<p>I was going to ask about Advil/ibuprofen use and then you said you’d been taking it. I had terrible headaches/migraines for years and I took Advil for them. One day of horrendous pain and then they’d kind of taper off after two or three days. Then I was given narcotics for three months after my bone cancer surgery and they went away entirely… until I switched to Advil for the pain instead, when they came back with a vengeance. I stopped taking Advil entirely, switched to 8-hour tylenol, no further issues. No further headaches.</p>
<p>It is counter-intuitive that headache medications would cause headaches, but it’s quite common when you start paying attention.</p>
<p>I would suggest complete withdrawal from all pain meds (if you can) for at least a few days. Try using ice, massage, hot showers, heat packs, stretching, aromatherapy, distractions, anything you can think of, etc., while your system clears out the drugs. Do see your doctor, but be aware that doctors rarely tell you to stop taking drugs, in my experience; they’re more likely to add another layer. I wouldn’t add any herbals or anything else. Keep your diet boring, too, as many people react to red wines, cheeses, etc.</p>
<p>I totally concur with Advil (and any OTC pain reliever) causing migraines. I have had migraines for years, but a few years ago they were worsening to where I was having aprox. 18 migraine days a month. Saw a local doctor. She made me stop all pain relievers. I was tried on many of the daily meds to prevent migraines (Topamx, Lyrica, etc). They did not help the headaches, but did make me really stupid! I finally went to a migraine clinic in Ann Arbor, MI. They put me on Cymbalta 60 mg a day. Cymbalta is an anti-depressant. Evidently some of the same chemicals that cause depression are thought to be a factor in causing migraines (seratonin). It did not cure me, but it definitely reduced the frequency. My periods are now winding down, and my migraines are greatly diminishing. YEAH! I do reccomend and excellent book: Migrain, Your Questions Answered (prevent attacks, relieve symptoms, and enjoy everyday life) by Dr. Carol Foster. My husband (who is an ophthalmologist) read it to. It helped him understand what I go through better, and he learned a lot medically from it also.</p>
<p>Yes, I am at an age where some women get an increase in headaches. The Advil information is very interesting. I’m an achy person sometimes (tendonitis flares, etc.) and do rely on Advil. I’m going to cut back and track that. Re beta blockers, Lafalum, when my son was little and had migraines, they put him on a beta-blocker as most migraine drugs are not approved for kids. I have mixed feelings about it. Within six weeks, he gained nine pounds (a lot for a just-turned seven-year old) and every time the doctor increased the dosage he had a correlating weight gain – if you looked at his chart after a couple years the link was obvious. He went from being a very thin child to having a weight problem. I’m not sure what we could have done differently, but it was a pretty significant trade-off. Of course, adults have far more drugs in that family of drugs available to them.</p>
<p>Hey Mousegray! It might have been me who recommended the trigger point therapy book. I have no memory anymore (LOL) so it might have just been that I have the book and love it and have used it to help my sis with frozen shoulder and someone else referenced it or it might have been me who posted about it. I could search my history I suppose to find out but why not just blab here about how great the trigger point stuff is whether I posted it or not, lol. So. I am finding that massaging other people is a really interesting way to learn about the trigger points, because in addition to making them moan with pleasure =) you also learn to feel the tight areas and then you begin to notice tightness in your own body without even being massaged. It’s very enlightening and pleasant to learn about this body stuff. </p>
<p>Anyway, re/ headaches, if you haven’t explored dietary triggers then you have a whole world of help available to you. There is a high likelihood that it is something you are eating that contributes.</p>
<p>I’ve now checked out the Trigger Point book. I looked at some of the diagrams offered on line and I swear the points shown on the upper back are where I beg my husband to really just push in tiny circles…don’t bother rubbing my entire back, just those super tight spots. I believe this could help. Now, getting him to do it with his schedule is tough, but he’s a pretty good guy when he’s around.
My question for those of you who have the book, and use the methods, how the heck do you reach those spots yourself?</p>
<p>How about a pain specialist for those neck and back pains? Epidural steroid spinal blocks have worked for me and I haven’t had such good neck mobility in years! Relieves those types of headaches, at least.</p>
<p>Have you tried going to an osteopath? I brought my D to an osteopath who does manipulations and it has helped tremendously. Had previously brought her to a chiropractor but found only limited relief and had to keep going back. Previously I had not even heard of an osteopath but found one while researching headache relief. Still kind of skeptical as the concept sounds a little odd but it’s working so we’re going with it. Very gentle, unlike some chiropractors, and none of the long-term commitment you often find with chiros.</p>
<p>No, I haven’t tried an osteopath. Is it covered by insurance? My insurance covers a certain amount of chiropractic care, a certain amount of physical therapy but I’m not sure where an osteopath fits in.</p>
<p>Hi, it is covered under my insurance. They are medical doctors with a specialty, unlike chiropractors. For my plan, I did a provider search and “osteopathy” was one of the specialties to search for. Not all osteopaths do manipulation, though, so you’ll want to check before making an appointment.</p>
<p>Many years ago I was Dx with cluster headaches which are a mirror image of migraines- one involves dilation and one involves constriction of the blood vessels in the brain, or so I was told at the time.</p>
<p>The progression of these headaches began about 8 years before culmination with the removal of my wisdom teeth. From that time forward I have never had a full on migraine/cluster headache. My teeth had no decay and no flaws other than unusually long roots which were irritating the trigeminal nerve. I do have permanent damage and neuropathy (weird sensitivities) to that nerve, but the pain is nothing like the overwhelming pain of full on, give me demeral, headaches.</p>
<p>When I was in the midst of a headache crisis, chiropractic would help as I had a bad neck anyway and the headaches gave me intense C1 pain. Everyone is different and pain is weird, so you’ve got to try all sorts of things and do what works for you.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, don’t let the pain get ahead of you! I do not function well on narcotics and get extreme nausea, but found non-narcotic Toradol to be very helpful!</p>
<p>It’s interesting you mention that about the headaches and wisdom teeth removal. </p>
<p>My worst headaches happened after my wisdom teeth erupted and went on until I finally broke down and had my wisdom teeth out in my mid-30’s. (Yes, I had a full set of fully erupted wisdom teeth for nearly two decades. Don’t blame me. Blame my dentist who said they were “fine”.) </p>
<p>My kids would also get severe headaches, but these have subsided with their removal of their wisdom teeth in their teens.</p>
<p>Food can play a role for some - I can’t drink red wine without a massive headache coming on. </p>
<p>I definitely agree about getting ahead of the pain. It’s when I thought I would tough it out that I had the worst headaches.</p>
<p>My boss’s spouse has severe migraines and the only thing that worked was the Botox. She said she feels like a different person now.</p>
<p>S2 had stress migraines last year and found that Excedrin headache and a Mountain Dew (if early in the day, otherwise ginger ale) helped a lot. It’s the only time he ever has caffeine.</p>
<p>My daughter used to suffer from frequent debilitating migraines and the one thing that we found with no side effects and works absolutely the best is Atlas Orthogonal Chiropractics. Google it for a more complete explanation but it is an advanced version of chiropractory where the doctor takes an x-ray to see where the misalignment is exactly at the base of the head/top of the spine. She then uses a machine for sound waves to correct the misalignment. It’s the most gentle form of chiropractics that I’ve ever seen. I’m not doing a good job of explaining it and, to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I believe everything they say, but I do know it works immediately for my daughter and we now go once a month. We started at 2 times a week for two weeks, then less and less frequently as needed. Hopefully we will go even less frequently as time goes on. The biggest problem with this treatment is that there are only about 500 people in the country who are licensed to perform this so you have to be lucky to have one within driving distance. We drive one hour for about a five minute treatment but it’s so worth it!</p>
<p>Not to be an alarmist, but as someone who has nursed someone through brain cancer treatment whose only symptom was headaches, if I were the original poster I would run, not walk, to the nearest neurologist, CT scan in hand. OP, there are certain test results doctors cannot deliver by phone, especially when they’re even slightly problematic.</p>
<p>I saw my internist this morning. He felt a couple of things were probably going on including nerve pain from my neck issues and migraine issues based on my history and symptoms. However, he agreed with SOp14’sMom that an imagine scan was in order due to the increase in frequency and referred me for an MRI to rule out the bad stuff. I asked if I should see a neurologist and he said it would probably take me weeks to get in and he’d prefer to see if my insurance would approve the MRI now. If that is normal, he’d like me to try the migraine medication first because if the MRI is normal and the medication works it might be sufficient. He prescribed Maxalt which is like Imitrex but dissolved under the tongue which he felt was a better choice for someone who can get sick to the stomach during a headache – that way I don’t risk losing the medication. He said if I needed it more than a couple of times a week, it might be worth considering Topomax although based on what I read here I don’t want to do that. Since my chiropractor doesn’t crack the neck and is gentle, he encouraged me to keep going or to do physical therapy because it can relieve pressure on nerves which may be serving as a trigger (he looked at the x-rays I brought from the chiropractor.) I also asked him about OTC medication which I am trying to stop and he said Excedrin is the big culprit for rebound headaches and he doesn’t think Advil is much of a culprit at all and if I need it for the neck pain, a low dosage should be okay. I do think I saw here that some people found Advil to cause rebounds so I’m going to really track that closely and watch what happens if I find myself needing to take one. I’m not sure what to expect from Maxalt in terms of side effects or relief. He did say I should take it as soon as I realize a headache is coming on. Regarding the CT scan I had last year for sinus issues, he had the report and it was normal so there’s no need to go back to the other doctor for the results.</p>
<p>I have regular monthly migraines that are excruciating without medication, and last about three days. Maxalt is the only thing that works for me although it makes me a bit less focussed. Imitrex sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t–and none of the OTC stuff works at all. Doctor says it is definitely related to my cycle and I could consider hormonal shots if they get more frequent.</p>
<p>So glad you were able to get in to see your Dr. Advil and Tylenol can also cause rebound, but this is individual so keeping track is a great idea. I would agree with your Dr. not to wait to take the Rx. It is much more effective and you take far less medication in the long run. I would advise against the Topomax due to the cognitive issues, but making the decision with your Dr is important. If a daily preventative is needed ask about other anti-seizure meds. Zonegran in lower doses (100mg) doesn’t cause the cognitive issues as often, but isn’t as well known. It may be worth asking. It’s available in generic which can help. I take Zomig which is brand only and with insurance those suckers are $25 a pop!
I hope you’ll be getting some answers and feeling better soon!</p>
<p>I know it’s old school to use Tylenol 3 (with Codeine) and more regulated here in the US than in Canada, but do any sufferers of headaches/migraines take this with any success?</p>
