How to Prevent a PMS Headache

Some women experience headaches starting a few days prior to and during menstruation that are more severe than headaches at other times of the month. This symptom is also known as a Menstrual migraine.

Things You'll Need

• Calendar
• Pen/marker
• pain medication
• knowledge of triggers

Instructions

1. 

   First, track your cycle on the calendar. Mark your calendar on the days you get a headache and note the pain level either 1-10 or simply "mild", "medium", "bad", "I want die it hurts so bad" or whatever system works for you. This will help you recognize a pattern to determine if your headaches are being triggered by PMS. Also be sure to note other triggers that may be causing your headache, such as food, stress or other activities.

2. 

   If you are not already on them, consider taking birth control pills which are supposed to help keep your hormone levels steady throughout the month so you don't get as bad PMS symptoms, including PMS headaches.

3. 

   When you know you are about to get your period, make sure you get enough sleep and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Know when you should be getting your period, this will help you understand your stress levels and be able to take preventative measures before your PMS starts. To make it easier, you might want to color in a few days prior to your expected period on the calendar with a marker or highlighter so it's obvious. This is especially great if you have a husband or boyfriend, they will notice it and remember to be more understanding of your feelings and be more helpful...hopefully.

4. 

   Avoid excess stress, wine and aged cheese. Aged cheese is high in tyramine as are processed meats, raisins, nuts, avocados, canned soups, and red wine. People can be sensitive to tyramine and the result is headaches. If you really need that glass of wine to help to cope with stress or because of a special event, take some Excedrin or other pain medication beforehand.

5. 

   There is a 6-day treatment I came across on medterms.com that consists of a preventative treatment for menstrual migraines with a triptan for 6 days beginning 2 days before the anticipated start of the menstrual migraine. This treatment reduces the incidence of a migraine by at least a half. The triptans include sumatriptan (Imitrex), rizatriptan (Maxalt), naratriptan (Amerge), zolmitriptan (Zomig), eletriptan (Relpax), lmotriptan (Axert), and frovatriptan (Frova). Contact your doctor or bring it up at your next visit.

6. 

   Treat your pain with 400 to 600 milligrams a day of magnesium oxide since it is common for menstruating women to have a magnesium deficiency.

7. 

   If you get PMS headaches that are painful but not severe migraines and are unable to prevent your headache from coming on, try taking Midol which relieves headache as well as other PMS symptoms such as bloating and cramping. A combination of Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen can also provide temporary relief or a dose of Excedrin. Most people will find that one type of main medication works better for them than another.

Tips & Warnings

• Try the best you can to prevent your PMS headaches. However, if you suffer from severe menstrual migraines, these measured may only lessen the severity of them. Good luck!

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