How to Stop a Migraine Before It Starts

Having a migraine is a painful, uncomfortable experience and sometimes a debilitating condition that can interfere with your quality of life and daily activities. Some people get them frequently and spend more time worrying about when the next one will strike rather than just living their lives. There are ways to prevent them, however, before the next one even starts.

Instructions

• 1

  Make an appointment with your physician. Talking to your doctor about your migraines, their frequency, the related symptoms and possible causes is a good way for you and her to come up with some preventative measures and work out a treatment plan to control them. If you have sensitivity to light and sound, get dizzy or vomit during a migraine headache, the doctor needs to know about it. There are several medications that have been approved to help treat migraines, such as those that control high blood pressure, prevent seizures and even anti-depressants. Discuss the options with your doctor so that you can come up with the best course of action for your individual case.

• 2

  Figure out your migraine triggers. If you have frequent migraines, chances are there is something in your environment that is setting them off. Cigarette smoke, certain fragrances, alcohol and certain foods can all be triggers. Everyone is different. When you feel a migraine coming on, write down everything you have eaten or had to drink that day, as well as any place you may have encountered secondhand smoke or overpowering fragrances. Do this every time you feel a migraine coming. Compare your lists between migraines and see if there are any common factors that you were around each time you got a migraine; let your physician know if you think you may have found a trigger.

• 3

  Avoid your triggers. If you have had several migraines and kept a diary of everything you were around or ate before their onset, and you find a common factor every time, avoid that trigger. If your trigger is walking past the fragrance counter at the mall, avoid that area. If you visit your aunt at her home and she is a heavy smoker, suggest meeting her in a nonsmoking environment so you aren’t exposed to it. After spending some time trying to determine what triggers your migraines, avoid those situations whenever you possibly can.

• 4

  Make lifestyle changes. If you have discovered that drinking a glass of red wine triggers your migraines, stop drinking it. Either switch to a white or blush wine, or avoid it completely. Lack of sleep and an unhealthy diet can also be migraine triggers, so try eating more fruits and vegetables. Set a specific bedtime and stick to it. Also stick to a regular time to get up every day, even on the weekends. If you aren’t very active, exercise for a few minutes a day. Even a short walk will suffice. Remember, migraines don’t have to control your life. Simple changes and a treatment plan can help you prevent them for good.