KEEP THE HEADACHES AT BAY
(Health) Sometimes migraines are inescapable, but these strategies can help reduce your offs of getting them:
Start a daily log
If you don't know your migraine triggers, keep track of what you eat, when you woke up and go to sleep, the weather, and any environmental changes, like if you were at a loud party before your migraine hit. Once you ID your triggers, you can try to steer clear of them, says Geoffrey Eubank, M.D., the medical chief of general neurology at Ohio Health in Columbus.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Upping your water intake is one of the first things Rebecca Erwin Wells, M.D., a headache specialist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina recommends. One 2005 study found that migraine patients who increased their water intake by four cups a day experienced 21 fewer hours of headache pain over a two week period.
Amp up your cardio
Dr. Eubank recommends at least 15 to 20 minutes, five days a week. The increased oxygen and release of feel-good neurotransmitters may play a role in reducing headaches, he says.
Pop a supplement
Research shows that taking around 400 mg of magnesium could reduce migraines. Ditto for riboflavin also known as vitamin B2. "There's typically no downside to trying either nutrient," says Dr. Eubank, "but check with your doctor first."
Explore meds
If you're in misery much of the month. Prescription preventive medication may be your best bet. Options include beta-blockers, anti-seizure drugs, and/or antidepressants. "It can take some trial and error to figure out which drug works best," says Dr. Carrol. Your doctor might also recommend a new class of medication called CGRP antagonists. These agents, which are taken by injection, work by blocking the activity of CGRP a neuropeptide that plays a role in migraine attacks. Last year, the FDA approved three anti-CGRP drugs.
Start a daily log
If you don't know your migraine triggers, keep track of what you eat, when you woke up and go to sleep, the weather, and any environmental changes, like if you were at a loud party before your migraine hit. Once you ID your triggers, you can try to steer clear of them, says Geoffrey Eubank, M.D., the medical chief of general neurology at Ohio Health in Columbus.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Upping your water intake is one of the first things Rebecca Erwin Wells, M.D., a headache specialist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina recommends. One 2005 study found that migraine patients who increased their water intake by four cups a day experienced 21 fewer hours of headache pain over a two week period.
Amp up your cardio
Dr. Eubank recommends at least 15 to 20 minutes, five days a week. The increased oxygen and release of feel-good neurotransmitters may play a role in reducing headaches, he says.
Pop a supplement
Research shows that taking around 400 mg of magnesium could reduce migraines. Ditto for riboflavin also known as vitamin B2. "There's typically no downside to trying either nutrient," says Dr. Eubank, "but check with your doctor first."
Explore meds
If you're in misery much of the month. Prescription preventive medication may be your best bet. Options include beta-blockers, anti-seizure drugs, and/or antidepressants. "It can take some trial and error to figure out which drug works best," says Dr. Carrol. Your doctor might also recommend a new class of medication called CGRP antagonists. These agents, which are taken by injection, work by blocking the activity of CGRP a neuropeptide that plays a role in migraine attacks. Last year, the FDA approved three anti-CGRP drugs.
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