Migraines from motocross

alphado
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alphado 12/3/2020 8:59am
12/3/2020 8:59am Edited Date/Time 12/3/2020 8:59am
Woke up with one today. This one is stress related. 2 Exedrin and 4 Ibuprofen have it reeled in.
mxer192
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mxer192 12/7/2020 7:27am
12/7/2020 7:27am
little update...day number 9 of a migraine. i haven't had it this bad in a long time. all started from riding last weekend. i do take Imitrex when i get them but it doesn't seem to be helping. picked up a bottle of methlfolate last week have been taking it everyday. hopefully this will improve. Just want to say thank you to everyone who has commented and made suggestions to help migraines. they are something i don't wish on anyone!
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Bret
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Bret 12/7/2020 7:43am
12/7/2020 7:43am
mxer192 wrote:
little update...day number 9 of a migraine. i haven't had it this bad in a long time. all started from riding last weekend. i do take...
little update...day number 9 of a migraine. i haven't had it this bad in a long time. all started from riding last weekend. i do take Imitrex when i get them but it doesn't seem to be helping. picked up a bottle of methlfolate last week have been taking it everyday. hopefully this will improve. Just want to say thank you to everyone who has commented and made suggestions to help migraines. they are something i don't wish on anyone!
I feel your pain. I too have suffered from migraines since I was about 13. I tried everything too and nearly quit riding several times. Even bike rides and yardwork would induce a migraine. I am 55 now and finally stumbled on a combination that works for me. I stick with protein on the day of the ride or race. I discovered this quite by accident. I bring two or three Atkins shakes with me and that is all I have for fuel. I make sure I stay hydrated before during and after. Excedrin helps if I take it when I arrive at the track. The final piece of the puzzle was my blood pressure. I am on Amlodipine now and it pretty much ended my migraines at the track. If I skip the protein shakes I will get a headache. Not sure what the key to this combination is but it works and I enjoy riding more than ever now. Keep trying different things. Hopefully you will find that winning combination that lets you enjoy the sport again.
JPT
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JPT 12/7/2020 8:29am
12/7/2020 8:29am
I used to get migraines coming home from races, often ended up puking. Happened days I raced and even watching the pros. Called it race day flu. Oddly one thing that helped was wearing a hat. I realized I was squinting in the sun and tightening those neck muscles but it was on the way home when I let down they hit.

I got them other times too. What was frustrating was if I had a stressful week at work it was on the weekend they would come on. Something about relaxing that seemed to let them come on.

As I've gotten older they've slowly got less frequent but I still take my Inderal. People who don't get them don't get it, they're not "just a headache". They put you down.

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BeachMX
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BeachMX 12/7/2020 9:16am
12/7/2020 9:16am Edited Date/Time 12/7/2020 10:25am
mxer192 wrote:
I get wicked bad migraines anytime I ride. I have been riding since I was 6 and love the sport but the idea that I'll be...
I get wicked bad migraines anytime I ride. I have been riding since I was 6 and love the sport but the idea that I'll be vomiting, sweating, dizzy and having wicked head pain makes it terrifying to ride. I thought it was just during the hotter months but it seems to be more and more no matter the temperature. I've tried everything I can think of and nothing helps. Anyone else experience any form of this? Any ideas, meds that help or eliminate it?
stone881 wrote:
It might be tension in your neck muscles causing essentially a pinched occipital nerve. I get bad headaches from putting 2 pillows behind my neck and...
It might be tension in your neck muscles causing essentially a pinched occipital nerve. I get bad headaches from putting 2 pillows behind my neck and irritating those nerves at the base of the head. Next time you finish riding, see if you can take your thumbs and sort of massage around where the head seats on your neck. If you find the "knots" you can massage/ice them and maybe relieve a lot of the problem.

Took me years to figure this out and at its worst it made my eyes flutter, dizzy, etc.

Never had this problem from moto, but after a life worth of ski/bike/life wrecks, the neck gets full of scar tissue. This can build up on the nerves where they come out between the C1/C2.

Hope that helps and if not good luck with figuring it out.
I started getting very bad migraines after a surfing accident(hit the bottom of the ocean). Hit my head, and separated my shoulder. left side of my head.

I suffered for years not knowing what it was. Had MRI's, CAT scans, chiropractor, etc... nothing. Mine, as someone else said would come on when I relaxed. They would come on in seasons almost, getting 2 to 3 a day for months, then disappear for 6 months. Never during a stressful situation/exercise, always after. Absolutely debilitating migraines that would zap my energy, and I would lose sense of time if that makes sense. I would be totally out of it when I had one.

I have been free of them now for about a year. Desperate, I bought one of those cheap blow-up neck stretcher things and it changed my life. Definitely coming from my neck or base of my skull, and this totally worked for me. Rubbing or pushing those knots out at the base of your skull get easier as well.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cervical-Neck-Traction-Device-for-Pain-Relie…
feelnjstfine
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feelnjstfine 12/7/2020 10:45am
12/7/2020 10:45am
Lifelong migraine sufferer here. I get migraine with aura , or otherwise known as "classic migraines". I agree with what someone stated previously that it can almost feel like you are stroking out at times. Having had MRI's and multiple different scripts, I've found that this holistic OTC is by far the best treatment for me that I've taken. As soon as I feel an aura begin, I take 3 or 4 of these fast dissolving tablets and can usually stave off the headache portion of the migraine. The aura portion still sucks, but it sure is nice to 9 out of 10 not enter the pain portion. Hope this can help any of you.
KDM711
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KDM711 12/7/2020 12:31pm
12/7/2020 12:31pm
mxer192 wrote:
Mines not dehydration related as I always drink a ton of water. I'm currently getting botox by my neurologist and still get them. Just yesterday I...
Mines not dehydration related as I always drink a ton of water. I'm currently getting botox by my neurologist and still get them. Just yesterday I rode 2 10 lap motos on a track that's about a minute long and as I was heading home I felt dizzy and was seeing stars. Once I got home I got a bad headache and started vomiting. Vomited about 6 times and still have the headaches today.
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Mx746
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Mx746 12/7/2020 5:36pm
12/7/2020 5:36pm
Severe headache after most rides since I was 6. Now 50. Diagnosed migraines and clusters. Every few years I have to be taken to ER for a shot. They can get bad enough where you dont trust yourself. Like a root canal with no Novocain, but behind the eyes. Triggers- sun, stress, dust, heat, red wine, chocolate. If I take 3 Advil at the first hint, most of the time I can catch them before they are too bad to respond- they’re a runaway train. Hate that we all have to deal with them, but I’m finding interesting case histories here. My entire family suffers from them. My daughter had severe pain and I assumed it was the family migraine curse, but am mri showed it was a massive tumor. She has gone through treatments and is doing well.
Vet57
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Vet57 12/8/2020 12:11am
12/8/2020 12:11am
Hope you headache sufferers feel better. I get Migraines from NOT riding..lol.
toroP
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toroP 12/8/2020 7:03am
12/8/2020 7:03am
From what I know, migraines are caused by vasodilation, not vasoconstriction like tension headaches. Meds that relieve tension headaches can make migraine worse.
I get no help from Excedrin, but extra-strength Exedrin has caffeine, which is a vasoconstrictor, helps a lot. If I catch a migraine early, black coffee can even squash it.
Migraines are weird. It’s really tough to pin down triggers.
Good luck, all.
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JMCR250
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JMCR250 12/8/2020 10:35am
12/8/2020 10:35am
toroP wrote:
From what I know, migraines are caused by vasodilation, not vasoconstriction like tension headaches. Meds that relieve tension headaches can make migraine worse. I get no...
From what I know, migraines are caused by vasodilation, not vasoconstriction like tension headaches. Meds that relieve tension headaches can make migraine worse.
I get no help from Excedrin, but extra-strength Exedrin has caffeine, which is a vasoconstrictor, helps a lot. If I catch a migraine early, black coffee can even squash it.
Migraines are weird. It’s really tough to pin down triggers.
Good luck, all.
I occasionally get what's called "optic migraines," which involve disturbed vision but usually no other symptoms and are caused by the same essential mechanism as migraine headaches -- spasms in blood vessels -- in this case, those that feed the optic nerve. Scared the crap out of me the first time it happened. Went to see a retinal specialist and he told me what to look for as far as beginning symptoms and to immediately take Advil with a "slug" of caffeine at the first sign. I've been following that advice since, and it always knocks down the symptoms within minutes.
ThePizzaCobra
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ThePizzaCobra 10/7/2025 6:35am
10/7/2025 6:35am

Resurrecting this thread. I've been riding a decent amount and getting headaches every single time. The weather is cooling off, but I'm still getting them. I was optimistic about the Methylfolate recommendation in this thread, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to help. Meds from the docs don't help, and truthfully, docs seem to know as little about migraines as we do. Excedrin is hit and miss. Electrolytes (Nuun) only help so much. 

Has anyone tried anything new with success? 

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mxracer32
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mxracer32 10/7/2025 8:47am
10/7/2025 8:47am Edited Date/Time 10/8/2025 6:26am
ThePizzaCobra wrote:
Resurrecting this thread. I've been riding a decent amount and getting headaches every single time. The weather is cooling off, but I'm still getting them. I...

Resurrecting this thread. I've been riding a decent amount and getting headaches every single time. The weather is cooling off, but I'm still getting them. I was optimistic about the Methylfolate recommendation in this thread, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem to help. Meds from the docs don't help, and truthfully, docs seem to know as little about migraines as we do. Excedrin is hit and miss. Electrolytes (Nuun) only help so much. 

Has anyone tried anything new with success? 

This thread has a lot of great info. I suffer the same as most people to a point of be being debilitating. Im hypoglycemic but ive had my diet dialed for years. I drink a gallon of water a day (well water) with Baja gold salt added for minerals.  I have a deviated septum so looking onto getting that fixed and also going to start methylfolate.   Hoping something works but this being 5 year old thread maybe someone has something new.  Thats for resurrecting it. 

MXMattii
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MXMattii 10/7/2025 12:50pm
10/7/2025 12:50pm

You're probably all breathing badly/wrongly. I had serious migraines too, went to the neurologist and because he wasn't a pill pushing one (took already Topamax 50mg 2x a day) he said: breathing therapy with a physio would help. Did breathing therapy with physio and youtube videos and now when I feel some coming up, I start doing my breathing exercises.

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