When Migraine Medicine Didn’t Work

By Alene L. Brennan, RYT

1 min read

If I wasn’t in so much pain, I would have had the strength to be frustrated. I had a migraine over a holiday weekend that I had been looking forward to for so long.

Searching for a migraine trigger and relief

I couldn’t figure out the trigger which made it even more frustrated. I wanted something to blame and even more so, I wanted to identify the source so I could address it.

I took my first migraine medicine, and it offers zero relief. Then I took my stronger medication and got some relief. But the very next morning I woke up with it back again.

Trying essential oils

I noticed that I had neck tension, so I put an essential oil blend on that’s specifically designed for muscle tension and the migraine not only was relieved, but it never came back. It was a great reminder to sometimes look outside the normal culprits and be relentless with trying new remedies.

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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candiceroyer Member
I can't even think about essential oils without balking. Too much scent/odor is instant migraine for me. I know most, and lavender is my biggest trigger, which is a nightmare since it's in a gazillion things these days for its "calming" effect. (For me, lavender=calming:aspartame=safe. In other words, neither applies if algebra isn't your thing.) I'm very glad these things work for others. No one, absolutely no one, should suffer what we do. And though it may not be the worst thing in the world, comparing pain person to person isn't realistic. Everyone's tolerance and pain threshold is different. No person's life experience is exactly the same as another's, not even twins. So comparison is not just unfair to us all -- we're our own individual human being, not a statistic, lab result, survey, study outcome (whole), etc. -- but it diminishes the value of what can be learned from each of us to try. Good luck with your migraines! Congratulations on the essential oils! Be safe, be well, be healthy. 
1. Alene L. Brennan, RYT Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="amendt" user-id="3805856"/> Migraines can definitely be challenging, that's why I'm so grateful that we have a community like this to plug into for support and encouragement, and to remind us that we're all in this together. <3 
2. Cheryl Picerno Moderator
 @amendt It surely can be frustrating to have never-ending migraine pain. My husband has intractable, chronic migraine and suffers daily from headaches and several other migraine symptoms daily. It seems hopeless somedays that's for sure. He manages with the help of a number of different reliefs including Emgality and Nurtec. Migraine can certainly feel like a slow death, but there is always hope! Warmly, Cheryl <a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank'>migraine.com</a> team.
YankinHB2022 Member
I am happy to hear that essential oils helped you. Frankly, I am happy to hear anything has helped anyone. I get tension migraine as well as common migraine. There seems to be a neck issue and other triggers. I would like to know what essential oil blend worked for you. Thanks.
1. Alene L. Brennan, RYT Moderator & Contributor
 Hi yankinchino! I'm glad to hear that the article was helpful for you, although I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with migraines too. They can be tough! Regarding the essential oils, I find two blend to be most helpful for relieving tension specifically that's doTERRA Past Tense (tension blend) as well as Deep Blue (soothing blend). Again, these are just my personal preference but I've had great results with them. Hope this helps 😀