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Breakthrough: magnesium

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Migraine Headache
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Posted 5/22/2007 9:43 AM (GMT -7)
After 40 years of fighting migraine, at last I've found something that makes a difference: magnesium. A daily fix, along with Zinc and Vit B. Calcium is also helpful. This cocktail makes me feel a lot more confident about resisting headaches. Before, I felt that I was always susceptible to a migraine - that the threatening migraines were stronger than my power to resist. Now I feel the opposite, and in the past month I have enjoyed many, many days on end without having to resort to strong medication (the triptans). Magnesium is not a cure for the pain - it is a preventative (for me: apparently). I can still succumb to migraine if I do foolish things such as overwork, however.

It is also important not to get addicted to triptans. The migraine on waking can be a sign of triptan dependency. Sometimes you have to be brave enough not to take the medication and instead, if you are able to, do quiet work, ideally in a shady garden. Then often the morning migraine retreats without your having to resort to the triptan.

 

Posted 5/22/2007 9:51 AM (GMT -7)
Mrs. Toad,

What medications are triptans? Your talk of addiction and dependency scare me.....

How much magnesium? Is it a pill, powder dissolved in water, or what?

How long before you noticed a difference?

Thanks, Rhoda
Posted 5/23/2007 6:23 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Guys,

I think we need to get a balance here. With respect Mrs Toad, I beleive that the triptans are neither addictive nor do they encourage dependancy!! However, I do beleive that frequent use of triptans over a long period of time (years) can lead to more frequent migraine attacks with more intense pain, but this is not proven!

Migraine on waking usually has more to do with circadian rythm than any drug as far as I know! I used to wake with migraine long before any triptans were on the market!!!!

Mrs Toad, I am very pleased that you have found something that works for you in the magnesium, and it may indeed work for others, but as with everything it will not work for everyone!


Rhoda,

Triptans are a group of drugs that are not painkillers but abort (take away) a migraine attack! They come in various forms, either tablet, melts, nasal spray or injection! Triptans act on the blood vessels by giving them a gentle squeeze, thus bring the enlarged blood vessels in the head back down to normal size, that are involved in a migraine attack!

take care

Ann
Posted 5/23/2007 9:36 AM (GMT -7)
I take 250 mg of magnesium daily, with Vit B and zinc. If you do a Google search on "Daily dose magnesium migraine sufferers" it will throw up a lot of interesting articles on this subject - all of them positive.

re: Triptans: the most often prescribed in the UK, Sumatriptan, is called Imigran over here, but no doubt has different names elsewhere. It is extremely effective at aborting a migraine, indeed it has transformed my life, but I am aware that often, the day after I've used it, the migraine returns and this "rebound" headache often leads to another pill being taken.... and so on, sometimes for days and days at a time. This rebound tendency is certainly understood as a possible unfortunate pattern by GPs here in the UK, but the drug remains the essential anti-migraine medication. Indeed I wouldn't travel anywhere without it.

But the magnesium does seem to offer increased resistance to migraines, and I noticed the difference immediately.

Posted 5/28/2007 6:49 PM (GMT -7)

Sorry I haven't answered sooner.  Was on a little vacation and didn't check any of the blogs.

Thanks for all the information.

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