Migraines day following climbing?

Hi Folks,
I suffer from migraines 1-2x a week. Fortunately triptan's work like a charm and can make migraine's disappear completely in 10 min - 2 hours. Lately, one of the biggest triggers has been back and neck tightness following days of climbing. I generally climb til dark / until it's not fun anymore  every time I go out so I usually end up pretty sore. Does anyone else experience next day migraines (following climbing)? If so, what has worked for you to limit them?

I'm interested to hear from those who get migraines as well as  MD's, NP's, nurses and clinical researchers.

I used to get migraines and the main/only thing I did to remedy it was to make sure I was not dehydrated and was eating well. Although it sounds to me like your issue may trigger more easily than mine, these could certainly be contributing factors. Good luck, migraines are the worst

Are you belaying and looking up a lot? That hurts my neck quite a bit the next day, belay glasses helped

Anonanomanom Yerp wrote: Hi Folks,
I suffer from migraines 1-2x a week. 

 I generally climb til dark / until it's not fun anymore  every time I go out so I usually end up pretty sore. 

Lately, one of the biggest triggers has been back and neck tightness following days of climbing.

It really sounds like you answered your own question... Working till exhaustion will cause problems with healthy individuals.  

You should super dose turmeric + vitamin d Paleolithic electrolyte pho micro green bone broth after you dab the hemp lavender essential fish oil, bro.

For real though, regular migraines must seriously suck.

When I get migraines, it is always the result of dehydration and hard physical effort. When I'm planning a big bike ride or climb, I carefully consider my hydration strategy before, during and after.  Try changing up your hydration game, including using sports drinks during hard sessions.

Are you using belay glasses? If not, might be worth trying, to see if they would alleviate neck strain for you. 

Yup, using belay glasses. Obviously, I could stop rock climbing til it's not fun, but that would be wayyyy less fun!

I haven't noticed any difference based on quantity of water / electrolytes etc.

How's your posture?  I wouldn't call them migraines, but I used to get headaches related to tightness in my neck / upper-back.  Working on my posture has helped a lot.  These exercises helped both for working on posture and alleviating tightness:
https://youtu.be/1UF_HYBCh_Q

I'll "second" all who mentioned dehydration. It's an insidious thing as it can sneak up on you, even when you don't think you've been sweating. Try drinking at least 2 Qts of water, or water with electrolyte-stuff added, over the course of the day. (Tri-oral seems to be the most "neutral", if you're not really dehydrated, 1/2 or even 1/4 strength is OK ...read directions.)

More important as you get older.

 

PM sent 

bearded sam wrote: PM sent 

I knew it! Beard oil is the cure. Your connect? Bearded fn Sam.

Pay attention to your posture. Are you hunching your shoulders while you climb? That can cause the upper traps to spasm. Also, hydration is key. I get my worst migraines when I am dehydrated.

I have suffered from migraines, sometimes more, sometimes less, for years. I have various triggers, but one of the most annoying ones (and it's getting worse) is a combination of exertion + warm temps. It's actually to the point now where warm temps aren't even a necessary ingredient. I've started getting these while skiing as well. I never go climbing, skiing, or hiking without all my meds with me. Sometimes I take before the migraine can even start.

Assuming the cause is just dehydration is probably too simplistic for something like migraine. It's a complex disease. If you are getting them 1-2x/week, you really need to see a specialist and look into prophylactic options vs abortives. If you take OTC meds or triptans really often, you can end up with rebound headaches (look it up for more information, it can be a serious problem).

I've already tried a migraine elimination diet a long time ago and cut back my caffeine intake which has helped with the headaches I was getting when I wasn't exercising. Pre-pandemic, I was getting Active Release Technique on my neck to see if that would help as well. And I've restarted a supplement regimen which helped several years ago when the migraines were frequent and really painful. I take either MigShield or Migrelief (2 tabs per day or whatever the bottle says) and 150 mg Butterbur. I can tell it's helping although it's not a cure (it does take a long time), but I recently visited my neuro again because I'm just so tired of the exertion migraines.

We're hoping to get me on one of the CGRP receptor meds now, probably Emgality or Ajovy. They're the first meds actually developed to treat migraine preventatively. (If you didn't know, all meds previously used to treat migraine were drugs for other conditions.) This might be something you should consider looking into. Your migraine frequency meets the requirements for a prophylactic.

Edited to add: you can make all the changes possible with lifestyle issues (food, sleep, posture, hydration, etc etc). But some people (like myself) have genes for migraine. Those genes get expressed and you are going to have a bad time, even with the best lifestyle habits.

Anonanomanom Yerp wrote: Hi Folks,
I suffer from migraines 1-2x a week. Fortunately triptan's work like a charm and can make migraine's disappear completely in 10 min - 2 hours. Lately, one of the biggest triggers has been back and neck tightness following days of climbing. I generally climb til dark / until it's not fun anymore  every time I go out so I usually end up pretty sore. Does anyone else experience next day migraines (following climbing)? If so, what has worked for you to limit them?

I'm interested to hear from those who get migraines as well as  MD's, NP's, nurses and clinical researchers.

Yes, I get them a lot, and usually after a long day. The cause for me is probably disruption of my sleep schedule. To a lessor degree, it may be disruption of my eating pattern.

I have two solutions. The fastest way to get rid of my migraines is to work out the upper body intensely for about 3-5 minutes. It is very uncomfortable at first, but if I manage to stick it out, it always helps a lot, and maybe 95+% of the time completely gets rid of it. But usually, I am just too lazy and turn to drugs. The one that works best is diphenyl hydramine HCl, or Benadryl. Side effect is sleepiness, but coffee can offset that.

A neurologist prescribed cypraheptadine for me, which is also an antihistamine like Benadryl, to be taken every night. It seems that both have muscle relaxation effects. 

to all those who struggle, my background is that I started getting them around 8 years old and have had them in the realm of 4-10 a month till about two years ago. (I am 39 now) -I have found immediate relief sitting in the tub, shower on as hot as I can stand, head between my legs, dark. The hot water on my head/neck seems to help and the added benefit is that if I puke from the pain, it just gets washed down.
Second, I am not a stoner, never have been but I have found great relief from CBD with a small amount of THC. If you live somewhere its legal, the shops usually have pills or gummies that list the ratio. I use a 5 part CBD 1 part THC. I have also started taking some CBD every night and my migraines are becoming less and less frequent. https://www.remedioshemp.com/ is where I get my CBD. Its a small farm in rural Colorado growing it organic.
Third and this one will be less popular but I have become almost entirely plant based in my diet. I eat eggs still but no dairy (that was the hardest to give up) and rarely do I eat meat (usually only when visiting someone) 

I used to think it was sugar or lack of sleep or weird eating but I was still getting them even controlling for all those things.
 EDIT - I should add that I still get them but less than 1 a month now, more like 1 every 3 months or so

I too get migraines, often a day or two after spending time climbing and belaying. I’m not a doctor and migraines of any sort are a complex issue. I would encourage you to find a physician who is a headache specialist if possible or a neurologist who specializes in migraines.

Personally, my migraines seem to stem from nerve entrapment, nerve irritation, or inflammation causing decreased blood flow. Stretching can help, and taking non steroidal anti inflammatories after a strenuous day of climbing can help as well. You might find that massaging the muscles in your neck, base of your skull, and jaw or temple can help to reduce your migraine symptoms as well. I’ll usually use my hand or even a tennis ball to do this.

As others have said, staying adequately hydrated is a must, but maintaining adequate levels of vitamin B12, B6, magnesium, and potassium is as well. Low levels of any of these can cause migraines.

Triptans and gabapentin prescribed by a neurologist or headache specialist may help, but it’s important to note that many individuals experience severe side effects associated with these that can be debilitating. Depending on what type of migraines you get and how frequent/severe they are, you might want to look into some of the biologics that have recently come on to the market for the treatment of migraines.

I get migraines about once a month. I’ve found that the factors that make them come on are some combination of dehydration, exertion, stress, and caffeine. For me it seems like, of all the factors,  stress combined with dehydration is the most likely to bring one on.

You don't say if you are male or female, but if you are male you can take Atenolol as a preventative as I do sometimes. It also works during the migraine. In general, I suspect it's dehydration that triggers me on occasion. So make sure to drink enough, especially when it's not hot and you aren't feeling thirsty.

I was reminded today that chewing gum was something that seemed to aggravate my migraines

Three suggestions that help me keep climbing migraines away ... climbing in the sunshine for long periods seemed to be a migraine trigger for me, I now wear long sleeve "sunblocker" shirts, and a sun hat, pop a tylenol or advil at the start of your climb, they often seem to stop a migraine from developing, and finally, eat properly at the start of your day and have small snacks during your outing so you're not exerting "on empty".