rumrunn6

so many times wifey has asked (afterwards) how's your headache, knowing full well that it would be gone. when she's not around I use a bag of peas. on my head!

spivonious

Thanks @TheMaestro. My solution is similar to yours, but I get the caffeine from Excedrin. I'd rather not get them at all though!

TrekAllant72

After a stomach virus a few months back, it seemed my Migraines were brought on by the stress of vomiting. I Have been fighting migraine headaches ever since with Excedrin Migraine and works very well. Yes, caffeine is among the ingredients and works well sourced from coffee and tea as well.

Oddly enough, the more I am active (read out on my bike cycling), the less need I find to take the Excedrin migraine pills....

Shahmatt

Have some plain yoghurt after ur ride. Somehow this works for me.

Gnosis

I used to get migraines, but after the wife left me, the migraines went away. (Hmm, do you think they were somehow related? )

canklecat

Not sure whether it's appropriate to say I'm glad I'm not alone. Sure wouldn't wish migraines, cluster headaches or anything like it on anyone. But it's something of a relief to know that other folks have had similar challenges. When I was actively cycling back in the 1970s-early '80s I never met anyone who had the same problems with severe headaches.

I've had migraines since I was a kid, but only once or twice a year back then. By my 20s the episodes increased to several times a year, often after physical exertion. I quit amateur boxing in my early 20s after a couple of severe, nauseating headaches, but the episodes continued after almost every long distance bike ride.

Diagnosis was pretty sketchy back then, 1970s-'90s, and a neurologist was doubtful that some episodes were true migraines. In retrospect he was probably correct, although he was a lousy doctor who spent most of the time griping about his divorce and IRS problems. Cafergot helped relieve some episodes and didn't do a thing for others. By the 1990s another doctor tried me on Imitrex self injections, which worked well although the heart palpitations were troubling.

Brain scans showed nothing, other than a hollow ringing sound. Besides cafergot for relief, various doctors tried blood pressure meds - beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. No help. Various antidepressants, mood stabilizers and tranquilizers - no help.

Diet, exercise, careful daily logs, did nothing to help. The only food trigger I could positively identify and repeat was from shiitake mushrooms, of all things. Easily omitted from my diet, never cared for the things anyway. Plenty of other tasty mushrooms around. Caffeine helped, especially strong coffee. Chocolate helped too, which contradicts most conventional wisdom about chocolate being a trigger. I was way ahead of the gluten and yeast fad, but eliminating those did nothing to help. Just as well, I enjoy making bread.

By the mid-1990s I was experiencing several headaches a month, severe enough to miss work.

Finally in the late 1990s a public health service doctor tried something my other doctors never did: serotonin reuptake inhibitors and anti-seizure meds such as valproic acid. That finally reduced the frequency and severity, although it didn't eliminate them entirely.

Unfortunately severe back and neck injuries from a 2001 car wreck set me back. My C2 cervical vertebrae was splintered into three pieces. Over the past 14 years the true migraines have decreased somewhat, but the cluster headaches and neck-related headaches have increased to more than 100 episodes a year.

Regarding cluster headaches, trigeminal neuralgia and other difficult pain conditions, I've gotten some relief from fairly ordinary stuff like Sudafed (it must be pseudo-ephedrine, not phenylephrine - the latter is useless), diphenhydramine (Benadryl), icy gel packs on my face, sinuses and neck. Cargo-loads of ibuprofen and aspirin - I probably take 1,000 a year (yeah, yeah, my kidneys and liver will hate me some day). Even melatonin and valerian root seem to help, although it may be due mostly to the mild relaxing effects. It can still take 8-12 hours for any relief, though. Those indicate cluster headaches or trigeminal neuralgia, rather than migraines, but I haven't been able to afford a specialist since 2002 to get a definitive diagnosis although I'm hoping to get treatment through the VA. Muscle relaxers can help but doctors are increasingly reluctant to prescribe any prescription pain meds or muscle relaxers, and even the mildest stuff is being increasingly reclassified, giving doctors and patients fewer options.

Despite that, and August 2015 being the single worst month I've experienced (only three headache-free days), I decided to start cycling again. I remember how much better I felt 30 years ago, the free sensation of movement and the energy boost from most rides. I never got that sensation from running, swimming or any other exercise - only cycling. So far, after four or five rides the past week on a new-to-me bike, I've felt some hints of that same improved sense of well-being. Sunday, Aug 30 - the day after my first ride in more than 30 years - was pretty horrific, with nausea and dry heaves along with an 18-hour non-stop headache.

But Monday evening I felt well enough to ride again and felt much better afterward. Same again mid-week and Saturday evening. Adrenaline, endorphins, magic unicorn dust? I dunno, don't care. As long as it works, I'll give it a go.

hefledthescene

canklecat brings up a few good points- my questions revolved around your diet as well.

What does your food log look like on the days you get migraines?

Specifically, there are two things I can think of that can cause migraines after strenuous activity. It happens all the time to runners as well- sweating out all your sodium(made worse by drinking more water) and depleting your glycogen levels(eating high GI carbs instead of slow release, denser carbs).

The above is completely conjecture until we know what your diet and nutrition look like. But your case isn't isolated- it's more common than you'd think.

Blue Belly

This is what I was hoping for. something unusual, in this thread. . My point being, migraines are personal. I have migraines, & a couple friends who get them, as well. We all have similar habits & disimilar triggers. It took me many years, doctors(tried medications) to figure out what & why I get mine. Everyone kept pointing to stress. Nope. I couldn't find a doctor who wanted to help find the root of the cause. They kept wanting to give me medications which often made me feel sick. I finally gave up on that path & tried to eat/live healthy. Finally, I noticed a pattern. Things with tomatoes would sometimes give me migraines. Usually sauces. Then I realized it was canned tomatoes. So I tried organic. Didn't matter. As far as I can tell &, from what I'm told, tomatoes are acidic & have a reaction with some metals. Boom! I stopped eating tomatoes that come in any type of jar or can & migraines are gone. & I love Tomatoes, big rich tomatoey Italian meals! It isn't always fun but, it beats curling up on a cold tile floor in a dark room.

Jarrett2

Just throwing this out there, you don't happen to ride with a rear view mirror on your helmet do you?

I did once and it triggered a headache for me. The second I took it off, I felt better.