had I done them in isolation. However, doing them in combination has finally given me relief from the chronic daily migraines. I still get them occasionally, but they are now the exception and not the rule. For the first time in years, I am feeling like a normal, healthy person.
If you suffer from chronic migraines, try all of these at once and give yourself a month or so for it to work:
- Eat about every 3 hours and never let yourself get very hungry,
- Follow a migraine diet (for a good concise plan, see http://uhs.berkeley.edu/home/healthtopics/pdf/triggers.pdf),
- Go to a chiropractor who will help you relieve the years of tension built-up in your neck and back, and
- Stop taking any medicines when your head hurts.
