Headaches

Kalyn · 09-26-2008, 06:08 PM

For the last couple of months I have been suffering with really bad headaches. To the point where I see black spots and I get slight dizzy spells...that is all I can think to call them, I just feel kinda woozy for a few minutes and then it passes...Its mainly behind my left eye and goes all the way to the back of my head. I live on asprin...about twice a day on bad days I take 3 asprin or 3 exedrine and it takes about an hour for them to kick in...I know taking this as often as I do can not be a good thing. I had and LD blood test done (it was run by mistake) and it came back high (245 - normal is 100 - 190). They wanted me to go see my doctor about it, but I haven't had the extra money to go. I have insurance, but the co-pay kicks my butt when I go to the doctor a lot....and I know I am gonna have a few appts. in the next couple months cause I am again having no periods. I just want to know if anyone else has/had this problem and what you did to relieve it. I have been thinking it is maybe my blood pressure? I think while I am having one of these headaches I am gonna go to my mom's and have her take my BP just to check.

tiggarat · 09-26-2008, 07:46 PM

sounds like a classic description of a migraine...pain behind the eye going to the back of the head (I swear those feel like a hot poker is going in one side and out the other). those "black spots" are called auras. do you have any sensitivity to light or noise during one too? ice packs on the back of the neck really help, and the Head-On for Migraines helps a bit too, especially when you use it with the ice and some excedrin. since you are "living on aspirin" you may be getting rebound headaches too...once the painkiller wears off the headache comes back...those are sometimes worse than the actual migraine. My dr had me go to a migraine class last year...they gave us a list of supplements to take everyday, which over time helps ease the intensity of the headaches...2 different B vitamins, coq10, magnesium, and melationin (I can look up the actual amounts later if you want), along with a "headache cocktail" that you take at the very beginning of a headache...3 Advil Gelcaps with 1 regular coke or pepsi (regular, because you need both the caffeine and sugar to get over a migraine).

Kalyn · 09-26-2008, 10:16 PM

Thanks for the advice tiggarat. Yeah, if you have the amounts of those supplements I would greatly appreciate it!!! I had someone tell me today to drink tomato juice... I will remember that combo of advil and regular coke too. I am willing to try anything.

Yeah, I have a real bad sensitivity to light right before the headache starts, during the headache and right after it is "gone". When I run register at work it is horrible because I am right in front of a big window right where the sun hits inside. Any time I go outside, cloudy or sunny I wear my sunglasses and if I could wear them while I was at work I would, but my bosses won't go for that.

I am just to a point where I am afraid to do anything because I don't know if it will trigger a bad headache or not.

tiggarat · 09-26-2008, 11:19 PM

I know what you mean, being afraid to do anything that MIGHT trigger a migraine...one thing that might help is to keep a journal of everything you eat and if you get a migraine within an hour or 2 of eating, look at what you ate...something there might be triggering the headaches. I know I have to be careful of aged-cheese (extra sharp cheddar cheese is one), and dark chocolate.

Nutritional Supplements

-Magnesium Oxide - 500-750mg/day - take 250mg @ breakfast and dinner.
-B2 - 400mg/day - take 200mg @ breakfast and dinner.
-B12 - 1,000mcg/day - take in the morning.
-Co Enzyme Q10 - 200-300mg/day - take 100-150mg @ breakfast and dinner.
-Melatonin - 1-2mg/day - take @ bedtime.

you may want to ease into the Magnesium...once a day for a week to let your body adjust to it. also make sure to take B2 with food...it has made me very nauseous and throw up a few times when I took it on an empty stomach.

Bella Moochie · 09-27-2008, 11:54 PM

Hi!

I can totally relate to living on migraine drugs! Three years ago, my gp sent me to see a neurologist. I was diagnosed as having "hormonal" migraines. He prescribed me a couple of different migraine meds so I could see which one worked best for me. Imitrex...did nothing. Frova...did nothing. I cannot remember the names of the other two but they were not some of the more popular brands. One worked maybe 50% of the time, the other...NOTHING!

Believe it or not, the med that works the best for me 9 out of 10 times is Excedrin Migraine. I take 1,000 mg and then cover my entire face from above my forehead to my neck with a very damp and cold hand towel. I stay in bed in a dark room for a few hours and then I usually feel much better. I really think the combo of acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine work VERY, VERY well for hormonal migraines. I hardly ever get "regular" migraines, but when I do, the Excedrin Migraine does not work as well for me.

When I saw my gyn last week, she said that hormonal migraines are a common side effect with PCOS. She said that once she starts me on meds to try to get my hormones back to "normal", my migraines should subside. (Too bad my neurologist did not bother telling me! After weighing me....IN THE LOBBY....that's where his scale is....he told me that I needed to lose weight. Of course he had to call out my weight to embarass the heck out of me!!!)

Good luck to you!

-Wendi

Kalyn · 09-28-2008, 10:25 AM

tiggarat - thanks for those. I am gonna go in search of them and see what I can find. And yeah, I have thought about keeping track of what I am putting into my body and seeing if there is a pattern.

Bella Moochie - Sometimes I have luck with Excedrin Migraine and sometimes I don't. That is why I get frustrated....before my headaches became more frequent I could take the Excedrin with some diet coke for the extra caffeine and be good to go and most of the time now it just seems like a temporary fix.