Will I Ever Find My Trigger?

By ivanna

Last Updated:

1 min read

I'm a 54-year-old woman living in Scotland. I've suffered a migraine since my mid-20s... my migraine frequency changes. They started off 5/6 a month then jumped up to 10 a month then every day then 2 a day most days then calmed down again, to barely 2 a month & now they've come back to 4/5 a week. I know stress, tiredness, flowery sweet smells can trigger migraines for me but I get them even altho I avoid these triggers...currently on Sumatriptan having tried many other meds & natural remedies... I'm really interested in how others cope with their symptoms & which medications everyone is on... thank you for allowing me to be part of your community, hopefully, we can all help each other ??

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Allyson.Ellis Community Admin
Last Updated:
Welcome, Ivanna! We are glad to have you here! Thank you for sharing a bit of your migraine journey with us. I hear what a struggle it is when symptoms and frequency changes. Have you checked in with your doctor about these shifts in your migraine frequency? It is always recommended to consult with your doctor when anything is new or different for you. Everyone has different ways of coping with migraine symptoms. It's often a matter of trial and error to see what is most helpful for you, as no two people experience migraine exactly the same. I thought these articles (along with the comments at the end) might be of interest while you wait for others to share with you: <a href='https://migraine.com/living-migraine/coping-mechanisms' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/living-migraine/coping-mechanisms/</a> <a href='https://migraine.com/living-migraine/natural-remedies' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/living-migraine/natural-remedies/</a> <a href='https://migraine.com/blog/my-weirdest-home-remedy-tool' target='_blank'>https://migraine.com/blog/my-weirdest-home-remedy-tool/</a> Please keep us posted on how you are managing and what you are finding to be helpful for you. Wishing you a gentle afternoon. ~Allyson (Migraine.com team)
tongowefli Member
Last Updated:
Hello Trigger, we are about same age and have held on to our migraines about the same amount of time, will throw some triggers to you hopefully one will show up that you have not thought of, Heat, hunger (forgot to eat) thats one of my favorite things to do. Pollen, depending on time of year, if you wake up with them, Id ask about sleep apnea, lots and lots of foods, Chocolate, Swiss cheese, penut butter are ones that quickly come to mind. Have you ever done up a Migraine Journal, marking in it every day just on status of your head, what you did, what you ate, weather conditions. Very important whether you have a headache that day. Then you can look back over the month and see patterns emerge, might even surprise you with some of the coincidences. Sorry so long but wanted to give you what I know, hopefully will help. Cheers. T.
sfnative Member
Last Updated:
Hello Ivanna, The search for triggers is the ultimate task for migraineurs and is also incredibly frustrating, which only adds to our stress levels. I don't know how many times I was placed on a food elimination diet, the results of which were of no help whatsoever. For 36 years, I have known that heat, intense anger, prolonged stress and lack of sleep were all going to gift me with huge spikes in migraine pain of great length: 3 weeks to several months. It wasn't until participating in a one-on-one forum discussion with another chronic migraine sufferer, that I came to learn from her or rather she begged me to start reading labels for the following additives: MSG, sea salt, modified starch, modified food starch, modified protein, modified soy protein, modified "anything." There are more. I'll just tell you that, as a for instance, the sea salt industry has marketed sea salt into so very many foods AND it's being marketed as almost a "magic" food additive. However, buyer beware. Research indicates that dependent upon where the sea salt is mined, it can contain beyond 70 impurities/elements. Not elements, as found on the Periodic Table, but junk elements. If I want to bring on nearly instant migraine, all I have to do is eat something containing sea salt, MSG or its offshoot, or one of the modified starches. Also, <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> has a wonderful and comprehensive list of foods, ingredients and restaurant chains, etc., to avoid. It's been very helpful. As a result of my known issues with those darn additives, we now eat "Clean" in our house and do very little dining out. I hope you're able to determine some of your triggers very, very soon.
1. donabc Member
 Last Updated:
 sfnative, I've suspected that sea salt could be impure because so many coastal waters are polluted. That unknown chemicals in it might trigger migraines makes sense.
2. Peggy Artman Member
 Last Updated:
 <inline-mention user-id="3865721" username="sfnative"/> , You are correct that MSG can be a huge trigger for a migraine attack. I never thought about impurities in salt. Thanks for sharing! ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team)
inoexactlywhatumean Member
Last Updated:
I have struggled with migraine my whole life, although I wasn't "diagnosed" until I was in my early 30's. Then began the trigger hunt! I never was able to really pinpoint particular foods, except the obvious - alcohol - but over time, I have discovered other things, such as strong smells, changes in the weather, and stress. Are you taking preventative meds? I take Propranolol and Topiramate daily and Botox injections every 12 weeks. These brought my migraines down from 4/5 per week to 4/5 per month. I am using Nurtec now for rescue med. Good Luck and I hope you can at least regulate your symptoms...
1. Peggy Artman Member
 Last Updated:
 <inline-mention user-id="3799979" username="inoexactlywhatumean"/> , thanks for the reminder that there are other medications that can be prescribed for migraine prevention. I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling better. ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team)
mikespringer Member
Last Updated:
I’m going on ten years now with daily chronic migraines. Sad. I’ve tried just about everything. Probably over 20/25 different medications, Accupuncture, massage therapy, Botox, meditation, anti depressants, marijuana etc etc. I’ve just finished a year on Aimovig and have had 3 injections of Emgality. The Aimovig did help lower my daily pain levels from an average of about a 7 to about a 4.5 to 5. But the free assistance program expired and I couldn’t afford to pay for the script. I was on a double dose and the cost would have been about $1500 a month. Now I am on a free program with Emgality for twelve months and so far so good. Nit sure what I’ll do when the free program expires as it’s $700 a needle. So presently I’m on the Emgality, 3 - 50mg Tramadol daily and high THC Medical Marijuana Oil .5mg every night before bed. The MM relaxes me and eliminates my nightmares (PTSD). It’s always been a joke to me when people talk about “what my triggers are”. If I knew what caused my migraines I wouldn’t have migraines any longer!!! Oh yeah we were also vegan for two years and that made no difference either. I had a very stressful career and my migraines forced me into retirement. I had actually hoped that after I was not confronted with my daily stressors of my job the migraines would disappear. Nope! It’s been ten years now and no let up in sight. Some days are better than others and I try to do more on the good days as other days I’m a zombie........
1. Peggy Artman Member
 Last Updated:
 @MMS1956, I have heard medical professionals say that sometimes we don't know what our triggers are. The brain is so complex and sensitive to even slight changes. Do you not have any insurance at all, or will your insurance just not cover any of the CGRP medications? If the CGRP medications are helping you, maybe your doctor can help you get them. Keep us posted! ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team)
Peggy Artman Member
Last Updated:
<inline-mention user-id="3761539" username="ivanna"/> , welcome to our community! Thanks for reaching out to us. You are right - we all help each other here. It sounds like your frequency of migraine attacks has fluctuated a lot through the years. The triggers you mentioned are some common ones. It's unfortunate that we can't control some of them. Do you have access to some of the new medications, such as Aimovig, Emgality, and Ajovy? There are also some new abortive medications available here right now. Unfortunately, since there is no cure for migraine disease, managing our migraine attacks becomes necessary. I am interested in whether you have access to these new medications in Scotland. Its great to hear from you! ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team)
jellybeanie Member
Last Updated:
Hi, Ivanna. Migraine sufferer like you. I had them for 20 years before a diagnosis was made. The number of migraines I get varies greatly week to week and month to month, as well. I wanted to share something I am just learning about. I never realized until recently all the things happening to my body and my mind before the migraine pain begins. I’m trying to learn to listen to these symptoms, not doubt their authenticity, and take my sumatriptan right away. The sooner I take it, the shorter the migraine. Do you know how many brands of soup and chips contain MSG? Chinese food anyone! Not for me anymore. You may unwittingly be eating a packaged food containing MSG. I can control my intake of MSG and try to get enough sleep and not be around anyone wearing too much perfume, but I can’t control the weather. A great deal of my migraines are absolutely related to the barometric pressure dropping before a storm. Also, I always have sunglasses with me. Driving into the sun can be a trigger. Also, overcast days can sometimes be brighter than a blue sky. Oh, and chocolate may be a trigger for me, but occasionally I just can’t help myself. One more thing: I am starting a medical trial for a migraine medication. I have done this before. It is one way to help with the expense of medication for a while. Just do a search for trials in your area.
1. Peggy Artman Member
 Last Updated:
 jelliebeanie, Thanks for your great insight into trigger management. There are things we can control and things we cannot. You have mentioned some things we can control. I'm so glad you have found some of your migraine triggers. ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team)
staceylb1983 Member
Last Updated:
Hi, Believe me, I understand your frustration! I know for me, I can tell a difference when the weather is different and especially if I'm too hot. Perhaps these are concurrent with some of your migraines? As someone who suffers daily, I really don't have an answer for you. Thinking of you in Indiana, Stacey.
1. Peggy Artman Member
 Last Updated:
 StaceyLB1963, thanks for joining us! Finding our migraine triggers can be very hard and frustrating for sure! Weather changes can be very problematic for a lot of people, me included! ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team)
casper6 Member
Last Updated:
Hi Welcome to the group. I hope you can find comfort and maybe some answers. I'm a little older than you, I have battled with migraines since I was 16. One thing I noticed in your article you said sumatriptan has helped you. That medications was a life saver to me too. I later learned if I that the medication for 3 days or more in a row I will get rebound headaches. So I have a couple other abortive meds I take instead of sumatriptan. Relpax ( Eletriptan is generic) and Amerge (naratriptan is generic) are the other two medications I can take for my migraines. It depends on how quick I can take my medication and how bad my migraine is, as to which med I will take. My migraine doctor told me try not to take the same one more than 2 days in a row. Do you think any of yours could be cause by the changes of weather? That is my biggest battle right now. I wake up with them. Hope this helps. Take Care
1. Peggy Artman Member
 Last Updated:
 Casper6, Thank you so much for your contribution. You are right - taking too many abortive meds each week can cause one's migraine attacks to get worse. Follow your doctor's orders on how many to take each week. My doctor wants me to only medicate twice a week, but we are all so different. Changes in weather can be a huge trigger too. I'm glad you have found some of your migraine triggers! ~ Peggy (Migraine.com team)