10 Things to Prep if You Get Migraine Headaches
7 min read
Photo Credit: Sasha Wolff of Grand Rapids
Migraine headaches can be completely debilitating and those of us that suffer from them could be at a severe disadvantage during a prolonged emergency. While their exact cause is still a mystery most doctors think they are related to the spasming of the large blood vessels in the brain.
A severe migraine could render a person unable to help others and unable to help themselves during a long term emergency placing them at risk and burdening whoever they are with at the time. Which is why it’s important to have a plan of action for those severe headaches incase outside medical help is no longer available.
While nothing listed here is a cure – hopefully by experimenting and researching you will find some combination of treatments and supplements that will give you enough relief to allow you to function. When all is said and done in the case of migraines, finding ‘something’ to treat them with may be better than nothing at all. Here are some options:
Stocking Prescription Migraine Medication
Most of those who suffer from chronic migraines have been prescribed some form of medication or another – if for no other reason than lack of other options. They have tried everything else, and nothing works. These meds are usually something similar to Sumatriptan (Imitrex) and need to be taken at the onset of a headache for maximum effectiveness or they are a preventative that is taken daily.
Regardless of your medication type, having a supply on hand could be invaluable. In the likely event that your doctor is unwilling to prescribe you enough medication to have reserve supply you can try setting aside a little bit of meds on each refill yourself. For example if you have an ongoing prescription and it is eligible for a refill, but you aren’t out of migraine meds yet – you can choose to refill it right away and stash the few extra doses aside. Over time you can build a small stockpile in this manner for emergencies (even then use it ONLY as directed by your medical professional).
Natural and Over the Counter Medicine
Knowing that even a stock pile of prescription medication will only last so long it would only benefit migraine sufferers to explore other natural treatments and preventatives as well as pinpointing migraine triggers. Here are some things I have tried myself with limited success (as always please consult a medical professional before beginning any new treatment or vitamin regimen):
Epsom Salts (Magnesium) – Magnesium patches have been prescribed for people to help treat migraine headaches as it is widely thought that many migraines are triggered by a magnesium deficiencies. An alternative to a magnesium patch is just to take an Epsom Salt bath, your body will absorb the magnesium through the skin much like it would from a patch. Epsom salts also have many other uses and are a handy item to stock.
If epsom salt baths aren’t your thing, and a patch doesn’t sound fun you can try taking 400 to 600 mg of magnesium a day. This has been suggested as the supplement dosage for migraine relief (source). This can be applied to prepping by stocking extra epsom salts, magnesium patches, or a magnesium supplements or all of the above. Adjustments in diet can also help to correct a magnesium deficiency (click here to learn more).
Riboflavin – 400mg/day (Vitamin B2) – Has shown notable effectiveness as a migraine preventative. When trying it don’t get impatient because it can take up to three months to start working, and don’t exceed the RDA if you are pregnant (source).
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) – Was shown in a recent study to be a promising form of OTC preventative to see the study results click here with 50% of the trail participants showing a reduced frequency of migraine headaches. Doses used for the study ranged from 150 mg a day to 600 mg a day. CoQ10 can interact with several medications, always check with your doctor before adding new supplements to your diet.
Feverfew – Is a herbal supplement available at health food stores an online that has been shown to have some effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of migraines (source). Feverfew can also be grown in an herb garden at home (click here to find feverfew seeds). I have found the raw plant leafs to be MUCH more effective than the dry capsule supplement from the store (warning – it’s tastes absolutely awful, and do not swallow the raw leafs) be careful when trying the plant raw some people have reported mouth sores, and loss of taste. Also feverfew is not recommended if you are pregnant or nursing, see this source for warning information –> (source) .
Butterbur – Is another herbal supplement available at health food stores and online that has shown some promise in the treatment (duration) and prevention of migraines (source). While butterbur can be grown at home only butterbur root extract that has been commercially processed and detoxified can be safely consumed internally. Otherwise, all parts of the plant are poisonous and should not be internally consumed, see this source for warning information –> (source). For safety purposes look for butterbur products that are certified and labeled “PA-free.”
Peppermint Tea – Can help settle your stomach during a migraine, and while it doesn’t seem to help the pain I would like to note that it does seem to help the pain of a normal headaches. Ginger tea will also help with nausea. Peppermint is exceedingly easy to grow, has many many other uses and is a great addition to any herb garden.
Peppermint Essential Oil – Rubbed on to the temples seems to help sooth the pain of a migraine and shorten the length of it when used in combination with regular medication. I have no idea why this works, but it does for me. TIP: Peppermint essential oil will be more well tolerated by your skin if it is slightly diluted with a carrier oil. If you grow your own peppermint you can make a peppermint ‘oil infusion’ that will also work for this application to learn how click here.
Instant Cold Packs – At the base of the head. Heat will help a tension headache but it seems to only aggravate migraines. Cold has been shown to be the trick to helping with migraines. Instant cold packs (ice created by a chemical reaction) gives a person access to an ice pack even in the absence of electricity. Instant cold packs can be found online, in the pharmacy section of your grocery store or big box store and (my favorite place) the dollar store in the first aid section!
Over The Counter (OTC) Drugs – Some migraine headaches do respond to OTC medicine. Among them acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil) and caffeine seems the most effective. Another OTC migraine product, Excedrin Migraine, is a combination of Aspirin, Acetaminophen and Caffeine. Prepping these will expand your arsenal of treatments (be careful using ibuprofen and other OTC drugs to treat migraines – many claim to suffer from bad rebound headaches after taking large amounts of OTC drugs to treat migraines).
Sunglasses – Migraine headaches make most people who suffer from them light sensitive, this is a very common symptom. Keeping a couple of spare pairs around will help lessen the discomfort incase a quiet dark room is not an option. Pick up several pair at your local dollar store – the bigger the glasses, the better.
Treatment Area
A dark quiet room, with the window open (shades drawn but window open if it is cool outside) is really one of the best treatments for a migraine once it has hit – the thing is, people try to tough it out, this will be especially tempting in the midst of an prolonged emergency. Toughing it out only makes a migraine worse and last longer (taking you out of commission for an even longer period of time), making yourself go rest in a quiet dark room will almost always reduce the intensity and length of the migraine and get you back to your normal helpful self faster.
Supply Storage
Store migraine treatment supplies in your emergency first aid container/s, and remember to rotate your supplies so nothing goes bad. Herbs and vitamins will go bad much faster than OTC drugs like Advil which have been shown to be nearly 100% effective years after the expiration date (source). Use older supplies as you need them and regularly replace them with new supplies always maintaining at least a year’s supply inventory level.
Preparedness supplies should never be thrown away because they went bad, they should be in constant continuous use. Essential oils, vitamins and herbs should be kept away from heat and sunlight in preferably in dark bottles. Epsom salts should be sealed up in a water proof container and kept away from moisture. And finally click here –> for a great article on what Vitamins to store for Emergency Preparedness and how.
Author’s note: While I do suffer migraine headaches, I am not a doctor nor am I a lawyer – always consult with your physician before starting any new treatment for your migraine headaches. For another good article about headaches check out this one (by clicking here) by Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy.
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My husband suffers from migraines so I was really interested in this article but I found it a little disappointing. Caffeine has been proven to both cause and treat migraines yet you didn’t mention it at all. We have found personally that lack of it is my husband’s main trigger. He has over the years managed to slowly wean himself down but he is still unable to completely cut it from his diet. I was really hopeful that you would have some practical ideas that would work for us. (Besides just stockpiling sodas, teas and coffee….) Thanks for sharing this information and I apologize if I seem negative. We have just started preparing our family and there is a lot of info and ideas to sort through (lot of which contradicts eachother) and I was maybe expecting this to fit too closely to my family.
That’s quite alright Alicia – I would’ve have loved to have gone further in depth, but as it is I am already over my goal on the length of this article. Perhaps in the future I will expand on the subject in additional articles. My only other thoughts for the caffeine dependance/trigger would to be to completely wean him off of it altogether and see if the migraines still occur? Perhaps there is something else that he would enjoy like dandelion tea which many use as a caffeine replacement because it gives you a nice natural “pick me up.” Another thought may be to stock the excedrin migraine meds (which contain a good amounts of caffeine) for lack of caffeine triggered migraines. Good luck and thank you for the constructive feedback.
My husband swears by cod liver oil for migraines. He also takes it for leg cramps which are caused by magnesium deficiency. May be a coincidence..
The best 3 things I’ve found over 20 some years of migraines, is caffeine…as much and as fast as you can drink about 3 cups. It get’s the pressure off the optic nerve that causes that “halo” effect, and usually followed by only peripheral vision, no forward sight. Sunglasses, or some dark as possible spot to keep light from your eyes, and lastly, but in a SHTF situation maybe the hardest to get…QUIET! The last two are always free, and most people have, or will have, as much coffee as they can stock up on. Cheap, easy, and non toxic everytime.
My doctor was willing to write me prescriptions for the 2 triptan drugs that work at least passably well for my migraines, and luckily both are available in generic. So I spend about $20 a month to fill both prescriptions and always have a few extra to tuck away (and rotate, using the oldest ones first!).
Also, there’s a supplement online called Migra-Eeze which combines butterbur, ginger, and riboflavin. For those of us who are allergic to feverfew, it can be helpful. It’s not cheap, but I’ve found it worth the money. I’m going to try CoQ10 in addition, since I’ve heard it helps so many.
My wife has suffered with migraines for many years, and has been unable to hold a profession position because of them. The helps you suggested have been tried by her off and on for years. Sometimes they seem to help and other times they seem useless. Natural and over the counter helps have been useless for her, even though we know people that have eliminated the problem with them.
When they (migraines) first started it cause vomiting, dizziness, and occasionally passing out without warning (hitting her head on one occasion.) This is a 30 year duration, with a person who has a very high tolerance to pain. Today she has a prescription that does help if she is able to take them before extreme pain set in. (she is at doc for another issue with her pill bottle or I would give you the name). If nothing seems to work she injects Sumatriptan succinate which causes her to sleep for around 30 minutes, and upon waking she is usually washed out but the headache is gone. I think we pay about $160 per injection, and she is better these days and only has to have 3 or 4 a month, as vs. 2 to 3 a week. If you are interested email me and I will give you the other name of the drug she takes at the onset. Many times it seems to work.
One thing she has found out: Everyone seems to be different and different treatments are required for each. I am not sure this helps but just another piece of real life info.
Cal
Before investing time & money in treating migraines, it is vital to try to isolate the triggers of the attacks. As Cal wrote – everyone is different, & it’s not always possible to avoid a person’s triggers [hormonal fluctuations in women, for example, though, like caffeine, birth control pills sometimes help & sometimes cause migraines]. When I first started having frequent migraines, a smart doctor put me on an elimination diet – 1 day fast, 1 day potatoes & rice, next day add eggs, etc. – & pinned down my trigger – citrus fruits! More recently I had to add red wine to my triggers [very sad], & am almost migraine-free. My problem is eating out, when I never know where the chef decided to toss some lemon juice. [I hear that msg is also a common trigger.]Prevention is better than treatment.
Tho not for everyone, I agree that isolating triggers can work wonders for many people. And it can be done without an elimination diet.
My child came down with frequent debilitating migraines, complete with aura, at a young age. We were told to keep an exact diary of conditions 30 min before and during the start of a migraine. It was in columnar form, so that we could read down a column and see commonalities better. Recorded info was date, time, place (both geographic and surroundings, such as in a car or walking), weather and environment (hot, cold, pollen, etc), and all food and drink and meds.
In just 2 weeks we’d isolated 3 triggers. All dairy (even yogurt and cheese and the ubiquitous “non-fat milk solids”). All tomato products, either fresh or cooked. And being under a hot sun without a hat (black hair). A couple of months later we isolated a 4th – rebound caffeine headache 1-2 hours after ingesting.
Eliminating these items virtually eliminated our child’s migraines.
I started getting migraines about 13 years ago, and set out to find out all I could about them. There’s a couple things your article is missing which is important for people to know. First of all, while preppers do recommend having a stockpile of medicine, both OTC and prescription, it is important to know which meds are safe to take after the expiration date and which are not. My mother worked a number of years as a pharmacy technician, and she learned that as drugs degrade over time after they are made, they reach a point where they lose their top effectiveness, or potency. That’s when they set the expiration date – but what they don’t tell you is that after that date, the drugs either begin to lose their potency but are still safe for consumption, or as they degrade they develop dangerous, and even deadly, effects. Some chemicals in drugs create new, unpredictable, and dangerous combinations that can cause various moderate to severe side effects like hallucinations and nausea, and a large enough dose can even cause coma and death. If you want to stockpile, be sure to carefully label expiration dates on all medicines, do not mix old and new, and find out from your pharmacist or a reputable website about the half-life of the drugs you plan to store. Secondly, cold does not always make a migraine worse. Migraines can be caused by not enough blood flow to the brain just as often as they can be caused by too much blood to the brain. Cold at the base of the skull, crown of head, and temples can help in cases where there is too much blood, because it draws the excess blood away and shrinks the blood vessels preventing the excess blood from returning. Caffeine has a similar effect. However some migraines are helped by heat because it dilates the blood vessels and pulls blood to the brain in cases where it is lacking, usually by migraines caused by excessive tension in the neck and shoulders. Those tense muscles block proper blood flow, and I’ve had many a migraine that has been helped by heat combined with meds that relieve pain and a muscle relaxant. There are also migraines that don’t respond to heat or cold, where either one causes pain or does nothing. Those migraines could be caused by certain migraine-triggering food, chemical imbalances in the body, or some as yet undetermined factor. Every person is different, and every migraine is different (even for the same person).
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the informative comment – hopefully others will also find it helpful. I would like to elaborate on a couple of things:
First being I did address the expiration of OTC drugs in the second to last paragraph in the article where I directed readers to article of recommendation by Harvard Medical School. In the article they discuss a widely referenced study on OTC painkillers that was performed at the request of the military, where they found that nearly all expired OTC painkillers, even ones that had been expired for decades retained nearly ALL of their potency. All an expiration date for OTC pain killers means is the MFG won’t guarantee it’s effectiveness and potency past that date, it doesn’t mean that they will all the sudden lose potency or go bad after that date – although that is how it is commonly interrupted. I also know that some in the medical and pharmacy field will say that they will lose their potency after they expire, but studies have shown that not to be the case. In cases where potency was lost it was minimal and not enough warrant concern or discontinued use.
As always the reader can make up their own mind on the matter which is why I offered links to explore for further research.
Second you seemed to have missed my comments in regards to cold packs found under the heading “Cold Packs”: “Heat will help a tension headache but it seems to only aggravate migraines. Cold has been shown to be the trick to helping with migraines.” Its seems that we are in complete agreement on use of both heat and cold. If a migraine is being triggered by muscle tension there is a good chance it started out as a tension headache (not always but odd are good), I have had this happen many many times myself and you are correct applying heat in that case will helpful.
As you pointed out finding migraine triggers are indeed very important and I mentioned it several times but going into depth on the subject of migraine triggers is outside of the scope of this article, which was not meant to be an all encompassing manual on migraine headaches – but rather a list of ten things that prepper can stash in their medical supplies to help with the occurrence of them. 😉
Just one note on the instant ice-packs.. Those can be great, but don’t put them anywhere that will freeze! We found that out the hard way after having one in our car’s first aid kit, only to find the freeze the previous winter had caused the interior pouch to burst and it was useless.