Flying and headaches

An interesting story on "airplane headache". I end up with a headache about half the time I fly. I think it is due to the rate of depressurization during the descent phase. It makes me dread flying which I have to do several times per month for work. Anybody else suffer from this?

http://migraine.com/blog/news/is-flying-giving-you-a-headache/

I don't. I do tend to get worse pain when I travel or do anything different from my normal routine though. I am prone to airsickness so I have to take meds for that, and due to the propensity for nausea, I can't take any extra pain meds, so I'm usually pretty miserable when I travel. It seems like the headache that article was discussing was a bit different from the airplane travel triggering a migraine. Both have got to be bad though. Best wishes.

I always get migraines and /or cervicogenic headaches when I fly.

For me it's mostly due to having to sit - restricted for a long period of time and the uncomfortable/unnatural head support of airline seats. I avoid flying because of the pain I know it will cause. If I do have to fly for longer then a hour, I now load up on pain killers before take off.

-Christina

rarely i fly, but am going to visit oldest son and family in southern CA in october. i also dread flying, because i can be sure i am going to get the killer head before the day is out. when i arrive, i am terrible company, of course, because i am exhausted and in horrid pain.

but the last time i had to fly (across country), 6 years ago, i did take prophylactic maxalt BEFORE i needed it. and it did help. since i have a good supply, i can take 3 of them, if necessary, during the flying day.

my feeling has always been that the pain is due to the perfumed people and contaminated spaces in airports and planes; also jet fuel fumes. i'm highly sensitive to chemical smelly stuff. it could be from a combination of a number of other factors, too. dianne

Hello - this is my first post but I've been suffering from migraines for almost ten years and just about to start beta blockers after loads of alternatives failed.

I get a migraine every single time I fly. If doing long-haul back from Europe to Australia, I end up with two migraines (the triptans kill the first one for most of the journey but the second one always kicks in).

I've found a fix!! It works for short-haul flights and I'm waiting until my next long-haul to see if it works as well. I drink half a litre of water right before getting on the flight. It seems to have some sort of positive effect on the blood vessels and totally prevents a migraine. I can't stress enough that it has worked every time in the past two years (about 16 times) after years of guaranteed migraines with every flight. I hope that helps someone.

Thanks Wendy! I will be sure to try it. Although I'll need to book an isle seat as its likely I'll be needing to make several trips to the lavatory along the way....

I'm flying to Hawaii in February - 6 hour flight for me and the first time I've flown since my chronic daily migraine started. I'm a little nervous as my neuro said the flying might increase the dizziness and tinnitus I've been getting - great!!

Not necessarily. I've found it isn't the length of the trip that matters so much as the ups and downs. I've not found any increase in tinnitus, but if you have issues with sensitive hearing, like I do, I highly reccomend earplugs or earphones for the trip. The overhead speakers they insist on shouting through every 15 minutes are way way too loud. It will make a big difference in how comfortable you are on the trip.

Have fun in Hawaii!