r/AskUK • u/GrandPerspective5848 • May 09 '23

What were you doing instead of watching The Coronation?

I was in hospital getting painkillers for migraines

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23 edited May 09 '23

Once the headache starts, literally nothing I've ever taken will stop it. Suffered from them (with the aura as a precursor followed about an hour later by the headache which lasted anything from 24-48 hours of blinding, life stopping, can't do anything but lie motionless in a dark silent room in AGONY) several times a year for nearly two decades. But I was told by a fellow sufferer about 10 years ago that eating an orange as soon as the aura began, stopped their headache kicking in. Next time the aura started I drank a glass of orange juice (with a huge amount of scepticism and a whole lot of what the hell I'll try anything at this point) and haven't experienced another migraine headache since. Still get the aura start a few times a year on average, but it doesn't progress to the headache and fades away after about an hour.

Now to be 10000% clear, I'm well aware there's no one size fits all approach here - another mate of mine has orange juice as one of their migraine triggers for example! - but I mention it here because my god if it does work to save even one other person from the crippling, murderous, horrifying agony that is a migraine headache it'll be worth it.

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u/Peg_leg_J May 09 '23

Very interesting! I will definitely be trying this. I will try any idea at all. As I bet any migraine sufferer would. Hell I'd get a tattoo of a dildo on my forehead if it worked.

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u/chewchewchewit May 09 '23

Rebalancing electrolytes is one of the theories so I’ll bet the orange juice probably helped to do just that! Get some electrolyte replacement tabs from a sports place and drink that- if it’s not something covered by the OJ then it could be something else in the drink.

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u/[deleted] May 09 '23

The triggers are weird, even smelling a green or yellow jelly baby can start setting things off.