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Posted 1/1/2011 12:52 AM (GMT 0)
cool  

Diagnosed with tension headaches and have gone through so much as all of you have.  It's sometimes very overwhelming and really started taking it's toll on me.

Started in Sep with funny pressure and sweating and just feeling miserable for a couple of minutes.  Gradually increasing and then the round robin doctor visits started and well, we all know what the initial reaction of my previous GP was........you must have allergies...dont' you?  You're the doctor, you tell me.

But after countless tests, CT Scans, MRI, X Rays, they came up with the diagnosis of herniated disk, arthritis in the neck and headaches caused from all of those and threw in tension (stress) as well.  Who wouldn't be!

But now they want me to try a TENS unit and see if that helps.

I am not taking any narco drugs,  have been able to stay off of them.

I have taken a couple of Xanax and tried Cymbalta, muscle relaxers, Flexeril, Firocet, tylenol, etc.

After all of this I am still in pressure pain...not a usual headache pain...just a funny feeling around your head, eyes and face and makes you stop and think...ok here it comes. 

Wake up with it and spend most of the day with it.  Trouble sleeping of course and anxiety about work, lack of money, not being able to participate in holiday gatherings and a good amount of depression is setting in.

I recently bought some L Theranine, 5HTP and Sleep n Restore by Natrol.

I am wondering if anyone has had any success with these for Tension Headaches...or any other remedies?

Glad I found this site and am hoping for a better New Year for all of us, that's for sure!

 <!-- Edit -->

Post Edited (jpjax) : 12/31/2010 5:34:13 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/2/2011 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
When i was pregnant 3 yrs ago i was prescribed floricet it never worked for me so i didnt take it because of the barbituate in it and being pregnant and all it was not worth it to me )

My primary care told me i have tension/cluster headaches and  gave me floirnal told me to take for 4 days and call him to see how it worked as it took 4 days to get into system it worked but after 4 days he said he didnt want me on meds and i had to come up with my own way of making my self feel better so i looked online and found a chiropractor who deals with migraines who i went to when i saw her she saw my face was swollen on my right and when i described my temple swells eye swells and neck hurts and twitchs and after reviewing my mri she saw i had arthritis in neck (i think they called it brittle bone or some other term) and a bulging disc she said she would work on the neck issue but wants me to a neurologist for cluster headaches....

the nuerologist said that FLiorinal and other meds like it including flioicet that have caffiene in them do work and they work great but they can cause rebound headaches that can be way worse then the original headache themselves.

She put me on topamax which is a prevenative you have to start out slow it can take a while per their site 2-3 months and i have imitrex for breakthrough headaches.

I havent been told what kind yet that i have as i am still very new i mean just got mri/mras read last week been on topamax for 3weeks now, i have  some change but not much  i was hoping for a miracle but hasnt happen imitrex was just filled today as i took excedrin migraine and i almost had to go to er pain was so bad so she called in imitrex for me

I would make sure the doctor you are seeing is one who deals with migraines and headaches and maybe see about a chiro for your neck i am glad i did i was very skeptical i didnt think it was going to help but it really has helped my neck out alot

so just maybe ask about the caffine in meds my experience is i will never take another all meds i have taken with caff have caused such bad headaches for me the next day it is not worth it

 

Posted 1/8/2011 6:03 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Jp,

There are many, many, many potential preventative medications out there.

For tension headaches, one of the most effective preventative meds is amytriptaline (and nortryptaline, a related and slightly less effective drug, but with fewer side effects). It's really going to be trial and error to find the med that is right for your body, but that may be a good place to start.

Find a good neurologist, and let them work with you! That is best advice anyone can give.

If you want to go the natural route, a common cocktail is to use:

1) magnesium (I use magnesium citrate, some like magnesium malate), 2) Riboflavin (ie vitamin B2) 3) feverfew capsules

magnesium can make your stomach upset and give you diahria, so take it with food.

B2 is water soluble, so whatever your body doesn't absorb you will excrete. I.e. your urine may look bright yellow/orange. It's nothing to worry about.

Like all headache/migraine treatments, give it a couple of months before deciding whether or not it is a treatment that works for you.

Look for a book written by Dr. Mauskop, the details will be in there.

Whichever route you decide to go, do it under the supervision of your doctor!

Best of Luck!
Posted 1/9/2011 1:55 AM (GMT 0)
I've been suffering from headaches every day for over a year and a half. I have tried just about everything to make them go away. I recently started supplementing with Magnesium (not specifically for my headaches), and a few days after taking it daily, my headaches were gone! Then there were a few days where i got lazy and didn't take the magnesium, and my headaches came back! So i took it again, and they went away! AMAZING! You have no idea how huge this discovery is for me!!! I'd highly recommend you give it a try. After getting the results that i did, i thought i'd do a little research online and found a couple websites that you might find helpful:

http://www.relieve-migraine-headache.com/magnesium-migraines.html

http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081501.htm

I wish you the best of luck, it sounds like your headaches are worse than mine have been, but its worth a try.
Just FYI, I've been using "Lifetime" brand liquid magnesium blend (orange vanilla flavor).
Posted 1/13/2011 8:38 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all.

I did get a script for Amitryptiline (sp?) from my Neurologist.

15 mg to start for 7 nights

then increasing after another 7 and so on, until I am @ 75mg.

I will see what happens.

I think I will take it tomorrow night since it is Friday and can see what it feels like on Sat morning.

 

Posted 4/2/2011 2:02 PM (GMT 0)
rolleyes  Hi

Been a while since I posted about tension headaches.

But I did seek the advice of a new Neurologist and I am thinking it's a good move. The first thing she did was go over the MRI with me and showed me exactly what was going on.

She told me to continue the AMI and ease up to 30mg. I am currently at 20. She did get a copy of my last EKG from the PCP.  I am not having the sensations I was having prior to this visit and have been getting some more sleep.

I have been able to go back to work part time (thanks to a great supervisor< I have been at this job for 16 yrs>).

The doc told me to watch out for too much Chiro visits other than the TENS and the massages, sometimes the FIXES can do more damage.

But all in all, I think I am going to like this new doc as she is part of UF/Shands here in Jacksonville and it's the Neuroscience Department at the University Of Florida. There is a whole team of professionals in the same location to include surgeons, imaging capabilities, etc.....  I have heard that a teaching hospital is sometimes the best route as they are up on anything new going on in their field.  I hope that is true.

Will post more as I truly would like to share with others and I do realize that my condition is not as severe as others but nevertheless, limits me to what I do.  Thanks for all the appreciated comments and advice.

Hope everyone is doing better as we get into Spring....does not last long here in Fl.

God Bless us all.

 

Post Edited (jpjax) : 4/2/2011 8:10:39 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/2/2011 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
ps.
I am still taking the L Theanine. usually 100 to 200mg a day and it does take the edge off and helps me to focus on getting through the day.
And for the pain that comes less regularly.....400mg of ibuprofen but not more than 2 x a week seems to do it.
My other meds
Metoprolol
Plavix
Linsinopril
Simvastatin
81mg aspirin
Vitamin
Magesium 400mg
B12 tablet under the tongue
CoQ10
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