In a recent study, patients tell researchers what works for migraines, comparing prescription migraine drugs with natural, alternative vitamins and lifestyle changes. The results may surprise you.
Migraines are a neurological illness that inflicts sufferers with frequent crippling headaches, nausea, stomach cramps, vertigo, and all-over body pain. Doctors have been working on a “cure” for years, but it seems that some of the most effective treatments that help don’t require a prescription at all.
What works for migraines?
Disclaimer: Please don’t ever consider stopping your current migraine medication or starting a new one without your doctor’s consent. This does not constitute medical advice, but rather a general awareness of what researchers have discovered when interviewing patients of chronic migraine attacks.
Eighty percent choose natural therapy.
Results are based on a survey by Cure Together that is available online.
Of the top ten best-rated treatments for migraine headaches, only two are migraine prescription medications; that’s an 80% success rate for natural preventative medicine and migraine trigger avoidance.
Top 10 list
1. Sitting in a dark, quiet room.
2. Taking a nap.
3. Avoiding red wine.
4. Waiting it out.
5. Eliminating MSG.
6. Avoiding smoke or quitting smoking.
7. Wearing sunglasses, even indoors.
8. Intravenous dihydroergotamine Injection (DHE)
9. Imitrex (sumatriptan) injection
10. Pressing an ice pack or cool towel on head or neck.
Popularity vs. effectiveness
Interestingly enough, some of the most effective treatments for migraine headaches are also the least practiced. According to the infographic on Cure Together, the most oft-prescribed migraine drugs are rated by patients as the least helpful in relieving migraines. Conversely, natural migraine strategies that work, such as lifestyle changes and nutrients such as butterbur, riboflavin, CoQ10, and magnesium seem to be the least prescribed and the bottom of the go-to list for migraine prevention.
Is it any wonder, then, that so many people continue to suffer from excruciating migraine attacks?
Natural vitamins, herbs, and other nutrients
Out of all the treatments rated in this survey, the one that got the best response- lying down in a quiet room- garnered 893 points. Using that number as a guideline, you can see that vitamin supplements for migraines get a huge thumbs-up for simple effectiveness without side effects.
- Magnesium- 556
- Vitamin B2- 380
- Coenzyme Q10- 296
- Vitamin B12- 247
- Vitamin D3- 130
- Butterbur- 115
- Vitamin B6- 106
Hint: Migravent has all of the top-rated ingredients!
Please share!
What treatment do you believe works for migraines better than anything else?
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Image by Stuart Miles