I have heard some wacky migraine treatment techniques, and thought if anyone is on here, it could be a potentially interesting light-hearted thing to discuss.

Reddit swore by McDonald’s fries (salt intake?), but what prompted me to think to post this was my new DIY “heat treatment” for retinal migraines.

I like warm or cold things on the pain, and cooling strips etc are sold as migaine treatments. So one day I figured blasting my eye pain with a hair-dryer was worth a punt because why not?

Instantly pain free! I swear by it, it is temporary relief like I have never had before! The internet says heat possibly tricks pain receptors, I say dumb method works! I thought this was funny enough to share.

With this tale out the way, what are Lemmy’s wacky migraine superstitions or unorthodox migraine strategies?

Edit: blasting one’s face with a hair dryer is not medical advice! I am just a moron on the internet, and this is purely anecdotal

  • Bebo@literature.cafe
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    6 months ago

    I’ve found that applying an ice pack on my forehead and neck helps a little. Not much else by way of wacky treatments. The most effective one is my sumatriptan. It’s a life saver for me!

  • Flughoernchen@feddit.de
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    6 months ago

    It feels illegal, but alcohol kinda helps. A slightly cooled beer works as a nice cooling pad and relief medicine in one. (That’s really only an option when not taking pain killers!)

    Otherwise energy drinks do the trick for me, probably because of sugar and caffeine.

    • Go-On-A-Steam-Train@lemmy.mlOP
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      6 months ago

      You sold me at cooling pad! That does sound kind of logical in a “good at numbing and relaxing” way!

      I’d love to see booze on the health guides!

      I have migraines, they’re bad, help.

      ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I dunno, you tried getting hammered?

  • Unquote0270@programming.dev
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    6 months ago

    Not really soothing so much as minimizing but I try not to darken the room. I find that being in darkness actually makes the headache aspect much worse even though it is soothing in the short term.

    • Go-On-A-Steam-Train@lemmy.mlOP
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      6 months ago

      I did a double-take when I re-read and saw the word “not”!

      That’s really interesting, I’ve always darkened or wore an eye mask, hmm I kind of want to try this for science now, but don’t want a migraine - I’ve done my quota for the week!

      • Bebo@literature.cafe
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        6 months ago

        Oh I need a dark room as well as silence - bright light as well as loud, especially high pitched sounds, not only make my migrains worse, but are also triggers by themselves.

        • Go-On-A-Steam-Train@lemmy.mlOP
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          6 months ago

          I get you, especially with the triggers. Working with software, especially VR all day is a terrible health choice. :/

  • schmorp@slrpnk.net
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    6 months ago

    I travel into the pain and see what emerges. I decided that once I spend the duration of the migraine in hell I can as well figure out what hell looks like and really focus on what thoughts emerge. Enjoying the migraine in this way usually uncovers lost feelings and suppressed emotions, and I guess that is what my migraines try to point at all along. I have less migraines now than when I tried to suppress them by physical means. I know now when I have to get some alone time or take a long walk before getting into migraine levels of hidden frustration.

    • Go-On-A-Steam-Train@lemmy.mlOP
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      6 months ago

      Wow! Now that is a new one. I kind of can see that stress and such is part of it all, but your pain threshold must be off the charts!

      I’m written off when I get a bad one, and you’re able to use migraines as a chance to reflect… that’s very cool, even if I might be too much of a baby to dare try it! 😅

      • schmorp@slrpnk.net
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        6 months ago

        I’m written off as well. Extreme nausea, where the bits of reflection happen between the repeated sessions of throwing up. It’s like a really bad trip of the sort one would never ever want to repeat.