Migraine Quick Fixes: Yay or Nay?

Not far into my IG scrolling, it pops up: Use This Hair Clip to Stop Your Migraine. I pause to take in the instructions, which include using a claw clip to fasten it to an eyebrow. Not only does it look painful on a normal day, but on a migraine day, this would be the equivalent of a Medieval torture device for my head. I can barely tolerate my pillow touching my head during a migraine.

I toss my phone on the chair next to me and heave a frustrated sigh. These viral fast migraine fixes feel diminishing, and they definitely don’t address the complexity of this neurological disease. Also, this endless stream of unsolicited migraine advice makes my migraine experience just the worst.

The well-intentioned migraine fix-it club

After close to 20 years of living with episodic and chronic migraines, I know what works for one person with migraine might not work for another. We all react differently to triggers, meds, and life. I discovered this a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—back when I first started dealing with the fiery hot pain of a migraine. That’s when the well-intentioned fix-it club’s suggestions started rolling in.

Many people gave me their tricks for beating the pain. I was stopped mid-sentence during dinners or in chance meetings in the mall (yes, I still go to the mall), and the unsolicited advice began like this:

• "Have you tried gentle stretching?"
• "How about taking arnica?"
• "You should drink more water."

The last one is my personal all-time favorite.

When the social media algorithm targets your pain

And once my algorithm learned I was dealing with chronic migraine, the tricks to become pain-free became a constant. Put an ice cube between your thumb and index finger and hold it for quick migraine relief. This one played right after the cute video of the sneezing kitten, and then it was followed by: Put your feet in hot water and a bag of frozen peas on your head. Great. Now I have to buy peas.

The truth was, I tried them. I tried them all, and each time I thought it would fix me. I needed them to work. I wanted them to work. Not only would my pain be erased like magic, but I truly believed there was one end-all, be-all cure. Like my perfect soulmate, I only had to find The One.

Surviving the hope and crash cycle of quick fixes

While ice and peas may work for some, each and every trick made my migraines worse and made me feel defeated. It wasn’t the suggestions themselves that caused the most pain, but the hope they brought to the surface and then crashed.

The crash felt awful, and it was there at the bottom that I felt the most alone and disillusioned. Thoughts about never being pain-free and missing life ran through my head unhinged. And then there was the anger that all these “tricks” seemed to work—but not for me. Which was enough to trigger a migraine, by the way.

Partnering with a specialist for management

After years, I understand that the good thing about the hope was that it kept me searching. After years of trial and error, my neurologist and I finally found a plan that lessened my migraine frequency and made the pain more manageable. Thank you, Aimovig and Ubrelvly.

The belief that there was a solution out there kept me moving forward, and it was that underlying emotion that prompted me to try all the things. Alright, except for claw clips on my eyebrows.