I’ve found avoiding triggers helps the most. Things like red wine, cheddar and aged cheeses, dark chocolate, aged and smoked meats, msg. Those are big ones as well as too much sugar and artificial sweeteners. There is a long list out there of dietary triggers. Also avoid dehydration-make sure you’re always hydrating with water. Avoid too much alcohol, too much sleep and not enough sleep, work on ways to alleviate stress. Too much exercise, too much bright light can be triggers. There are so many things but I’ve found working on this stuff offers a lot of protection from getting them in the first place.

As far as treatment when you do get one- I’ve tried many things but the routine I have when I feel one coming on is to immediately take some Tylenol and lay down in a darkened room with no sounds or distractions. Tylenol PM (I just take one PM and one regular) and try to sleep immediately. That isn’t always practical if it’s daytime but if you can get out of the situation causing symptoms to worsen (such as bright light, loud noises, computer work or reading etc) and work on relaxation techniques, you won’t get a full on attack.

Mine was from a TBI and I’m not sure if I get true migraines but I’ve done a lot of research on it and find this stuff helps me a lot. They were coming on every few weeks and now I (knock on wood) only get one or two a year. I’ve tried prescription stuff that made me sick. Nothing the doctors advised ever helped. I used to take my “cocktail” of 2 Aleve plus the Tylenol but don’t need to do that anymore. But it did help back when they were absolutely debilitating. So that’s a lot- hope it gets better for you. I really do.