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23 y/o waking up with migraines, please help.

To start, I've had migraines my whole life (from 6 years old, my mom says it was even earlier) and my triggers have been the same --stress, not eating/drinking, bright lights. I experience moments of sharp pain accompanied by a constant pressure behind my eyes, imitrex/Excedrin can do the trick if taken in time but otherwise it's just sleep that gets rid of them.

Last year I bought my first home, and it has been a migraine nightmare for me ever since. I first thought it was the stress of moving, and my CO detector never went off so i was able to rule that out. I just got back from a 3 week trip where I experienced maybe 5 migraines altogether during that period which is remarkably low for me. Now, after being back home I have woken up with an excruciating migraine every morning like clockwork. Does anybody have any ideas? Could I be getting CO poisoning on a very very low level that wouldn't set alarm off, or possibly mold in house somewhere? It was built in 1940. I have been taking turmeric and ginger for a long time now since I believe my migraines are just inflamed blood vessels in my forehead area, seems to help lower severity of migraine but I still get them as frequently. Thank you

  1. Hi levijoseph,

    Good to hear you experienced fewer migraine attacks on your trip - that must have been wonderful! I'm sorry to hear you are seeing an increase in migraine frequency since you've been back, that very frustrating. It's possible that there is a mold problem - do you have a water issues in your home? I'm not sure about the CO. Have the batteries been change in the CO detector recently? I'm trying to check off all the boxes.

    Many times when we wake with migraine pain, it can be related to a sleep issue. Some sleep issues that can trigger a morning migraine include sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, dips in our oxygen levels and more. If you haven't had a sleep study done, you may want to discuss having one with your doctor. I can also share information on sleep tricks and tips with you here; https://migraine.com/living-with-migraine/migraine-and-sleep-disorders/ and https://migraine.com/blog/is-snoring-giving-you-a-headache/
    https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-triggers-sleep-1/ - this is a three part series on sleep tips and tricks.

    When we have new and/or different migraine symptoms, it's always a good idea to let the doctor know so he/she can rule out anything more serious. If you haven't had an opportunity to do this, I would encourage you to.

    Please let us know how you make out,
    Nancy

    1. hi i too was waking waking up with headaches that would not go away. i have now been diagnosed with migraines but before it was sleep apnea. i am seeing a neurologist now and taking 3 topomax a day also mexcedrin migraine. i am almost 67. have had these several years. now the last 2 days have started having stabbing pains in my head..i too have a terrible time sleeping up 3-4 times a night. i have so many questions i dont know where to start but a couple
      1 how about head massages my primary care who is also natural dr likes this does seem to help
      2 coffee yes or no
      3 chocolate yes or no

      thanks to anyone who reads

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