Towards Ending Migraines

[tara]

Nor tianeptine.
Any point in trying to get some diphenhydramine, in case histamine is a significant contributor to the migraine?
Ondansetron looks like its available here by prescription, but not sure that I'd get it for migraine purposes, or that it would make sense.

 

[tara]

You can use some B6 supplement to lower the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.

OK, thanks. I think I mostly hit the official RDI on B6, but maybe I should bump this up a bit.

 

[tara]

Not a good week - down 4 times, after a 12 day break.

 

[SQu]

Sorry to hear it. Did you ever try bcaas? Early morning bright sunshine? After 10 weeks off I got a migraine from I'm not yet sure which one of these possibilities: ingredients in pregnenolone supp; higher dose pregnenolone lowering blood sugar; suddenly raising salt by 2 tsp in broth (might have irritated gut). Don't think it was the salt though or else I quickly adjusted as I'm still taking it - no problems - and my prolactin signs are down - yay! Seeing as you're working so hard on the blood sugar issue I thought it might help to look at other stuff like serotonin lowering. Sorry if I missed this but are you on thyroid?

 

[charlie]

Hang in there tara! Even this shall pass. :)

 

[tara]

Hi Sue, thanks for your thoughts, again.

Did you ever try bcaas?

I 've been meaning to do this, but haven't followed through all the way. Haven't yet figured what I should get, and where. Looking at Haidut's post, I wonder if this would be a good one?:
https://professionalwhey.com.au/product ... oto-ibcaa/

Early morning bright sunshine?

I usually get out for a little bit of daylight before 9am, sometimes it's sunny. Sometimes earlier. I'd love to be getting more.

Seeing as you're working so hard on the blood sugar issue I thought it might help to look at other stuff like serotonin lowering. Sorry if I missed this but are you on thyroid?

Not supplementing thyroid. Made chicken neck soup a couple of times, and today I'm cooking up at least a kilo so I can have a little every day for a week or two, and see if that does anything. However hard I try, I still seem to miss with the blood sugar occasionally, and suffer for it.
I've also had some bad sleep schedule disruption, which definitely contributes too.

I'm glad you are making progress with yours.

 

[tara]

I've now got enough chicken neck stock in the fridge and freezer to have some every evening for the next 8-10 days (c 45 necks). And have another batch of raw necks to cook up after that. Tasted good yesterday, with a little pureed boiled spinach, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, and lots of salt.
Next step order BCAAs and Bs.

 

[tara]

I've eaten a little chicken neck broth every day for the last week. Felt good eating it. But migraine Monday and today, after a week's break. Woke up too early a couple of mornings, then a late night might have got me today.
I've ordered BCAAs and B1 and B6 powders. Purebulk out of mag glycinate, but I still have mag carbonate.
Pure aspirin: cost of aspirin c. $7, cost of postage: c. $200! Didn't order that. Still using my clear dissolving supermarket ones.

 

[SQu]

TAra, just trying to add info in case it helps. I fought off a migraine this weekend. It started when I had 20 g more protein than usual, suppose that one put a wobble in the blood sugar. The next day I bought high quality ice cream and ate about 600g of it through the day on top of usual things. I also took more t3"than usual (but I am on an upward curve with that as adrenaline seems not to be spiking). Kept very close eye on pulse in case. Took at about 2.5 h intervals. Also lots of aspirin, I usually take about 1200mg a day but yesterday I must have had 2400mg _ whenever the ache came back. Love aspirin. It was a 2 day thing , like a very pale reflection of a migraine, similar in many ways, duration, nagging feeling, etc. But headache only mild. Gone today. RP does say a quart of ice cream so I had plenty, spread out, kind of nursed myself through the day. It was definitely all set to be a classic migraine but didn't get the chance. And also I got some sun. It could be the t3. Or keeping nutrition up as tends to fall behind when feeling so ill - the very worst thing. Hope something there helps.

 

[Mittir]

I've now got enough chicken neck stock in the fridge and freezer to have some every evening for the next 8-10 days (c 45 necks). And have another batch of raw necks to cook up after that. Tasted good yesterday, with a little pureed boiled spinach, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, and lots of salt.

I did a lot of googling and could not find the exact hormone content
of chicken neck. Based on the weight of chicken thyroid gland
it is probably equivalent to half to 1 grain of dessicated thyroid.
I used to drink soup of 5 necks and it felt very energizing and
it warmed me up to the point of sweating.
But next day i felt bit drained and tired. I thought it was due to
lack of glycogen. After realizing that a large neck is possibly 1 grain i have
lowered the intake. Now i am taking soup of 1 neck
and it warms me up, but not as much as 5 necks.
I think it would be good idea to to limit your neck intake to
2 per day and drink it several times a day with meal.
This way you will get an even distribution of T3.
Body inactivates excess T3. I have to eat a lot of nutrient rich foods,
especially sugar to feel good. I think people often underestimate the
the amount of food needed to support increased metabolism.
But, i am noticing more weight loss with increased food intake.
I think keeping calcium intake up everyday is a big factor in
weight loss and resting sleep. RP mentioned how
high PTH in kidney dialysis patient causes insomnia.

 

[charlie]

I think people often underestimate the
the amount of food needed to support increased metabolism.

Quoted for truth.

 

[tara]

I've now got enough chicken neck stock in the fridge and freezer to have some every evening for the next 8-10 days (c 45 necks). And have another batch of raw necks to cook up after that. Tasted good yesterday, with a little pureed boiled spinach, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, and lots of salt.

I did a lot of googling and could not find the exact hormone content
of chicken neck. Based on the weight of chicken thyroid gland
it is probably equivalent to half to 1 grain of dessicated thyroid.
I used to drink soup of 5 necks and it felt very energizing and
it warmed me up to the point of sweating.
But next day i felt bit drained and tired. I thought it was due to
lack of glycogen. After realizing that a large neck is possibly 1 grain i have
lowered the intake. Now i am taking soup of 1 neck
and it warms me up, but not as much as 5 necks.
I think it would be good idea to to limit your neck intake to
2 per day and drink it several times a day with meal.
This way you will get an even distribution of T3.

OK, thanks. I'll back of to a tablespoon or 2 of my stock, morning and night, for now. Guess I should have frozen it in the ice cube trays. I haven't had a strong noticable reaction straight after eating it, certainly no sweating.
I generally supplement with about tsp of calcium carbonate, 1/2 with breakfast, half with dinner. And have increased my milk consumption - sometimes as much as a litre a day.

 

[tara]

Hi Sue, thanks. Congratulations on fighting that one off without it getting too nasty on you.

I've read the labels on a plethora of fancy icecreams in the local supermarkets, and so far haven't found a single one without E407 - carageenan. I do eat a little occasionally, but this has put me off eating it more generously. I've read RP's article on it, but I don't know if that trumps just getting enough easy to eat food in. Making my own seems time-consuming, and even though I am now drinking and eating more milk, I think I might still be reacting to the powdered stuff. (Actually, I'm not sure whether the increased milk, decaf coffee, cocoa or chocolate might be still a problem.) I dranka bit of milky coffee, and a bit of juice, a baked potato with butter, and a bit of dried fruit. But no where near my normal consumption.

Maybe I'll try going heavier with aspirin. What has held me back is that it seems to not be as effective as ibuprofen, and if I've taken aspirin, I can't take much ibuprofen on top of that. I do use some aspirin, but not every day. Haven't found a way to get pure aspirin here.

 

[SQu]

I'm just agreeing wholeheartedly with mittir _ most of us don't get enough nutrition.
X 10 with a migraine! X100!
Also agreeing on weight loss with.more nutrition. Just a bit so far but I'm feeling much better, less bloated, tummy not so.much out in front, less aching. T3! I'm turning into its biggest fan.
The point of the ice cream I think is concentrated nutrition in crisis. Also when the brain fog sets in one can remember that one thing. And face eating it !The one I.use is milk sugar butter, also cream eggs vanilla. Could you get some of that stuff into you any other way? I used to crave butter icing (frosting )_ icing sugar(check it's just fine powdered sugar ), butter, drop of vanilla. I.occasionally made it and ate it like that, forget the cake! Thick cream and sugar was another one. I never used these to fix migraine as I only realized the connection since reading RP, but if I couldn't get ice cream I would try something like that( IF it appeals of course ).

 

[Mittir]

OK, thanks. I'll back of to a tablespoon or 2 of my stock, morning and night, for now. Guess I should have frozen it in the ice cube trays. I haven't had a strong noticable reaction straight after eating it, certainly no sweating.
I generally supplement with about tsp of calcium carbonate, 1/2 with breakfast, half with dinner. And have increased my milk consumption - sometimes as much as a litre a day.

Did you cut chicken necks into pieces before cooking?
Chicken's thyroid glands are very small and it is under the muscle.
I use the whole neck in making broth. I boil it for 2-3 hours until all the bones and
meat disintegrate. Sometime i use spatula to break down the necks when it is fully cooked.

I think measuring PTH is the best way to be sure about calcium status.
Low vitamin D people has lower absorption rate.
Absorption of calcium carbonate depends on stomach acid.
In healthy person it is not a problem. I take some calcium in
calcium citrate and or acetate form by dissolving calcium
in lemon juice/ OJ or vinegar. 1 tsp of calcium carbonate gives
1200 mg of calcium. RP recommends 1500 mg of calcium for
PTH suppression. You are probably getting enough calcium from
milk and supplement. You also need to make sure your phosphorus
intake is lower than calcium, preferably in 2:1 or
at least 1:1 ratio. calcium:phosphorus.

 

[tara]

Hi Mittir,
I didn't cut the necks up before cooking, but I cooked them for about 3hrs and they were falling apart. I strained them and hope the cats don't get too hyper from eating the solids (spread over a few days). Hard to remember to add the stock to my busy morning routine - I always remember at dinner time.
Can't remember what my calcium to phosphorus ratio was last time I ran things through cronometer - guess I could do that again.

I need to find time to get my thoughts and information organised before going to doctor. Apparently there is one outfit that supplies whole thyroid here, by prescription only and a bit complicated. And still tossing up about whether to go with his suggestion of pizotifen or push for lisuride as next drug attempt. And need to find out more about which poisons I want tested for, along with PTH, D, prolactin.

Down two days with migraine, then up and down 1 day as drugs worked briefly, then just a headache that eventually cleared on day 4. OK today.

 

[tara]

I had a bad run 2-3 days of migraine/week for 3 weeks. Then last weekend I tried diphenhydramine for the first time. I took a trial dose on Fri night when I was feeling slightly dodgy. It comes in a very inconvenient gel capsule with viscous (and foul tasting) fluid that is very hard to measure. I probably got 1/4 or 1/3 of 50mg on the first dose, and was very drowsy for 8 hrs. The next night I was going down with migraine, and took teh rest of it, after the point that is usually no-return, but not so late as to be into extreme suffering (had to drive home first so I could sleep). Woke up with no migraine, by very drowsy for 12 hours. Then lots of headaches during the following days, but no migraine for 20 days. Went down again today. Took a whole diphenhydramine (50mg) but later into it, when I was really struggling and sore. Slept but woke up even more sore. Eventually resorted to the usual sumatriptan (+ paracetamol + metoclopramide so I wouldn't throw it up, + ibuprofen so there'd still be something there when the sumatriptan wears off). Pain gone for now, but not well. Hope I'm OK tomorrow. Had to call in help to take care of kids, 'cause I could barely move. Next time I'll take the diphenhyhramine earlier if I can arrange for lots of sleep to be OK. Not always possible.

I tried small serves of chicken neck stock - c. 1 tbsp 3xday, and maybe I could tell a little lift from it, but not enough to keep out of migraine eventually. I wonder if not keeping this even enough was a problem, or if i accidentally let blood sugars drop again. I've been drinking lots of sweet milky decaf coffee, which I love. But once the migraine process is underway, milk seems to make it worse. I'm a bit suspicious of the bought OJ too. Protein is a problem, since milk and cottage cheese seem to mess with me once I'm unwell, and meat is serotonin promoting, and there'r limits to how much gelatine and eggs I want to eat in a day. I'd like to get juicer and try the potato juice, but so ar it's still on my way-too-long to-do list.

Will try to get some cascara.

Think I need to try dropping chocolate again, but I keep resorting to it because it's convenient, and feels good short term, and I have trouble figuring out enough suitable food to carry when I'm out. This week it was mostly white chocolate, and only a little milk or dark.

 

[tara]

Also got period day 20, much earlier than expected - often get migraine during period.
And not much sun or time under hot lights the last few weeks.

 

[SQu]

So sorry to hear, Tara

 

[Blossom]

Are you able to tolerate cheese? I was just curious because I find it very convenient to carry along for a snack. I'm not sure about your chocolate issues but I've found Enjoy Life makes a dark chocolate bar that I tolerate very well. The ingredients are: natural chocolate liquor(non-alcoholic),evaporated cane juice, non-dairy cocoa butter. Their semi-sweet chocolate chips have similar ingredients. For me personally it is usually the soy lecithin thats added to chocolate that causes a problem.