Living with Migraines Series {Part 2}

I noticed several of my friends mentioning they have been suffering from migraines lately. Thankfully, I have not had one since July but I completely understand what they are going through.

Living With Migraines Part 2

Since I have not had a migraine in a while which is a surprise for me, I thought I would share what I have used in the past to ease the pain or to prevent them.  Sadly, the list is long and scary! It took me many years, to finally move closer to natural healing. Even now, there are times when I have to take something stronger.

The list starts from when I was first prescribed medicine and ends with the last prescription I was prescribed.

•  Fiorcet
•  Fiorcet with Codeine 
•  Naproxen
•  Inderal 
•  Toradol 
•  Darvocet 
•  Demerol shots 
•  DHE nasal spray 
•  Imitrex
•  Imitrex shots

I told you it was long and SCARY! Sadly, I used all of those different medicines within a 12 year period. When I was under the care of a neurologist while working to find a treatment that would work, he advised two things for me to try. The first thing he told me was to make sure I was not propping my head up on the arm of the sofa while watching TV or reading.  With the way the neck is being "misplaced" it brings stress to the area. During a migraine, the neck and spine need to be aligned correctly to help ease the stress that is going on. Lying flat is the best position while trying to recover. The second thing I was advised, drink lemonade at the onset and during a migraine.  It was not until I started making fresh lemonade that I started seeing a difference. Yeah, I was once a Country Time drinker!

 I still do not prop my head up in an odd position to watch TV and/or read. I sleep with a super soft goose down pillow to help with keeping my spine aligned.  If I have a migraine, I will sleep without it.

In the last year of taking the Imitrex shots, a lady I taught school with recommended a homeopathic spay for me to try. It was similar to MigraSpray and I bought it at Walmart; it was a green bottle with a yellow label. I can't find anything about it on the internet now, so there's no telling what it was or if it is still around.

Once I started using the forgettable name of spray, I also used aspirin to help alleviate the pain. Another friend explained why the aspirin helped ~ the blood vessels in area of the migraine were constricting and the aspirin helped the blood flow through the vessels. Aspirin doesn't always work, but it has helped with the pain in the past. Since aspirin can harm your stomach lining and other organs, it's definitely something I don't use very often.

In the last year, I have been reading up on herbal treatments for migraines. I have not used any so far, but I am planning on giving herbs a try within the next month or so. I will keep you updated on how that works for me.

If you missed the first part you can read Living With Migraines. I’ve also shared about Feverfew Tea for Migraines.