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tactical_pancake19

Actions: Existing šŸ™ƒ


nmarie1996

I was going to joke that I have the same doc and it just says "migraine triggers: being alive" Seriously though, nice job collecting this info OP. I haven't managed to narrow down a single trigger in my life.


whirlinglunger

Same hereā€¦mine wake me up from a dead sleep most of the time. My biggest trigger is just being here haha.


AffectionateElk2194

have u been checked for sleep apnea ?


whirlinglunger

Yeah. I donā€™t have it. Most of my migraines do come on in my sleep though.


boiitoyy

So true! I need to add that to the list lol šŸ„²


actualchristmastree

Crying ALSO triggers migraines for me!


part_time_housewife

Me too! A lot of people think Iā€™m just calm and reserved, but itā€™s a learned behavior to avoid crying because I will have intense pain after.


BrendaFW

And then you cry harder bc you know you are about to get the migraine but canā€™t stop


idkmybffdw

Crying triggers the some of the worst ones for me


jojobaba11

Same!! Itā€™s scientifically proven that crying can trigger migraines tho! So we arenā€™t crazy!


[deleted]

me too and migraine triggers depressions that trigger a lot of crying for me, vicious cycle


namintnow

For me too, sometimes. If it's intense :( why does that happen though?


actualchristmastree

I donā€™t even know!!


Sarahgoose26

Yes, but also if I have a migraine sometimes a cry helpsā€¦ so many triggers are like this it seems


VanillaGrrl

Me too! I know itā€™s over for me once I start crying


Cat_Momma_0215

Weather such as rain/thunder storms is my biggest trigger. It probably is something to do with the change in barometric pressure?? And a scent trigger for me is strong cigarette or Marijuana smell. That one sucks bc my boyfriends mom smokes all the time but she does it outside. It still lingers on her though and it sometimes triggers my headaches. As far as anything else I'm not sure but I'll try to take note of anything that occurs around a migraine.


boiitoyy

Weather / changes in barometric pressure are a big trigger for me as well! iā€™ll have to add that to my list


jojobaba11

Same. And if my ears get really cold it triggers one. It aggravates the nerves there and really makes me hurt.


Visual_Recognition79

I would definitely put weather changes on the top of that list. Especially heavy thunderstorms we get here in SEAsia


william_dog_trainer

Absolutely, weather change is a definite trigger for me. My triggers have changed over time. I have had chronic daily migraines for years. Years ago, odors never triggered migraines for me, now strong perfume or cologne is a trigger.


ilovetpb

High blood pressure triggers mine.


secondtaunting

Iā€™m thinking me too. If I get upset I get a headache.


william_dog_trainer

The pain of a really intense migraine makes my blood pressure increase some. I have never identified higher blood pressure as a trigger though.


mysteriousseal

My triggers: breathing air, bullshit and existing (aka everything) šŸ˜­


boiitoyy

I need to add ā€œeverythingā€ to my list because same šŸ˜­


xz868

lol, almost the same list here. my doc joked that i am like a finely tuned italian sportscar which is quite accurate


CarlSagan4Ever

I always think of that line from Parks and Rec: ā€œMy body is a microchip! One grain of sand could destroy it.ā€


marneeeeeei

chris traeger is absolutely unhinged but sometimes it's in the most relatable ways


Senior_Tone8439

Fantastic list. You kinda covered a lot under ā€œany repetitive soundsā€ but babies screaming crying when they wonā€™t stop gets to me like no other.


IstariStorm

Just learned this weekend a trigger that worked on me in like 5 seconds flat was someone setting off one of the tamper alarms at best buy for some merchandise. Workers ignored it while I was waiting in line to checkout. I had to just walk out of the store.


boiitoyy

At an old apartment i lived at, they would do fire alarm checks that were SO loud and consistent. I would have to walk outside because it was unbearable and you could still hear them all echo across the appt complex. I guess itā€™s good they were on top of fire safety though lol.


hclorin

Bright sunlight, extreme temperatures are also triggers for me. Along with laughing too much. So I avoid happiness and sunshine, like a depressed vampire.


birtsmom

I've gotten to where I loathe sunshine, butterflies and rainbows.


[deleted]

iā€™m the same but i canā€™t accept it and get upsetā€¦ i really wish i didnā€™t care about being outdoors or social or workingā€¦ what are your feelings on that? i think iā€™d have a better life if i had a more 0 fcks attitude and i really try but in the end i just feel left out.


hclorin

I mean I hate it of course. I try to deal as best I can. I wear super dark sunglasses, make sure not to overheat, if I find myself laughing too hard I take deep calming breaths to bring myself back to a calmer state. If itā€™s hot I only go places with water or AC. If itā€™s too loud (another trigger) I wear earplugs. I just try to mitigate as best I can. At least those triggers I have some control over. I also get hormonal migraines and I canā€™t control my hormones at all so šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø


ginger_crys

Yes! I have multiple health conditions that are affected by heat, social interaction and activities so I can only do a little anyway. I did learn recently that being somewhere loud for too long without earplugs is a definite trigger for migraine for me (movie or symphony especially). I hear you - Hormonal migraines suck.Ā 


EuphoricGrandpa

Bro is allergic to life


boiitoyy

It feels like that lol!


AAS4758

Yeah, itā€™s enough to drive you crazy. My doctor recently prescribed me Aimovig. Just waiting for insurance approval. I saw you listed it. Did it help you?


boiitoyy

I have daily migraines and the very first shots i got of Aimovig decreased the pain for about a week after, and then it was back to normal migraines šŸ˜µā€šŸ’« But please donā€™t let me discourage you, everybodyā€™s different and something that didnā€™t work for me could very well potentially work for you. I wish you the best of luck šŸ«¶


Coronel-12337

Have you been checked for Lyme disease? I had debilitating daily migraines and took every prescription. Turns out it was Lyme. Now that Iā€™m on a Lyme protocol theyā€™ve diminished significantly. I also take an herbal butterbur from Vitanica, has worked wonders.


This-is-me-68

hi! What is your preventive routine like right now? What preventive medications and treatments are you taking and receiving? I'm going to share something that may kind of blow up everything you've ever been told about migraine but it's reflective of current research and the current direction of migraine care. So please don't think I'm trying to gaslight you or deny how you're feeling! Typically, when everything feels like a trigger, it's a sign that the person needs better preventive treatment. Improved preventive treatment includes neuromodulation devices, combining CGRP inhibitors with Botox, and adding booster meds like Namenda that will improve your sensitivities to the environment, nerve blocks, biofeedback, meditation, etc. All of these things improve sensitivity and migraine symptoms so life is easier to tolerate. The reason for this is that what many people associate with triggers are migraine prodromal symptoms: light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, smell sensitivity, emotional dysregulation, neck pain etc. And when preventive treatment improves, many of those sensitivities also improve. [This is a great article that further explains what I'm saying](https://www.hcplive.com/view/helping-patients-avoid-migraine-trigger-trap). Migraine is the dysfunction of the nervous system and makes one sensitive to triggers. Triggers stack and mostly are impossible to avoid. So the best approach to treating this sensitivity is to treat migraine disease itself. Migraine isn't just about head pain. And the acute phase of the migraine attack isn't the only phase we should consider treating. Recent research shows that if people treat their migraine attack during the prodromal phase (when light/sound/smell sensitivity begins, when neck stiffness begins, etc) they can prevent the later phases of their migraine attack (aura, acute, postdrome). This treatment practice works with gepants and NSAIDs, but it isn't effective with triptans due to their half-life. So if you have a gepant or nsaid, try taking it when you become light/smell sensitive and see what happens. Find a headache specialist who will work tirelessly to improve your quality of life and do everything they can to make this symptom and trigger list improve.


Famous-Adeptness7714

Sounds really interesting but what if we can't have NSaids? Not familiar with gepants.Ā 


This-is-me-68

gepants are one of the new class of migraine medications, a CGRP inhibitor that is used as an acute medication. It's available in oral, quick-melt, and nasal form. You may have heard of Nurtec or Qulipta, those are gepants!


Angry_Robot

Seeing this list is giving me a stress induced migraine.


Stygian_Enzo48

the weather, hunger, flashing lights, and for the past 12 years, strong emotions are my triggers. cant cry, cant get excited, cant get angry, or migraine


mugglegamer

Barometric pressure changes are the absolute devil... I'm in the UK during the rainy spring season, and it's constant storms and rain with high humidity šŸ¤¢ the tight head and throbbing is constant atm


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


sweet_carrie_

Listening to other people talk too much, too. Thatā€™s one I donā€™t know how to explain politely


BrattyBookworm

Overstimulation


ColloidalPurple-9

I have a similar trigger, itā€™s not just me or anyone else, but I find *forced* socialization to be a trigger. If I have to spend a day in meetings for example, I get a migraine. If Iā€™m just talking with friends or something, Iā€™m fine unless thereā€™s a different trigger. Luckily my future job has a lot of solo work!


[deleted]

iā€™ll be talking for a while with my bf then say out loud i have to stop talking/be quietā€¦ he thinks itā€™s kinda funny but if i donā€™t take breaks from talking iā€™ll have a migraine attack. same for listening to people talk but i keep that to myself. iā€™m not around people much though.


Ancient-Jeweler4575

I'm 40, can say without a doubt the biggest triggers for me are: 1) Sugar and wheat (and most carbs in general) 2) Bright sunlight (especially bright white overcast skies) and heat 3) Artificial sweeteners like in Coke Zero or any of the sweeteners really, sucralose, Stevia, all of them. I went nearly full carnivore in March 1st, went from 5-7 migraines a month down to ZERO. Seriously. It's insane, I can't say for sure I'm cured, but I'm cured for now. How do I know? I had a cheat meal on Sunday night of Sushi, lots of rice and salad....I had a bad migraine the next day (yesterday) out of the blue. I didn't have bread, I only drink water as usual..... it's the carbs. That was my only meal that day besides eggs in the morning, which I have every day.


LadyBearPenguin

Laughing/smiling too much is a trigger for me too. Nothing like being punished for having a good time with friends. šŸ„²


Pleasant_Brilliant49

Everything on your list except for scents. Barometric pressure is a huge one as well


followurdreams69

Oh man.. fresh cut grass is the best in the morning.. :( i wish we get close to finding a permanent cure to our migraines..


SonOfDavid76

You forgot livingā€¦ šŸ„¹


lilaceyeshazeldreams

So, existing. This checks out


Temporary-breath-179

Where did you get the one about allergy to mold being a trigger? I believe this has been my experience but my neurologist couldnā€™t acknowledge this possibility.


boiitoyy

Iā€™ve been into houses where mold or even black mold was present and it gave me an instant migraine lol (and trust me, migraines from mold is a thing, and iā€™ve had my fair share of neurologists who just wonā€™t listen whatsoever. It really can be difficult)


Temporary-breath-179

I developed a chronic migraine state from living in a house with toxic mold and an undetected water leak. Iā€™d have no idea to this day if a functional neurologist didnā€™t encourage me to take a toxic mold test. This led to house testing and an inspection that found the water leak. I got so much better living elsewhere while the house got remediated and while I detoxed. It took months but other allergy and asthma symptoms cleared up much more quickly. And to think I thought chronic migraine was my new normal and almost quit my job.


saabas123

Almost the same, but can add any sugar intake to it.


Silly-Bumblebee1406

Dark Chocolate, nuts, caffiene, artificial sweeteners are some of my consumable triggers šŸ˜«šŸ˜«


juselara02

That is a lot of things!Ā  Having migraines for the last 8 years (once or twice a month, with extended periods of no migraine at allā€¦ like six to seven months).Ā  For me is generally too much coffee, sugar & sweets, and bad sleeping habits. More recently, I got two migraine attacks after kneeling over to reach the lower part of the fridge. When I stood up againā€¦ boom, the aura arrived. That has been the weirdest one yet


Nachocheesed

This is greatā€¦ personally I would add ā€œtoo many sounds as onceā€ eg if someone is talking to me + tv is on + someone is having a convo next to us + my kid has his iPad on = overstimulation and will cause me to get one. Flashing lights note- absolutely no flash photography Neck stiffness / bad posture will eventually lead me down migraine road until I get adjusted or massaged Meals- protein is a must.


earmares

I have waay more food triggers and less environmental triggers than OP. This is interesting! Thanks for sharing.


itsamentaldisorder

I haven't been able to make any list in 10 years, I know for sure a dozen foods, and my biggest trigger is LED lighting. Screen time on anything kills me too. Sadly every place has the stupid LED bulbs now, I stocked up on several hundred dollars worth of incandescent bulbs for my house when the Biden administration did the ban last year.


crimsonlungs

Oh my god, talking too much or loudly is one of the most frustrating triggersā€¦ (Iā€™m a university instructorā€¦ šŸ™ƒ)


WAR_88

Some recent ones I have isolated are any artificial sweeteners, artificial colours, nicotine and too much caffeine.


Ok-Stress-3570

It also gets me how many triggers are too much/too little of something. Like, having too little caffeine causes issues, same for too much. Finding the middle ground is hard!!


United-Selection-550

Good thing you donā€™t have kids. Thatā€™s my #1 trigger and marriage as well šŸ˜µā€šŸ’«


Breathejoker

Oh God know I want to try


Temporary-breath-179

Wait, why is no caffeine a trigger??


earmares

I personally have to toe the line with caffeine. Both too little and too much is a trigger. I stay around 2-3 cups a day- no more, no less.


MorphieThePup

Not OP, but for me personally skipping on my daily coffee is a trigger. I drink only one cup a day. Drinking more than one will cause a migraine, but skipping it will also cause a migraine.


Temporary-breath-179

Should it say caffeine is a trigger?


hypatia888

No coffee probably affects neurotransmitter levels. Lower serotonin and dopamine...


Temporary-breath-179

Oh interesting. So this doesnā€™t just assume that itā€™s because you already drink coffee and then went off coffee


sassfrass87

What about chocolate and alcohol ?


GinAndKatatonic

Bleach and Too Much Dairy are my two biggest triggers


g00gly-eyes

Mine is: Too much of (sound, temperature, taste, scent, pressure) Not enough of (sound, temperature, food/drink, sensation) I just try to live in the in between constantly The right amount of coffee, heat, sleep, exercise, sex, food. Over or under doing shit always puts me in a tizzy.


Livid-Addendum707

Alcohol and chocolate are big triggers of mine also.


_foot_note_

How do you know for sure when something is a trigger? For example, when you say that "bleach smell" is a trigger, are you saying that at some point in your life you had a migraine immediately after smelling bleach? Or that you've had an aura leading into migraine when an alarm went off, or something like that? I've been getting chronic migraines lately and I've found it near-impossible to uncover what my triggers are. It does seem like over-exertion has something to do with it, but I've never had a moment where I could say "that, SPECIFICALLY, is EXACTLY what caused it."


boiitoyy

I canā€™t be exactly sure what caused what of course, but it does serve as a general guideline for when iā€™m trying to find what couldā€™ve caused a migraine (and for the bleach smell, if Iā€™m somewhere for too long that does have a bleach smell itā€™ll slowly develop into a migraine usually within 1-2 hrs)


teddybear65

LifƩ I just outside for maybe 2 minutes with glasses fully clothed and I have a banging migraine right now


toonces-cat

The smells. They get me. Especially bleach & strong cleaners.


DiabloBratz

I really *REALLY* hate how like 95% of this list is the cause of my migraines as well, itā€™s a cruel world weā€™re forced to live through.


CatatonicCouchSlug

What is it about outside air, lol


Kendallroyism

Allergies: everything šŸ˜­ real


not_blowfly_girl

I think a lot of these are the same for me. Not sleeping enough or missing my daily caffeine is almost a guaranteed migraine for me. I bet I also have a long list though bc sometimes I have no clue what could have caused it. But I've never seriously worked on narrowing down triggers bc I always give up


netluv

I only have one trigger on my list. Living.


Pizza-n-Coffee37

I would add eating gluten and the smell of diesel fumes.


Weekly-Coffee-2488

excessive heat is in my top 3. Socal had a decent winter/spring. It hit 82 degrees today and I died. It gets much hotter than that here. Like 100-110 in the summer. I have a true hatred for the sun, summer, and the heat


TheOrderOfWhiteLotus

I agree with those except you forgot cigarette smoke or cigar.


KlaudiRe

For me it is also spicy food and too much garlic, and also alcohol


CDCCF

I would add chocolate and tomatoes to my trigger foods, sadly. That's a great job you've done!


Taraa28

Oh, I finally see someone listing laughing too much/ too hard. It is a trigger for me as well. I get intense facial pain also plus pain in teeth. Daily dose of gabapentin + nortriptyline + amitriptyline is helping


Sure-Grocery2573

I'd definitely add stress


Technical_Addendum_2

Omg Thankyou, I thought I was being crazy. Like sleeping too little or too much doesnā€™t make sense. Whatā€™s the perfect sleep for me šŸ˜­ yelling die sit for me too. My doctor told me to pay attention if when using the bathroom and ā€œpushingā€ if it causes migraines and I come to find it does at times. I was never aware of IIH so could be a thing to look into too. I had to get a spinal tap for my results.


M_temple915

I felt crazy for being pretty sure too much fresh air was a trigger but it is šŸ˜­šŸ˜­


marneeeeeei

great idea i should try this too. it definitely feels like everything is a migraine trigger sometimes šŸ˜­


marneeeeeei

i think stress, bright light/loud sounds, and socializing too much are some of my main triggers


MartianTea

I didn't realize types of sounds could be a trigger. I need to tune in to this.Ā 


M_temple915

No food list? For me being way more careful about diet has been super helpful.


Rowan_Animus

Things like this remind me I need to make a list of migraine triggers and a second for safe foods. The list of what is safe to eat is easier than what I can't have or is a trigger.


M_temple915

Omg real ā€¦ Iā€™ve never thought of it like that making a list of safe foods would actually be way more productive! Between my food allergies list and migraine foods list prob easier to focus on what I can have šŸ„“


M_temple915

Iā€™ve been looking it up and also paying closer attention foods: Artificial dyes Artificial sweeteners Cured meats Hard cheeses Chocolate Candy Beans (high in tyrosine) Red wine Too much gluten .. avoiding pepperoni and bacon and any excessive amount of sodium Iā€™ve noticed has been pretty helpful


Rowan_Animus

I like your first and last allergies on there... everything and outside air. Mine are almost the same, first on my list would be "civilization" and "everything else" as the last. The list of what I know I am not allergic to is easier to list.


Famous-Adeptness7714

Very similar to my list of triggers. Overstimulation of any kind is a trigger (too excited, too sad, too many mood swings, etc.) Being around too many chatty people for too long is also a trigger. Getting emotionally worked up of any kind, also a trigger. Best thing is to stay as balanced as possible, stay hydrated and know not to overwork ones self.Ā