Persons suffering from migraine attacks may benefit from taking preventive medications to lessen attacks. These may include seizure medications, blood pressure pills and antidepressants. Also new injectable drugs like Erenumab (Aimovig), Fremanezumab (Ajovy) and Galcanezumab (Emgality) have proven successful at reducing migraine days significantly.
Other preventive approaches include keeping a diary and taking supplements like riboflavin, magnesium, feverfew or butterbur, coenzyme Q10 as well as relaxation exercises and biofeedback.
Know Your Triggers
Daily activities and stimuli such as aged cheese, chocolate and caffeine may trigger migraines in individuals. A migraine diary or app that analyzes and tracks these triggers can help identify their sources.
Stress is one of the leading triggers, making it hard to eliminate entirely, though biofeedback and relaxation exercises may provide some relief. Acupuncture may also help reduce tension and migraine attacks – but be patient; results often take time. Avoid or limit exposure to triggers initially before trying CGRP inhibitors which have proven themselves effective against migraine attacks.
Keep a Diary
Migraine sufferers can use a migraine diary to identify potential triggers. Regular updates in this diary will enable your physician to see patterns such as sleep, diet, stress levels and menstrual cycles that might contribute to headaches. Keep an updated copy at home.
Write down every detail about the attack, from its severity and where it struck in your body to what food and beverages were consumed and when. Also include when any medication was taken. Use either paper journals or smartphone apps to record this data; visually appealing journals may help. Some apps may even offer free trials.
Get Plenty of Sleep
Most people can experience at least one migraine symptom hours or days before an actual headache starts, including yawning, mood changes and irritability, light/sound/odor sensitivities and fatigue. Sleep is key in helping alleviate these symptoms; keeping a consistent schedule with eating meals at set times daily also can be helpful and exercise can reduce migraine pain provided it doesn’t become too vigorous.
Propranolol (a drug prescribed to treat angina and high blood pressure), along with naloxone (an antinausea medication), are two medicines which may help prevent migraine attacks if taken on a regular basis.
Avoid Caffeine
People suffering from migraines should keep their daily caffeine consumption within two servings, including coffee, tea, soft drinks and medications that contain caffeine.
As part of the premonitory phase of migraines, when symptoms such as tingling and pins-and-needles first surface prior to an attack, caffeine consumption must also be avoided to minimize any risks for an attack. It could even trigger one.
Be mindful that caffeine is a diuretic and may increase urine production, leading to dehydration and magnesium depletion – two common migraine triggers.
Eat a Balanced Diet
Though certain foods may contribute to or alleviate migraine symptoms, more research needs to be conducted in this regard. There is some growing evidence suggesting dietary changes can help manage headaches.
Dieting requires eating small, frequent meals rich in nutrients. A balanced diet that incorporates protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats and fruits and vegetables should also be part of a daily routine.
Migraine prevention strategies include maintaining a headache diary and avoiding trigger foods like alcohol, chocolate, aged cheeses and processed meats. Propranolol (which is also used to treat angina and high blood pressure) can also be taken daily to decrease migraine attacks and their severity.
Exercise
Exercise is an integral component of living a healthy lifestyle; however, for some individuals it can trigger migraines. A common trigger of exercise-triggered migraine is muscle stiffness; however a blow to the head during exercise could also produce instantaneous migraine aura.
An incremental and methodical approach to physical activity can help people reap its rewards without exacerbating migraine symptoms. Starting slowly with activities like walking, yoga or tai chi may allow your brain to adapt without sudden change – particularly helpful for individuals living with migraine who struggle to keep active lifestyles.
