I should also add that I've had SPEC and PET scans on my brain and they now show 4 'dead' spots in my brain. The doctors think they were caused by my migraines cutting oxygen off from these parts long enough where they no longer function...2 spots are in my temporal lobes and 2 in my frontal lobes....needless to say it has affected my personality and my ability to remember things....they just SUCK!

I've had migraines since I was 4 years old. I'm now 60 and are getting them 3-4 times a week. I've used just about everything available to slow down the number of headaches, sumatriptanes, anti-depressants, vitamin therapy, botox etc....other than painkillers, have you any suggestions? Mine are triggered by smells (perfume and diesel are the worst!), changes in temperature and air pressure and of course stress and others....Blessings to all! Lindaz

Definitely find a neurologist who specializes in migraines. I have them and my daughter has them. Food triggers for her are tomatoes and some citrus fruit, like clementines. Triggers for me are onions and coming off of caffeine, so I simply stay away from caffeinated drinks and chocolate. Most of our issues have to do with changing barometric pressure, so storms coming in can trigger for us....but how do you tell that a day and a half in advance when the headaches come? My daughter tried magnesium for a year and it did nothing for her. We've found that sometimes eating a piece of ginger will help, maybe 1 out of five times.

The hole in the heart (called a patent foramen ovale) is a cause of migraines and certainly should be ruled out when a person has migraines. (I wished I had one, then maybe my h/a's could be dealt with!!) Hubby had one and the "fix" is really simple--but his migraines continued.

We are more concerned about eating carefully, staying hydrated and I probably sleep more than you'd think was necessary for a 59 yo woman. I've tried almost every known pre-emptive move to ameliorate these horrible headaches and like one poster, I MISS the drug I took many years ago that simply knocked me out for about 20 hours. Sleep is the one thing that will always cure one.

My dr, too, scoffs at my h/a's, then says she has had maybe two in her whole life. So hence a trip to a NEW neurologist and more testing and more money to solve the (probably) unsolvable.

1Peanut--my heart aches for you. I too have thought that I can't live much longer with these. I also took and take care of my family, my home, my grandkids, etc., and I am not looking for sympathy. I just want these to stop.

Be sure to always ask about the association between heart issues and migraines if u have any flutters or headaches PLEASE have ur heart tested for a hole the hole will send blood lots to the brain and causes the migraines
Dr Bartoley Tupelo Ms is the one who asscoiciated migraines and hole on the heart he saved my life

I have vestibular migraine -- they come from the inner ear. I've had them for 30 years! At first I went to very specialized doctors trying all kinds of treatments, then became so disappointed I just thought I'd have to learn to live with them and then did not go doctors for that complaint for many years. However, a few years back I went to a neurologist. It was helpful. Now I follow up regularly. I was advised, actually, to start tai chi (inner ear controls balance) and take magnesium. I am very sensitive to humidity as a trigger. Of course wouldn't you know it, I moved down South. However, I look forward to starting to see a new neurologist here and have an appointment with her next month. I find by staying on top of it I also feel better in general. Otherwise I just "live with it" and that's not very hopeful because the situation doesn't tend to change.

Thanks all for info regarding food and migraines. I will definitely check into MIL's intake of foods to see if there are any triggers. A doctor's visit will be on the to-do list as well. Thanks again.

So sorry - not "distressing"!!!! DE-STRESSING!!!!!

This article appeared at the exact right time, as Mom's moderate dementia is increasing and I'm balancing her medical needs (I'm caring for her while living in her home full-time) versus mine. She has evolved into a new chronic condition, lymphedema in her lower legs as a reaction to Namenda XR, so I am learning about that condition while she is in treatment, and how to avoid/manage flare-ups of it afterwards (they have diagnosed her with chronic version due to poor circulation in lower legs, which the Namenda pushed into 2 swollen legs and feet the few weeks that she was on it/one of the side effects of it) while managing my own health conditions (migraines, depression, anxiety and chronic pain, which all interrelate).
Actually I now believe that having chronic pain(s) oneself is a blessing when caregiving, as it helps me understand more fully the whole lifestyle that I need to manage to stay as healthy as possible within reason for myself and also have enough knowledge to guide my Mom to keep a healthier daily schedule to manage/avoid pain and further complications. Also how to gauge her pain when it happens and figure out the best treatment at that time (for example, a lot of people will wait to take even a Tylenol until pain is really unbearable, versus taking the best medicine for the symptoms when the pain first comes on and lingers). Many people with dementia, I think, are doubly impaired in how they understand and also communicate their pain, which means being very familiar with their current status, and asking the appropriate questions to gauge where they're at physically with any pain and then understanding what they are trying to communicate, especially if they've never had a chronic pain/medical condition before in their life.
I agree with everyone on this forum: you have to take care of yourself, for yourself as well as for others. Sometimes that means finding a new headache specialist, or reading again newer findings on internet on headaches, or going to established headache websites for information, or simply starting the routine (AGAIN!) of healthier eating/sleeping/hydrating/distressing behaviors and sticking to it, as well as managing our stress (so much easier said than done!).

Triptans make mine worse. Best treatment was (and would still be if they used it) sleep therapy where they'd give a combination of drugs for a twilight kind of sleep/dozing for 12 hours. The headache would be gone. I won't go for treatment any more. They think you're drug seeking. *SMH* As it is now, constant yawning is a clue I'll have one the next day. Always light, sound, scent sensitivity. Also chills, sweats, frequent urination, diarrhea. Vomiting gets so bad, I'm afraid I'll stroke out.

Although I have found many doctors to scoff at one's own attempt to understand their own headaches - all most doctors want to do is try one drug after another, sedate a person and I feel like a rooming zombie. Men doctors seem to be the worst, some women too! I don't recall when I started having headaches, only with time for them to get much worse, oh and I do mean much worse. I don't use them as an excuse not to go to work and welsh on my taking care of my family. I have for years put up with the debilitating pain of hearing, fainting, lights, burning eyes, neck pain, hair hurts your teeth hurt and pain at the base of your skull they cause. The changes they cause in your moods, mannerisms and how you treat a person when you have these attacks. I can say I have managed to keep focus on my work and family. Had it not been for my son I would have said good-bye long ago. It’s been extremely hard, but I’ve done it stayed alive to watch him grow into a great son. What makes it bad for those of us that really do have this problem are the ones that fake it and take time off work just to stay home! There is no real test for the symptoms, pain level or debilitation of these attacks so it is hard to say who is having one and who is not. Everyone says that I’m faking it when in reality, when I have them sometimes they come and last for months on end. I wake up with them, I have them all day long morning noon and night and I wish sometimes I could drill a hole in my head just to relieve the constant pressure and pain, not just pain, but extreme pain that one can't describe! How does one describe pain, doctors all say on a scale of 1 to 10, one means nothing (pain at one makes you sad), pain is pain and 10 don't cut it when its everyday, day in and day out, neither does a number one. Sometimes I feel life isn't worth waking up for, is that a 10 or is it more? My family doesn't have a history of migraines - my son and I do have them, which leads me to believe they’re not hereditary. You say hereditary and OMG then everybody jumps on the bandwagon and all of a sudden they have them too! I must they say because it runs in the family. My husband has no headaches and he doesn’t know what it is to have a migraine all day long, every day from dawn to dusk. He does tell me, if he could take them from me he would so that I could be free of the pain they cause. It would be nice to find why some go thru this and others don't. I watched a movie years ago where natives operated on their tribes heads, with their drugs and opened up their skull to relieve the pain caused by headaches, only to leave the skull exposed and scar tissue to grow over that area. I can't find the film today. I wanted to learn more of what they did and why and if they cured the problem. Another migraine sufferer...

Tapping gave relief to a friend of mine who was suffering from migraines. Another name for it is EFT for Emotional Freedom Technique based on accupuncture meridians in the body. It simple and free and takes only a few minutes to do a round of tapping on points around your face, etc. You tube has many 5-10 minute videos on how to do a tapping round AND there is a free conference this week too online. Just google TAPPING for migraines, or pain, or anxiety (what I use often), or anger....actually anything--even phobias have been cleared. Hope this helps.

Good article. As a lifelong migraine sufferer, I can truly say they kind of take over my life at times.

SLEEP is crucial. I also watch MSG, nitrates, aged cheese, getting dehydrated, altitude ( hiking in our gorgeous mountains is a thing of the past) stress (most cannot be avoided)....at almost 60, I have finally decided to take care of myself and put myself first. This has been really hard for my kids (all grown and gone) to take in. I say no to them. I say no to hubby's requests and demands for things he can do himself. I'm working on getting over the guilt I feel for NOT being the 100% perfect "there" mom, wife and grandma. I HATE the way the triptans make me feel, so I am going to try Botox shots in my head and neck. Sadly, most of my kids have inherited these, so they "get it".

My mother quit having migraines at age 70. Maybe I can hang in for 10 more years!

Food can definitely be a trigger. Anything with aspartame gives me a migraine. There are quite a few "foods"known to trigger migraines.
I sometimes still get a migraine but I haven't had to take my migraine meds in weeks.

Excellent article. I was wondering though, if certain foods can trigger a migraine. I noticed there was mention of skipping meals, but my MIL is 87 and sometimes has severe headaches with dizziness, and sometimes not vomiting, but diarrhea. She doesn't actually skip meals, but sometimes I think it may be food related. Any thoughts?

Please be careful about migraines I had migraines that started in my mid 20s and became so severe as I aged they would put me down for a week after shots for migraines and not helping me at age 45 I couldn't maintain anymore. I started having TIAS and mild heart attacks when a cardiologist told me they may be associated with a hole in heart. Sure enough after testing me i had a hole in top atrium wall which nearly killed
Me. For the women, when they say we are missed diagnosed for heart trouble it is true

Migraines are often underestimated by those who have never experienced one. I suffered from migraines as a teen and young adult also. By the time I was 20, when one would strike it would be almost paralyzing with zero tolerance to any sound, movement or light. I never really had the opportunity in my work environment to just leave if they occurred during the day. And felt victimized when I began to feel the symptoms. Once home, I learned to try my best to sleep it off, rather impossible but I would try. Sometimes they would last for days. It became an obstacle at work and home, so I began to seek help. I remembered my mom suffering miserably with them and was determined that I did not want to repeat that cycle. At that time, there was very little treatment known, so into the books and research I dove. My decision several years later, despite the family history and the evidence pointing toward that influence, I chose to believe it was primarily stress induced. Triggers played a huge role, all the ones mentioned above and I began a focused effort to eliminate them one by one. I adapted a firm sleep and diet regimen. Quiet time and meditation became a regular practice. I learned to say no if I knew my schedule would be overburdened. Incorporated indirect and soft lighting within my home. By age 32 they were gone, and have never returned and I am disciplined about the changes that were made. I'm very empathetic to migraine sufferers and offer the encouragement to continue to seek treatment until you experience a method that offers relief.

wow- described many of the things I've experienced. I've actually felt a bit "guilty" saying I have a migraine, because I know many others suffer far worse. I did see my Dr about this last year when it became too frequent and the OTC meds weren't working, and he has prescribed a med that will head off a full attack, provided I take it in time. I am a bit foolish about taking them right away, thinking it will subside on it own (never does!) but I only get nine pills at a time so they're like gold, to me... Thank you for helping us understand this so well!

I had terrible headaches that I believe were migraines that started right after my friend's death. I was staying at his home when they began, and I suspected at the time, that the environmental change had caused my head to throb. But then, the headaches never stopped even when I went back to my own place. I couldn't believe this, it just went on and on. My place was so noisy and I wondered if the accumulation of noise pollution was the cause. I moved, and then, that's when the headaches stopped. Ultimately, the new place had terrible noise problems as well, including a blasting TV next door, but the headaches never came back. I have no explaination except to feel relief.

You mentioned a neck injury. I suffered with migraines and chronic headaches for more than 40 years. Several neurologists, CTs, and migraine meds for 30 years. The only thing that has helped was the chiropractor who determined a neck vertebrae was out of place, which I knew was where they started. It was the result of an tennis injury when I was 20! After several manipulations, the migraines have practically gone. I still have headaches, but nowhere near the severity or intensity. I also have connected headaches with weather changes. I have stopped taking topomax. It never really helped anyway, but my life is better now. I would have even tried acupuncture. Good luck.

This is a great article. Although constant migraines can hinder you from leading a good life, I found that soothing music can frequently help it subside.
That's part of the reason our company uses a music program for people with mental illnesses as well as dementia. Music a very powerful tool to combat many ailments.