ladies: do you get 'hormone' headaches?

godblessourhome

1.) do you get headaches when your hormones fluctuate?

2.) what do you do to lessen it? (exercise, darkness, certain foods, medication, etc)

3.) what do you take? (nothing seems to help, not even prescription migraine medicine)

4.) is there an exercise that helps?

5.) is yours related to pms or menstration or after?

6.) any other advice to dealing with this?

aimibean

1) yes, all the time!
2) i usually try to stay away from direct light, do some light exercise and eat something quite sugary.
3) sometimes i use kool-n-soothe strips which seem to help, or nurofen migraine pain.
4) i usually find any light exercising, such as exercise bike, helps because not only does it release "feel-good" hormones, it also helps take your mind off it.
5) usually prior to and during menstruation.
6) try to do something to take your mind off it, like listening to quiet music, reading a book, etc?

abalina

I do get them, and i try to stay in a nice dark area with no noise and just nap, :P i useally take advil or when i think its due to my hormones i take tylonal pms, it helps me but it makes me feel a lil wonky lol. I find when i go for a jog my headache goes away or i dont even get a head for the hole day lol. and i get BADDDD headaches when im on my period like im sesitive to EVERYTHING. but yeah try the tylonal pms, it helps me!

EgyptianMushroom

I just get frequent headaches period. Generally worse around my menstrual period. I'll take a few Excedrin extra strength, drink lots of water, take a nap in a dark quiet room. Sometimes just getting outside and taking a 5 minute walk to get some air helps too.

cassieko

1. Yes - like clockwork.

2. Sleeping helps, pushing on my eye helps (LOL), and I woke up one morning and had juice and it helped. Oddly.

3. Nothing works. It's worse in the morning, so sometimes I'll have my coffee, then lay back down, then get up and have lunch and take tylenol with it.... it lessens through the day but it's excruciating at first.

4. LOL no, I can't move, let alone exercise. Pushing on my eye helps.

5. It is always Saturday morning, right before.

6. I wish I did!! Just give yourself permission to take it easy, keep the lights low, eat whatever sounds tolerable... good luck

godblessourhome

thanks for answering! great suggestions and some new things to try.

my sister and i both get them. i've been getting them for 6 years or so, ever since i went thru early menopause at age 27 and now my sister just started getting them. i am worried she might be starting down the same path that i did (she's 30). stupid hormones!

MzBug

I came up with a combination when I was working and could not leave... 2 Excedrin Migraine tablets, 1 large cup of coffee with a little cream, 1 Dove Dark chocolate bar, and if needed a Dramamine pill. And sunglasses! The headaches were always a day or two in advance of TOM. If I were able to leave work I would take the same and then lay down in a cool dark room for a couple hours. As I have gotten older they have gotten less frequent.

knittnponder

I used to get them really bad starting a day before or the morning of and lasting for 3-5 days. I could get them to recede for awhile but never fully go away and they made life miserable during that time! I started taking magnesium supplements and have found most of my PMS symptoms improved (awful cramps and heavy bleeding being the exception. They were better but still miserable.) I rarely get a headache now and if I do get one it's just one day and barely there.

I started taking fish oil pills a couple of months ago and have found the two issues that weren't fixed by the magnesium are magically getting better too!

I take 2-3 400 mg capsules daily and I try to get one green smoothie in per day (spinach is my base and it has lots of magnesium).

Barneystinson

1.) Yes

2.) Longer hours of sleep, epsom salt baths, stretching/massage, and just generally moving more through the day.

3.) Excedrin migraine, magnesium citrate supplements (everyday), a cup of coffee, drink lots of water.

4.) Walking / running seems to help take my mind off it. Massage your temples with peppermint oil also. Very soothing.

5.) Usually get a migraine day before period starts, then usually another at the last day of it. It's like clockwork. They feel like a stabbing sinus headache usually and will continuously throb throughout the day.

6.) Maybe this isn't strange, but avoiding junk food / sugary stuff, no matter how tempting it is has reduced the severity of my migraines. Processed food can increase their severity and duration - especially foods containing MSG. Another thing to avoid is becoming dehydrated. Sometimes that alone can give me a migraine outside of TOM.

Oh and one more thing...

Reduce or avoid alcohol consumption around TOM. It will make migraines hellish.

hellsbell

Yes I get mentrual migraines. They started all of a sudden about 2 years ago. The headache can arrive up to 4 days prior to my period and continue throughout for around 4 days. Sometimes I get them around ovulation time too. I used to wonder if it was a symptom of early menopause or something and I was going through hormone withdrawal. Whatever the reason the headaches suck even harder than the cramps and I thought nothing could be worse than those!
The only thing that has an effect on the pain for me is Nurofen, but only if I catch the migraine early in its development. I also have to keep taking it all during my period even when the pain is reduced to a minimum or it returns with a vengeance and renders me completely useless
The worst time is the morning. If I don't take any meds the pain fades of its own accord as the day goes on and comes back strongly in the evening. Sleeping doesn't help - if anything it seems to make it worse. I noticed though that the nausea brought on by the headache is much reduced if I ensure that my stomach is never empty. I keep dry crackers on hand to snack on throughout the day. They taste bland so they don't make me more nauseous than I already am.
Unfortunately I haven't yet found an exercise that provides any relief.

I'm going to try the magnesium supplement idea now though!

godblessourhome

magnesium supplement? i am buying a bottle today! thanks!

2TsMomma

1.) do you get headaches when your hormones fluctuate? yep!

2.) what do you do to lessen it? (exercise, darkness, certain foods, medication, etc) Caffeine, prescription meds

3.) what do you take? (nothing seems to help, not even prescription migraine medicine) I use naproxen

4.) is there an exercise that helps? Thats the last thing I wanna do when I have a migraine

5.) is yours related to pms or menstration or after? Yes, pre-menstral and pre-ovulation

6.) any other advice to dealing with this? See your doc and try to narrow down when its going to happen, and what you can take

purple1butterfly

1.) do you get headaches when your hormones fluctuate?
I get migraines the week before & during

2.) what do you do to lessen it? (exercise, darkness, certain foods, medication, etc)
medication & a combination of things

3.) what do you take? (nothing seems to help, not even prescription migraine medicine)
I have a wheat bag (you stick it in the microwave) which helps relieve but i also take migroleave & have a sleep

4.) is there an exercise that helps?
i have no idea

5.) is yours related to pms or menstration or after?
all
6.) any other advice to dealing with this?