Bad headaches

[*RubyRN*]

I''m a little late here as I see you''ve probably already seen the doc today.. BUT I just wanted to chime in and tell you to MAKE SURE you are very specific while describing your symtpoms to the doc. It does sound like a migraine, and unfortunately there are times when the only way to control severe migraine pain is by going to the hospital. I have had a lot of patients who frequently get migraines but then get admitted on the rare occasion that they have a severe exacerbation. In the hospital they can give you a combination of intravenous medications over a day or two that usually can knock that thing right out. I''m curious though if it could still be a sinus infection- earlier this year I had similar symptoms, headache on one side only behind eye, slightly above jaw area, no temp or anything else. I kept thinking it was a migraine and actually one doctor confirmed this, but something didn''t seem right so I saw doc #2 who put me on a strong antibiotic and the pain was gone within 48 hours-turns out it was a sinus infection. Just pay attention to your body and make sure you follow up if it isn''t getting better after following the doc''s instructions-- headaches of this kind could potentially be a sign of another more serious problem.

Hope everything turns out ok

 

[Lorelei]

HH how did the appt go and how are you feeling?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for your support yesterday. By the time I got to my Docs, I was just about in tears from the pain and frustration of it all. First, I think I need a new GP. She often tends to just throw samples and scripts at you without fully examining you.

So my exam was very basic. Mostly questions, and I tried to be specific as possible. I told her about my past experience with headaches and not responding to Imitrex (nor being diagnosed with migraines specifically) but she thought it was a migraine. I asked her about the possibility of there being a sinus issue, but she didn''t think so as I didn''t have any other symptoms of a sinus infection. She kept asking me about my cycle and how I took my BCPs, I think she thought I might be pregnant, but she didn''t suggest a test (I just finished my "friend" and it was normal so I''m quite sure it''s not that). In the end she gave me scripts for Midrine (for the headache), Compazine (for my nausea), Touro LA (for sinus if the midrine didn''t work), and Demerol in case none of the above worked.

I got home yesterday and had a scary incident. I took the Midrine (2) and Compazine (1) like she prescribed and proceeded to fall asleep. I woke up with the following side effects: heart pounding, anxiousness, and cold sweats. I was worried that if I got up off the bed I''d pass out so I just layed there for a while until my head cleared and my heart didn''t feel like it was going to burst. However, my headache was gone. From what I can read, Midrine doesn''t have a lot of bad side effects other than making you drowsy so I''m wondering if maybe it was the compazine, or if my dr just prescribed too high a dose for me. So needless to say, I didn''t want to take any of the above today because I had to come in to the office, so if the headache comes back (which I do sort of feel it doing) then I''ll just have to go home again.

 

[lyra]

Eep! In Canada, we would never get those meds so easily, nor together. The compazine and demerol can interact. Compazine is a pretty heavy duty anti-nauseant, used for chemo patients and for other purposes. We have something called Gravol here, which is available OTC, and works just great as an anti-nauseant (although not for chemo patients, obviously). That''s what I take if another med is going to make me nauseated.

The good news is your headache went away. If it does come back, you can try taking the midrine alone, or with a partial pill of the comprazine if nausea is an issue. You should phone the doc''s office and explain your side effects too, just in case. And try not to worry about it too much? I know, that''s the hard part. Take care.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I would just like to state that I didn''t take all 4 together. I only took the Midrine and the Compazine as prescribed by my doctor. I didn''t fill the Demerol Rx, I just put it on hold in case I needed it later.

 

[belle]

glad to hear that you feel a little better. i can''t take any of the migraine meds when i have one, they just make me feel worse

actually, out of your list (

) of meds, compazine for me would have worked the best. it is an anti-emetic but it also has a sedative side effect and sleep is the only thing that works to get rid of my headaches. sleep and time.

hope you get back to functioning soon

 

[Linda W]

Hudson,

How are you feeling today??? I feel so sorry for you. DH and I get those awful migraines too. We take Imitrex nose spray and it works very well for us.

I hope you are better today.

Linda

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Hi Linda,
Thanks. I''m definitely doing better today.

 

[Jaders731]

HH..

I''m sooo glad you are feeling better, but sorry you had to deal with those messy side-effects..

and I must say.. as a sufferer of migraines.. I cannot believe that your doc prescribed you demerol so easily.. sheesh!! I was always told that was a last resort med. #1. its a controlled substance. #2 addictive and #3 can also contribute to those nasty rebound headaches I was telling you about... Can you imagine if you got a rebound headache, and demerol couldnt kick it.. what would be your next option.. wow...

Glad you got it under control... did you eat something when you took those meds? some of them may not be good on an empty tummy...

Anywho.. very glad you got it under control. when you get a moment.. try and jot down what you have eaten over the last couple days. Like I said... look for peanut butter, large amounts of dairy, msg or even chocolate. All of those can be triggers, and you may want to steer clear from them until you have this migraine monster under control.. meaning you dont feel like its still lingering AT all!

 

[Linda W]

I''m so glad to hear that. Take care of yourself now.

Linda

 

[Linda W]

I forgot to mention. Red Wine is a nasty trigger for migraines. I stay away from it completely. Also cheddar cheese, which I dearly love. I only have that in moderation.

Linda

 

[metro]

Your symptoms sound just like mine - except that I had a low grade fever and my eye really hurt.
I was diagnoised with a viral infection. I was told my headache could last as long as a month

I was prescribed Hydrocodine and Imitrex. The codine has been the only drug that helps.

I hope you get to feeling better soon.

 

[Pandora II]

It does sound a bit like a sledge-hammer to crack a nut!

The more meds you take at any one time, the more problems you will have finding out what you are reacting to if you get side-effects.

As I mentioned earlier, I am under one of the world''s leading authorities on migraine - an Australian Professor at the Neurology centre here in London and he has never prescribed me more than one med at a time for migraine.

I''m not surprised she asked you about your cycle and BCP''s, they are such HUGE triggers for women - and it''s why women are much more likely to get migraine. I found it very useful to note down when I got migraines and over 6 months I saw the pattern. It''s nearly always the 2-3 days after you stop the pills and sometimes at mid-cycle. That said, it really depends on what questions she actually asked you...

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I''m going to keep a journal of food, stress, and my headaches to see if there''s any correlation. She only prescribed the Demerol because she''s 2 hours away from where I live and I couldn''t get back to her office easily if the other med didn''t work (because it''s controlled, she can''t call or fax in the Rx to my pharmacy). She gave it to me with instructions to try everything else first.

I have tomorrow off of work, so I''m hoping a day of R & R will do some good.

 

[lyra]

Date: 9/13/2007 9:50:37 AM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I would just like to state that I didn''t take all 4 together. I only took the Midrine and the Compazine as prescribed by my doctor. I didn''t fill the Demerol Rx, I just put it on hold in case I needed it later.

Oh, I didn''t assume you did. I was just concerned with the side effects you experienced. Also, she might have warned you that demerol can give you a nasty headache.

I know it sounds silly, but it is true for some people. I was in the hospital once on a morphine drip and it became an issue of which was worse, the morphine or the pain it was treating. It was pretty bad. I have similar trouble with any narcotic.

A bland diet for a few days might be a good idea for the food triggers thing. Journalling definitely helps as a record for yourself and your doctor. Always a great idea. Hope you feel better soon.

 

[aquarius_ser]

** Watch your BCP closely **

I had to go off my BCP just last week because of the very bad headaches - I mean pounding, calling sick into work, not being able to move - headaches. My last headache last 8 days (non-stop). I was on Orthocept for 10 years, then Seasonale for a year w/NO problems until my insurance switched me to the generic Quasense which was less than half the price.

To make a long story short, I took the generic for 6 LONG months. And I slowly morphed into a psychotic MESS with SEVERE headaches and backaches, very irritable and no libido.

Good Luck

 

[strmrdr]

Glad too hear your feeling better!
Take care of yourself and relax some.