I came across this board while looking for migraine info but this may help those with CH.  My finance had a continuous migraine for 6 weeks.  I thought I was going to lose her as she was giving up on life and I was afraid she might have a stroke as well.   To be brief, she started taking a teaspoon of baking soda first thing in the morning about 16 days ago after 3 days she started getting relief.    The intensity and frequency are lessening.  We have our fingers crossed as she has not had a migraine in 5 days  her last migraine was a few hours.  Now when she eats a food not on her diet she gets a head ache but not a migraine. (She is on a histamine intolerant, gluten free diet.)    Now she is up and running.   So far so good.     She is into her 3rd week of using the bicarb and now she is backing off  the dosage.    If this continues to work  it will safe her sanity and our money.   If there is an interest I will post more.   Good luck to all of you the board.  I understand how you hurt at times.   There is more to tell but I am being brief as this is off topic for the board. 

I'm surprised she has a gut left - that's not a good thing to be ingesting like that.

Sounds like a good work up with a headache specialist would be more helpful.

Has she tried omeprazole? I'm assuming the bicarbonate was for stomach acid problems, not for treatment of migraines.

the bicarb is for the migraine not the stomach.   Evidently it is working  without any side effects.   With migraine there is an issue with bicarb.    She is also taking a little magnesium bicarb.   Hopefully the migraines have stopped.  We will know in another week as she has migraines weekly if not daily.  Its my understanding that sodium and potassium bicarb exchange at the cellular level  is one way the brain cools itself.

Hmmm...it's all news to me. I thought you took bicarb for stomach acid. Shows what I know. Glad she's found some relief.

Thanks Brew!   She has had migraines and a constant background head ache everyday for all her life.   I read an article in a medical journal that said many people with background head aches are low on an enzyme called DAO but it can not be supplemented.   I have only found 2 good sources of DAO; watercress and beets.   She can't find watercress and fresh beets are out of season so she is out of luck  right now.  There was a supplement (Histame) on the market for a few months but its no longer available.   Histame was DAO.

impediment wrote on Nov 16^th, 2010 at 3:12pm:

Thanks Brew!   She has had migraines and a constant background head ache everyday for all her life.   I read an article in a medical journal that said many people with background head aches are low on an enzyme called DAO but it can not be supplemented.   I have only found 2 good sources of DAO; watercress and beets.   She can't find watercress and fresh beets are out of season so she is out of luck  right now.  There was a supplement (Histame) on the market for a few months but its no longer available.   Histame was DAO.

   Maybe pickled beets would cure her. She can have mine.

              Potter

Potter wrote on Nov 16^th, 2010 at 3:36pm:

Maybe pickled beets would cure her. She can have mine.               Potter

Not if I get at 'em first.

She might as well have eaten pickled beets. She was feeling confident and ate mushroom soup. Now she has a head ache but it is not a migraine so ...

impediment wrote on Nov 16^th, 2010 at 5:19pm:

She might as well have eaten pickled beets. She was feeling confident and ate mushroom soup. Now she has a head ache but it is not a migraine so ...

   Mushroom soup was her trigger?

           Potter

Yes Potter,  milk and mushrooms are both triggers.   She said her body is wrecked but no migraine.  So,  it both bad and good news.  I have been looking to see if others have used bicarbs for migraines and found  it's an Amish folk remedy.  I talked with a woman who had migraines all her life then took sodium bicarb for apx. 3 weeks before her migraines disappeared and now she just takes the bicarb when her body tells her too.   I knew nothing at all about migraines until a month ago.  Then I researched the defective TRESK gene and what the ramifications were.  From what I understand someone with a migraine has acidosis of the brain and a localized potassium build up at the brain stem.   Potassium and sodium bicarb play off each other in order to cool the brain.   I am not 100 percent sure I have this right but it sure seems that the bicarbs have abated the migraine.  Still,  I can't be sure for another few days.   If she goes a week without a migraine it will be a win.  She has taken every medication available over the last 50 years and nothing has worked.   The morphine patches became intolerable as the withdrawals were unbearable for her.  So I had to do something.   I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I find this to be very interesting.  If any one who isn't currently in cycle and has a good functioning brain right now could compare the sodium bicarb effects to arterial ph levels........ maybe this could be of some help.......... just what I'm thinking right now.

thanks for the suggestion.   She does need more tests.  Two weeks ago she had an MRI of her brain.   She has a doctor that cares but the Doc is not getting the job done.   I think she needs her hormone levels checked as well.   The good news is she has gone another day migraine free.    At least she is having a break from the pain.  Hopefully it lasts.   She will be completely of the sodium bicarb by Friday. 

She has not had an attack for 7 days so this is a win for her.    I think I'll have her take 1/8 of a teaspoon of sodium bicarb in the mornings.  Perhaps this will maintain the bicarb level.   It would be nice to have an MD to work with but they have not been cost effective.   

Have you checked the Meegrainers forums.  Maybe they would have more answers for you.

                              Potter

FYI:  The bicarb has helped.  She had one migraine 2 days ago but her medication worked and the migraine only lasted 3 hours.