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When Nothing Helps Your Chronic Migraines
Start by reevaluating your triggers and lifestyle factors, but also consider trying new medication
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A migraine is more than just a headache. If you’ve had one (or many), you know that symptoms like pain, trouble concentrating, fatigue, nausea and vomiting can disrupt your daily life.
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And if you have chronic migraines, figuring out how to manage or stop them can be just as frustrating as the headache itself.
“People with chronic migraines have at least 15 headache days per month or more,” explains neurologist Payal Soni, MD, “So at least half the month or more with headaches.”
You’ve tried medication, you’ve made lifestyle changes, you avoid your triggers and you’ve even tried alternative methods like acupuncture or biofeedback — but nothing seems to stop the migraine train from steamrolling over your life.
Now what?
Dr. Soni discusses the importance of talking to a healthcare provider about your migraines and what you can do when it feels like nothing is helping them.
Finding the right chronic migraine treatment
While there isn’t a cure for migraines, there are plenty of treatment options available. But it might take some guesswork to find a treatment or medication that works best for you.
“For the majority of people, we do need to go through a process to find what works,” notes Dr. Soni. “That’s true for pain management in general. We don’t have a way to predict how you will respond to certain medicine, so sometimes, it does take a little bit of a trial-and-error process to find the medicine that is most effective and best tolerated.”
And it’s important that you really talk to your healthcare provider about how you’re feeling — beyond just constantly having a headache. Information like headache frequency, triggers and associated symptoms — like sleep problems, anxiety or depression — can help your doctor in their diagnosis and treatment plan.
“Some of the medicines that we use can sometimes be used for a dual indication,” explains Dr. Soni. “There are some anxiety medicines that can also be used to treat migraine. So, if we’re also trying to treat anxiety, we may be able to use something like that.”
We know that when you start a new medication, it can be frustrating if it doesn’t work right away or if you experience side effects. But try to give it some time, she adds.