Migraine

My name is Stephanie. have been having migraines since I was about 15, so that is about 10 years now. I take imitrex, which works most of the time and propranolol daily. I get migraines about 3-5 times a week.

Until recently the only trigger that I have been able to pin down has been my sleep patterns, stress and alcohol. I get migraines if I sleep either too much or too little! Just recently I noticed that I got a migraine after I had mustard and raw onions. Are these common food triggers? I have tried to completely eliminate caffiene from my diet but it didn't seem to make any difference.

I just wanted to give a brief history of my migraine situation. I still miss work about once a month or so because of them so I feel as maybe they could be better controlled. Any advice?

Hello Stephanie and welcome to our forum family! Our goal is to provide everyone with the information and support that we all need to manage our Migraines and/or headaches. To that end, we consider this a “safe harbor,” where nobody tries to sell us anything, and we all use “family-friendly” language so parents are comfortable letting their children read the forum with them.

Please take a few minutes to review our policies and guidelines along with the other information in the START HERE folder. For information about Migraines, a good article to begin with is Learning About Migraines - Where to Start.

I also started getting Migraines when I was fifteen. Poor sleep is one of my biggest triggers too. I also trigger from barometric changes, not eating and certain smells. There are some perfumes out there that are just to much for my poor head to handle. Thankfully I don't have any food triggers but Nancy, our Community Manager, just found out she triggers off of raw onions. Here are some articles you can take a look at:

Sleep and Migraine Video

Common Migraine Triggers

Managing Migraine - Migraine Trigger Foods with Workbook

Do you keep a Headache and Migraine Diary? It will be useful to track triggers, the effectiveness of medications, and any patterns to your Migraines and headaches. That link will lead you to a free, downloadable diary.

I'm glad to see your doctor has started you on preventives. How long have you been on Inderal (propranolol)? It can take up to three months for the medication to start working it's magic. And, the good thing is that if the Inderal doesn't work, there are over 100 medications out there being used for Migraine prevention:

Migraine preventive medications: too many options to give up!

I know how hard it can be to have to work and also deal with Migraines. I did it for a very long time before finally deciding it was better for me to quit my job, find a Migraine Specialist, and focus on getting better. However, I know not everyone has that option. Here are some articles to help you with work and Migraines:

Tips for Handling Migraines at Work

Migraines at Work? Check the lighting

When Migraines Make You Miss Work: Intermittent Leave under the FMLA

Okay, I hope I didn't overwhelm you with to many articles, I just wanted to give you a good start. I look forward to seeing you around the forum and if you have any other questions, just ask, that's what we're here for

Hi, Stephanie!

We've got several people around here that trigger off of onions. JamieHost has a horrid time with onions in any form, be they raw, cooked, hidden in food, and so on. This is the first time I think I've ever heard anyone mention triggering off of mustard, but it's very possible. Just about any food substance we ingest has the potential to be a trigger for someone. I've ever only found one food trigger for me, and that's aspartame. It doesn't get me all the time, though. I know that I can chance Jello sugar-free pudding once in a while if it's vanilla, but the chocolate triggers me more often. Crystal Light in any form I have to avoid like the plague, because it will trigger me every time. I'm hit and miss with diet soda. For the most part, it's easiest just to avoid aspartame altogether, though.

If I might ask, how long have you been taking propranolol? If it's been a long time, and you're still getting 3-5 migraines per week, it might be time to find a different preventative or switch the dose. Is it propranolol or Inderal? Inderal is the long-acting version. My internist told me once that the long-acting is more effective as a preventative because it's in your system longer, so it has the chance to reach and stay at a therapeutic level. It's more "steady", so to speak. With propranolol, which wears off in a few hours, you have to start over from scratch, essentially, each time you take it, so you don't get that steady influence. That's how she explained it to me, and it made sense. If you're on the short-acting stuff, you might ask about switching to extended release if you don't want to abandon the propranolol. Just food for thought.