What triggers your Migraines?  

Migraines are strange to begin with. Some of the triggers are also aids in getting rid of them like caffeine. Most migraine medications have caffeine in them. Go figure. Most of the items you mentioned are triggers for me, especially the pressure changes. Here are a few others I have discovered over the years:

1. Turkey meat. The chemical in it that makes people sleepy after they eat it (I can't remember the name of it) can trigger migraines.

2. Splenda. Yeah that nice new sugar substitute that many companies are using in things.

3. Aspartame. Another sugar substitute. With this I only have problems with certain generic ones of it. I think it's more the fillers but I have known some that can't touch it at all.

4. Champagne. I take a sip and instant migraine. I have no clue as to why.

5. Roses. even perfumes or soaps with rose scent in them will trigger migraines for me. My sister loves the new Quench from Oil of Olay..I smell it and my head starts to pound.

6. Finally a big migraine inducer for me is sinus pressure. I have had many sinus headaches trigger migraines. I could take all the migraine medication in the world but it won't get rid of it till I get rid of the sinus pressure.


For those of you who have trouble getting rid of migraines here are a couple of things I have found to help.

Coffee or chocolate can help but only if it's not a trigger for you.

Take bengay (or similar liniment like icyhot) and rub it on your temples and neck. It helps to ease the pain.

Find a nice dark room and curl up in there and sleep.



It is nice to know I'm not the only one who suffers from them

Your are right with those triggers. What I know is that high temperature also trigger migraines.

coffee gives you migraines?! unbelievable! coffee actually cures mine. when i have a splitting headache, especially when i have my period, i just drink coffee -- really makes me feel better.

I know of a few things that trigger mine. And you are right, STRESS is a HUGE 1 of those things.. ugh!

Driving for me, not sure why, I don't like to drive and it's not because I am not a good driver, I think it's all the other idiots on the road that get me all worked up.. lol! And driving at night.. FORGET IT! I can't see a thing especially with oncoming traffic. That triggers the head pounding as well. (and hubby screams at me because I am always making him drive me or kids everywhere)

I also have alot of back problems. So I am in same boat as far as getting too much rest. If I lay in bed too long... I hurt so bad for days! The migraines just seem to fall into place after. I am a "freaky pillow shopper" as my hubby tells me. I just HAVE to have a new pillow once a month, sometimes I can make 1 last 2 months. If it loses it's "fluff" I have to get a new 1. Just can't get comfy without the neck support and that will start my head throbbing just laying in bed.
I would like to try 1 of those memory foam pillows, but hate to spend the $30 for 1 pillow, if it's not going to help!

alot of times if I have a migraine I drink iced coffee. Not sure why it helps, but it does work for me. I can put heat on my head and ice in my mouth and it just soothes it away.

Other times I get them so bad, and totally out of the blue, that I can't figure out what causes them. I have spent DAYS at a time in bed, curled into a ball and just crying from the pain. No lights, no tv, nobody talking in next room, every little noise just KILLS ME! And then they just 'go away' again.

hmm.. not enough sleep

too much work that leads to stress

some one who talks too much @@"

I suffer the classic migraines with aura. I started kepping a journal and my main trigger seems to be the weather. Sudden weather changes drops and rises in the barometric pressure and I'm certain to get one. Also if I'm dehydrating. When I start seeing the lights in my eyes I drink lots of water and that seems to lessen the intensity for me.

My sister suffers them too, her triggers are chocolate, MSG, red wine. She can avoid hers and I don't think has had one in years.

In my case I don't know how I could avoid them? I can't tell you how many times I ended up wearing sunglasses at work because of these headaches and feeling well ... embarrassed.

I would not wish them on anyone!

My migraines seem to be linked with seasonal changes. Every spring, and every fall I get really bad migraines. The rest of the year I don't have them except for once in a blue moon. I think in the spring it's triggered by grass and tree pollen when the trees and all are just springing back to life. In the fall, it seems to be from the onset of cold weather, and the beginning of the heating season. For me, stress only plays into it once in a while, but doesn't seem to be the major indicator of whether I'll get one or not. Although I don't drink alcohol very often, it seems like whenever I drink red wine I get a migraine, white wine doesn't seem to trigger it as much as red does. I read that the red wine is made from the skins of the grapes (to bring out the red color) and that many women have problems with red wine as they get older. For me, that seems to be true, but it makes me wonder if the migraine from that is allergy related.

I have migrains all the time and I wake up with a lot of them and get them in the after noon so I do not know what is the cause but they are nasty and I feel for you. Talk to your doctor about trying Imitrex or something like it because it does help most of the time.

Mostly it's stress/anger. Like one day last week I got into a horrible fight with my boss and that night when I went to sleep I didn't but in my bite guard (for TMJ) and the next day before I could go back to sleep my magriane started kicking in. It took T3's to get it to go away.

i use to get really bad migrrains that icould not even open my eyes or sit up.and i took imitrex and it only made them worse.usaaly alot of stress and worrying caused mine or if i did not eat.I have not got any for 2 years now but when i did excedrin migrain worked great i use to take imitrex from my doctor but that only made them 5x worse.I do not think you can avoid migrains sometimes it just runs in the family.