Five Tips for Traveling with Chronic Migraine
Summertime is traveling time for many of us. Unfortunately, travel and chronic migraine don’t often mix. Make the most of your trip with these five tips:
- Update your medications. Make sure you have plenty of medicines on hand for the length of your trip (plus a few extra days, just in case). Count your over-the-counter drugs. If you know you’re going to need refills on your prescriptions, put in your request at least a week in advance to allow for any unforeseen pharmacy delays. Also, consider asking for an extra or different form of medication for your trip, if necessary. For example, I have a prescription for Sprix (a ketorolac nasal spray that needs to be refrigerated). I didn’t want to deal with refrigeration issues on a week-long, cross-country trip, so I asked my doctor for a one-time prescription for the medicine in pill form. I know it won’t work as well for me (because my migraines generally come on very quickly), but it’s better than nothing. Additional preventatives may also be an option (if, for example, flying is a major trigger for you). Talk to your doctor to see what he or she recommends.
- Add a recovery day, if possible. If your schedule and pocketbook allow it, try to add in an extra day at the start of your trip for recovery. If you’re traveling for a special event, for example, schedule your arrival a full 24-hours early. That way, if a travel-triggered migraine hits, you have time to rest and recover before the big day.
For more tips on traveling with migraine, be sure to scroll through our travel survival guide slideshow.
This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The Migraine.com team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.
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