Lack of caffeine, withdrawl headache triggers the migraine. Which on the flipside, dehydration headaches or low blood sugar headaches also tend to trigger.

Any kind of artificial sugars which include, sorbitol, nutrasweet, half&half, even a sip of soda I can taste and I gotta tylenol up right after. Otherwise it’s a 3 day migraine bender filled with the fun of trying not to rub eyelashes together as the sound is too much.

Interestingly, mine seem to be triggered by (among other things) too much daily caffeine. Cigarette smoke will do it, too, which meant I was one of those people shouting “hoorah!” when smoking in the work place was banned where I live.

I think it’s her ex-husband.

I suffer through the same thing and, while the trigger may be different, the result is the same… muscle spasms through neck and shoulders leading to migraines. Hang in there! You can work through it over time. It has taken me 6 years but I’ve finally got them under control. I wish they were completely gone but I’m happy to have them significantly minimized.

Normal headache meds, regardless how strong never really worked. The problem was the spasms and if I could get rid of those the migraines would go as well. Afer trying EVERYTHING IMAGINABLE… I finally got into a routine of using muscle relaxants whenever I felt my muscles begin to spasm. Yes, it would knock me out but it would also stop the vicious cycle before it got out of control. With my muscles relaxed… the rest of my efforts actually worked (massage, heating pad, not bath, etc.) At this point, I probably get spasms once a month but that is much better than the daily pain before. And the amount of medication I take is actually far less!

Yes, I know your situation is different but I thought I’d share anyway. I spent years trying to “cure” the spasms without much success. But aggressively “preventing” them was when I finally made progress.

But let me make one suggestion just on the off chance that no one (even doctors) have mentioned it. If possible, have an MRI done to check for a herniated disc. Yes, computer/office/writing work can cause it and even a mild one can “appear” like simple stress. Eliminating the possibility of a physical injury is important to knowing how to proceed. (again, you probably know this)

Sorry if I’ve rehashed info you’ve heard many time before. I comment because I care! Whatever path is best for you I wish you the best.

Michael

I’ve also found that general NLP/self-hypnosis relaxation exercises are very good for this (and having two fourteen year old kids is a trial at times). It’s either that, a fanny pack, or a little red wagon. You could set a trend…

Cheers,

D

My wife suffers from pretty severe migraines where she is totally incapable of anything because of her nerves firing like crazy. MSG (aka yeast extract) is her trigger.

I’m glad you know your trigger(s) because you can avoid a migraine most of the time. It’s a good thing to know.

As Abraham Lincoln said to the San Dimas High School, “Party On Dudes!”