Migraine Diagnosis
I wanted to talk about something that I have become really compassionate about over the last couple of years and information I love to share with others to be able to help even just one person. Many that know me and my family know that I have a close family member that has struggled with migraine headaches and in most recent years was diagnosed with vestibular migraines. In addition to the headaches, there was presence of Vertigo, ear pain, and eye sensitivity. It took several weeks of these symptoms and a little google search to discover that head pain with vertigo is a probable diagnosis of Vestibular migraines. After attending vestibular therapy and getting the official diagnosis of Vestibular migraines, now was the time to figure out the treatment process and where to go from here. This is where the research came in and finding out what would be the best plan.
Types of Migraine Treatment Options
With research, we found out what we needed to do, which included: eliminating the use of acetaminophen and NSAIDs (ibuprofen) to help reset the neurological system (they have said that if there is use of these medications for 15 days out of the month there is chance of rebound headaches), need for use of vestibular therapy, identifying environmental triggers, and beginning the migraine diet which essentially helps to identify trigger foods that can lead to migraine and worsen the vestibular symptoms. We had been healthy eaters and at the time of 2020, we began to eat all of our meals at home and loved to know what was in our food. With the beginning of the migraine diet, we really needed to be cognizant what was in all our food, especially to avoid possible triggers. It was a new way of cooking and I have to admit very overwhelming. But I have to say, the resources out there are immense and we came across what I feel was a great resource in that of the Dizzycook. This is a woman that also has vestibular migraines and she has written about her journey and has written cook books with migraine safe recipes. What a game changer that was. It is so difficult to change your way of cooking, but when you have a guide to follow, it doesn’t feel so cumbersome.
There were also medications started to help with the migraines, including anti-depressants and beta blockers (prescribed at different times but both were not tolerated and were weaned off). A rescue medication was also prescribed when signs of a migraine were arising. I write this because I know a lot of people suffer from migraines and have for years. Certain things will work for some and not others and that’s ok. Everyone’s body is different. The side effects of the medications led to trying to find alternate treatments that work to reduce and even prevent/eliminate the migraines and vestibular symptoms.
After the diagnosis and in conjunction with the migraine diet (or what they also call Heal your headache diet), several vitamins and supplements were introduced, including Magnesium, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B6, and CoQ10. We did our research in what is recommended to start out with for the supplements. I highly recommend the Heal your Headache book and also checking out the Dizzycook and her blog for recommendations for vestibular migraines or your classic migraine. This has truly been so helpful in this journey.
Targeting triggers has also been important in order to increase the migraine threshold and to reduce flair ups. What was found was that stress, low blood sugar (not eating enough or skipping meals) and dehydration were big factors. Although not avoidable, the change in weather patterns was also a big factor in causing headaches. The supplements were really making a difference and when off the anti-depressant and beta blocker, a new treatment was found that has been a game changer through this whole process and is still being utilized. It is a vagus nerve stimulator with either the brands of GammaCore or Truvaga. It helps not only with the headache or oncoming headache, but also assists with stress, anxiety, and helps with sleep. While this does not always work for all, has been a big help in this process in being able to eliminate the medications with not so great side effects and to able to do a more natural approach to treatment. There are so many more good days than bad days with migraine at this point. I don’t think I would have said that 2 years ago, but I am so happy to be able to write about it now and tell you all that it is possible to move forward and to be able to live your life migraine free.
Products we use for migraines (do your research and find what works best for you. Just thought I would share what has helped us in this journey):
-Magnesium- combination of Glycinate and L-threonate. There are so many different forms of Magnesium and it was a trial and error to find what works best for you (we love the pure encapsulations brand)
-Vitamin B2, B6, B12
-Electrolytes- we love Ultima brand. It tastes great, does not have any sugar or additives. You can find it on Amazon. LMNT is also a great brand as well.
-Gamma Core and Truvaga- the vagus nerve stimulators. Truvaga is used in our family and I highly recommend going to Truvaga.com and check out their website for all the information they provide about this product and how it works.
-The Dizzy Cook- recommend checking her out on Pinterest, Instagram, and her blog at the Dizzycook.com. What a life saver she has been with all her delicious recipes. It was almost forgotten that there was an elimination diet going on.
These are just some of the recommendations that have worked for our family and could possible work for you. Reach out if you have any questions that I can answer for you.