Any Advice for headaches?

I think the hardest part of having fibro is these headaches I get. They start with my shoulders stiffening up then my neck and up to the base of my skull. Then it will turn into the most horrible headache, where all I can do is lie down and try not to move my head. Most of the time the worst of it only lasts a day and I get some relief after I've slept through the night but it lingers for days even weeks sometimes. Sometimes getting bad again where I lose another day to lying in bed all day because the pain is so bad. I was wondering if anyone has any advice on heading these off before they get to the headache point, when it is just my shoulders and neck getting stiff?

I have Fybromyalgia too & I get exactly the same headaches. I can't plan a thing. I just saw my Doctor and he thinks they may be migraines. Once all of the muscles in my upper back, shoulders and neck tense up I then get blurred vision. The doctor just prescribed Zomig Rapimelt. You put a pill on your tongue not under it. The headache was gone in 20 minutes. But this medication is very expensive ($97.29 for 6 tablets) so you should have a drug plan. The Doctor also told me to go out and buy a herbal medication called Butterbur. He said it doesn't have to be the most expensive brand out there and it is a very clean herb. He said no one he knows has ever experienced any bad side effects from it. The doctor said the cheapest brand of Butterbur is fine. I couldn't find a bottle of just Butterbur. I found a bottle of Butterbur with Feverfew brand name NOW. The doctor told me you have to take the Butterbur for 3 months for the herb to take effect. As I just started the Butterbur it is too soon to say if it is going to help but as your headaches sound just like mine I thought I would pass on this information. If you put Butterbur into Google you will see how and why it works to prevent headaches. Let's hope!!

Gentle stretching, yoga horizon stretch, put a tennis ball on the floor or against the wall and rub out some of the knots, ice and/or heat. Heat always makes my migraines worse, so it depends on the type of headache. Caffeine helps, too. Maxalt is a good medicine for migraines and muscle relaxers help too. When it gets too bad, I use percocet.
Sue

Thank you for welcoming me Karen.

Regarding the Butterbur I never heard of it before either. That's why I thought it was important to post the information given to me by my doctor. Here is another link:

http://www.butterburresearch.org/

Butterbur Herb Background

For many centuries the Butterbur plant (Petasites hybridus) was traditionally used as a herbal remedy for conditions like pain, fever and spasms. Already the Greek physician Dioscurides used butterbur leaves to treat skin ulcers. Today, butterbur is mainly used for migraine prevention, but also for treating headaches and asthma. Pharmacologically active substances of butterbur are sesquiterpenes like petasin and isopetasin. The butterbur plant also contains liver-toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which are removed by a special patented treatment and only marketed under the name Petadolex®.

This special butterbur extract has anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties as demonstrated in pharmacological and experimental systems: it regulates calcium channels and inhibits the synthesis of the enzymes lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase.

Efficacy and tolerability of the special butterbur root extract was demonstrated in two randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trials with more than 300 adult patients and in one open trial in 108 children and adolescents.
Butterbur Plant - Links

* Healthy.net
* WebMD.com: Butterbur for migraine headaches
* BNET.com
* DrWeil.com
* PCC Natural Markets Health Notes
* WebMD: Herbal extract may help prevent migraines

Shannahsmom,

I like your signature. It is interesting to ponder. Have you tried meditation? It is a good way to relax your muscles and focus on your breathing. I use it to go to sleep at night. But I find the shoulders are the hardest muscles to relax. I hope that you find what works for you.

Hugs, Karen

Sahannahs mom,
I get the exact same headache almost every day. I understand your pain. The only thing that will even remotely help me in the situation is the Tramadol I''m prescribed. It doesn't help with any other pain, but I really helps me. I think it may be a migrane medication, but I know it's used as an analgesic as well. I hope you find something that gives you relief!

Hope 1 here:

Many of you have brought up the upper back and muscle pain. I have arthritis in my spine and I get the terrible pain in the muscles of my upper back and neck too. I take Celebrex when I get the burning pain in my upper spine & muscles. I don't take Celebrex often because I've read all of the warnings. But I have to tell you when I take the Celebrex for a couple of days it not only gets rid of the burning pain in my spine and muscles it gets rid of the terrible headaches too. It is the only time I am headache free. It makes me wonder if we are getting the headaches from the inflammation in our muscles & spine.

I have spoken to people where Celebrex does not help them at all. I know everyone is different. But it does help me.

I have to thank you all for listing the drugs you are taking. If the Zomig I am taking wears off or does not work on a long term basis I have made up a list of the drugs you have listed.

Let's hope future medicine can help us all out more than this. I mean like real soon! This is an awful ailment to have to deal with. It really affects your life.



Fybromyalgia, Arnold Chiari Type 1 Malformation with decompression surgery Oct. 1993, Laminectomy of C1 Vertebra, Compression Fractures of T4, T5, T6. Dislocated Jaw left and right side. Hypothyroid, Arthritis & The Beat Goes. I lose track of everything.

Accupressure. Accupressure is administered by accupuncture, but in a different and less painful approach. The accupuncturist takes these bead things with tape and tapes them in your ears, where thousands and thousands of nerves are located. Anyhow, he/she puts them in your ears (so they can put it on the nerve that needs the most relief) and when a person is in pain they just reach up and pinch their ear and the bead thing. It actually works too. I've done it. And I love it. I don't like accupuncture, but I love the accupressure.

I suffer from years of migraines. I use a bed buddy, hot showers sprayed on the neck and shoulders and Liquid Advil. That helps me out. If not, the dr prescribed muscle relaxants that help me out tremendously. I don't like to take meds so it takes alot for me to take meds. That is my downfall because it gets me into trouble. Hope that helps.
Lisa