ginger

Is there a good natural alternative to sumatriptan?

First, an apology – I’ve been negligent in answering your questions. So today I’m going to tackle one from Vicki in the USA.

Vicki finds that sumatriptan helps fight her migraine attacks. But she’s wondering if there’s a “natural alternative” to sumatriptan that she can use when she doesn’t have any medication available.

It’s a great question, but not an easy one! For one thing, triptan medications such as sumatriptan don’t seem to act the same in every person. And sometimes even small differences (such as the differences between a generic and a brand name medication, or different “delivery methods” – tablet, nasal spray, etc.) can make a difference in how well it works. Also, triptans may help with various symptoms (nausea, pain, sensitivity to light).

So you’re probably not going to find a precise alternative that does the exact same thing in your body.

Another reason why the question is difficult is that sumatriptan, as an older and much-studied medication, is often compared with other treatments. Some of these studies are high quality, others not. But the short story is that there are actually a lot of alternatives. Basically, most of the good alternative treatments that you’ve heard about are probably worth a try.

It may surprise many people that there are excellent, often well-studied alternatives to medications. Many people still assume that a “natural alternative” is going to be inferior. But that may not be the case at all.

So, to get back to the original question, here are some possible alternatives that you may want to try. But, as with medications, it will be trial and error, and you may need a combination of some of the treatments listed.

• Water and salt – Staying hydrated is a great way to avoid migraine. But you may find that you can lesson the symptoms of an attack with some water and a salty snack. If you feel that you’ve eaten something that is triggering the attack, drinking more water may help lesson the trigger effect.
• Ginger Supplement – This is one of those studies I was telling you about. In a study published in 2014, researchers found that a 250mg dose of ginger was comparable (in some ways better) than a 50mg dose of sumatriptan. Ginger has been used for pain and nausea in other conditions besides migraine.
• Heat and Cold – Experimenting with heat and cold (ice and heat packs) has long been a helpful migraine treatment, but as with anything it seems to work differently depending on the person and the migraine attack.
• MigreLief-Now – A combination supplement specifically designed to fight migraine when the attack is starting.
• “Starve and Sink” – This method is completely counter-intuitive, but it’s becoming more well known thanks to the work of Dr. Josh Turknett. You can read more here: How To End A Migraine Without A Pill (starve and sink, part 1), and then part 2 here.

A few more things to consider. First, here’s a brief list of “natural remedy” ideas that may help.

Second, it’s important to consider overall lifestyle changes and possibly supplements that may help prevent migraine. I’m thinking about things like magnesium, cutting down on sugar (part 1 and part 2), and proper exercise.

Finally, there are other medications that you may be able to have on hand to stop an attack, and you may be surprised how effective they are (if taken very occasionally). For example, the humble aspirin and ibuprofen. Ketorolac is another example of a simple anti-inflammatory that has been compared to sumitriptan.

Have you found a natural supplement that has helped fight a migraine attack in the place of sumatriptan? Leave a comment, and let’s help Vicki by keeping the conversation going.