Unceasing, unrelenting headache...
 

I hate that I am such a whiner...

But this constant pressure that often spikes into worse headaches really just gets to me. I am tired of the discomfort. It seems like the forgetfulness, fatiguability, loss of balance, light and sound sensitivity would be so much more bearable if only I didn't always have a headache.

sorry to complain :Sigh:

Hi, know exactly how you feel. I describe mine as like having a constant hang over. I can keep it at bay with paracetamol - that's all my family doctor will allow me to have until I have a Neuro scan. I take a 1000 Mg every four hours which takes me to the maximum dose per day.

Me Three!

My headache got so bad I asked for tylenol and my son got me the bottle and I sat there motionless for a bit then couldn't remember if I took it or not! URGH!

So I don't know if I took it but, I don't think I did....I don't know

Yep, the headaches are the worst symptom for me. If it weren't for the headaches I doubt I would have the depression and general lack of productivity that I have.

My headaches have been becoming less frequent less painful as I have been increasing my Amitriptyline dose. Ask your neurologist about Amitriptyline(Elavil) if you haven't tried it yet. Really helps you sleep as an added bonus. I'm up to 50mg a day. 25 in the morning and 25 at night. I tried taking all 50 at night but a side effect of it is dry mouth which gets worse as the dose increases so I kept waking up every couple of hours for water.

On 50mg I can have headache free days as long as I can avoid stimulation such as prolonged computer use(which is difficult at work Monday thru Friday), television, and reading for too long.

Fiorcet seems to work pretty well as an abortive treatment for when those headaches begin. Alternating with Advil every other day to avoid rebound headaches.

__________________________________________________ __________
PCS from mTBI. Approaching the 12 month mark. Headaches, anxiety, depression, inability to control anger. Possibly improving but can't really tell from increasing medication constantly.

Mimsies,
I too have suffered debilitating headaches (tension/Migraine combo) that have caused me to switch medicines several times, had diagnostic Lidocaine injections into the nerves and BOTOX injections into the muscles frontal/temperal.

After Physical and Vestibular Therapy, I am now beginning to feel a bit better on a combo of Amitriptyline and Diazepam. Apparently part of the headaches are caused by muscle spasms and cspine issues so the Diazepam helps relax those muscles.....at least that's how it was explained to me. I am also currently getting Myofascial Release therapy.

I am not headache free and I would love the option of "no medicne". But until they come up with a better way to control these headaches...this combo seems to help. I hope you find some relief soon.

Drifting. I'm wondering if you also suffer from fatigue. Headache is driving me crazy, but I also get worn out very easily, and my headache increases when this happens. Just wondering if this is the same for you.

Mimsies,
don't worry about whining since we cannot whine to people close to us all the time. I feel bad bcuz they also get stressed out not knowing what to do. I do have constant dull headache and all my symptoms gets severe at times like today. You can try some meds they discussed here.

HeadStrong,

I was on combo of Amitriptyline and Xanax (Benzo like Diazepam) and I know what you are saying. Though for me Xanax helped me more bcuz Amitriptyline made me very lethargic. May be I should stop fighting and take Xanax atleast when needed. :) I also doubt my neck and spine causing lot of issues? But muscle relaxer (Zanaflex,flexeril) didn't do any good for me.

Cheers!

Mimsies,

I am so sorry that you are having horrible headaches. I can definitely relate to that. There are many medications that can help. Some are preventative (like Elavil) and some are to take when you are in pain.

I wasn't able to tolerate any of the preventative medications. I tried many different ones and their side effects were really bad, so I could only take the regular pain pills. For me Fioricet helps when I have a bad headache or a migraine. There are many other pain meds that you could try. And you certainly could try the preventative meds and see if they help you.

Since I was having horrible migraines, I finally decided to try acupuncture, and it has made a difference for me. I am still going for treatments and taking Chinese medicine, but there are days when I only have mild pain. I still get migraines, but they are less frequent, and they don't last one week!

I still have other PCS symptoms - like horrible fatigue and not being able to tolerate noise. But if you are willing to try acupuncture, it may give you some relief.

Another thing that is helping me is mindfulness meditation. It just teaches you how to relax, and that is supposed to make a difference in the pain. If you Google Jon Kabat-Zinn, you can find out about it. You can also find him on You Tube. There have been many studies done, and they have found that Mindfulness can help with chronic pain. My health plan offers a class on Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction.

I hope that you find something that helps you whatever you choose. Just keep looking until you find something that helps.

Best, ShellyK

Yep, thats me. Especially when there are multiple conversations going around I gets to much and I drift away and sometimes even fall asleep when people are talking to me - only for a short while.

Fatigue combined with insomnia is a frequent problem. I was awake at 6:30 this morning quite lethargic during the day but I am now writing this at 1:30 am brighter now than I was this morning - absolutely crazy. I will be awake at 7 am again

Today I have the worst Migraine ever!

Yesterday at the Neurologist exam he put pressure on the base of my skull which shot up a pain towards the top of my head.

I've been in pain today since waking. Nothings worked.

I had a hot bath, compresses, Vicks for my neck strain, Tylenol...nothing helped!

What can I ask to take for pain? Doc's opposed to meds. But I'm in agony.

Can anyone tell me what the Neuro was looking for when he pushed there? When I responded with pain he nodded and smiled like he found what he was looking for but didn't say what.

Of course I didn't even think to ask until now.

Thanks,

Kelly

Kelly,

It makes me so angry that you waited to see this neurologist and not only doesn't he try to help you, but he hurts you! Can you change doctors? Can you see your primary care physician and get some pain medicine?

Can you call an advice nurse? Can you call the neurologist's office and tell them what happened?

Most neurologists here want to prescribe medicine, because that's all that they can do to help with PCS. They don't have a "cure".

I would have expected at the very least that he would have given you something for pain as well as something to try to prevent the headaches. Usually they try amitriptyline or nortriptyline to prevent the headaches. They have you try it and see if it helps. If it doesn't, they try something else.

In the meantime they give you either a prescription pain killer or something like Imitrex which is supposed to quickly get rid of a migraine if you take it right at the beginning of an attack.

I am the wrong person to speak to about medicines, because most of them give me horrible side effects. I do, however, have a prescription for Fioricet which does help me with pain.

And I would advise you to keep trying and keep advocating until you get someone who will listen to you and give you something for the pain. (And who will WORK with you until you find a combination that works for YOU!)

I also have something for the nausea of the migraine. When I get a really bad migraine, I get nauseous, and if I take Reglan, it helps the nausea and also helps to get rid of the migraine. However, Reglan can have lots of side effects, so I only take it if I am
desperate.

I know that Mark uses aspirin and tylenol together when he gets a headache, and he says that that works well for him. I also know someone who gets something over the counter here in the US that is called Excedrin Migraine, and it helps her.

Oh, I almost forgot. What has helped me when I am having a bad migraine is taking an ice pack and wrapping it lightly in a thin towel and putting it on the back of my head. If you try it, you can leave the ice pack on for twenty minutes, then take it off. If you still need it, you can wait for 15 or 20 minutes and try again.

I surely hope you find a doctor who is willing to treat you. I just don't understand what that neurologist was thinking!

Please let us know how you are doing.

Shelly,

I've been trying for meds but he's opposed to it. He said it'll just upset my stomach. I'm gonna ask his partner who I also see

I don't know how to reach them but I was thinking of calling the brain injury clinic coz they set up the appointment

I believe mine doesn't even recognize my PCS. He says it's healing....don't know how he could know that!

He was mostly entertaining the young female interns. asking them questions...telling jokes and a lot of giggling....I was angry.

I take Clonazapam for anxiety and it helps with the daily nausea from vertigo. but I don't like taking it everyday. I've had it for 2 weeks and only taken it 3 times I think.

Thanks I'll try it.

My massage therapist suggests stuffing a sock with rice and nuke it in the microwave and it'll help with neck strain coz it can be molded to the neck.

Thanks for the advice

Kelly,

Let us know if you get anything to help you with the pain. That neurologist sounds like a nightmare. Can you complain about him and get referred to someone else?

I have used the rice in the sock for neck soreness, but for a migraine I find that ice helps me more than heat, but everyone is different!

I can't believe he doesn't recognize the PCS. You surely need a different doctor who will take your pain seriously.

How is your head today?

Shelly

Shelly,

Today so far the migraine is gone but I have more of a dull headache and when I move I get a stabbing pain on the side of my head Very weird.

I'm a little groggy today probably due to the Clonazapam I took yesterday for my anxiety. But, at least it helped me sleep.

I slept 8 1/2 hours! Very rare for me

How are you feeling today?

Wakey,

Yes, I suffer from fatigue as well. Also, taking 25mg of Amitriptyline in the morning which does lower your energy level quite a bit so that doesn't help in that respect.

My worst headaches stem from using the computer too long without adequate breaks. I use Workrave to schedule my rest breaks but sometimes I have to stay on the computer for extended lengths of time when I'm doing things like WebEx meetings. Sometimes I'll encounter a problem that I just have to fix immediately or all hell will break lose..so that adds stress, more fatigue, and subsequently more headaches. Some days are better than others.

I also have a vision convergence problem at close range so that plus whatever brain trauma issues are still lurking bring on the headaches. I'm doing vision therapy on top of the medication so hopefully the two will continue to work for me.

It's a vicious cycle isn't it? Have you ever tried Melatonin by chance? I was taking it for a while when I was not able to sleep. It's one of those things you find in herbal vitamin stores and sometimes in drug stores if they're big enough. The way they explained it is that normally when it gets dark our brain produces Melatonin to help us become sleepy. This is a capsule form of that. I could take it with Amitryptiline when I was on a really low dose and I couldn't sleep no problem. It says it should help for about 8 hours, so I'd recommend taking it 8 hours before you are meant to get up at least. However, I had no problem with grogginess or dry mouth like I do with Amitryptyline now. It's great! Just 30min- hour before bed and I had some actual rest! :) Best $10 I spent on something over-the-counter ever !

Hope that might help with your fatigue!

Kayley

Thanks Kayley, I will give it a go as you say $10 is worth a go

I tried melatonin and it did work for me. I took half hour b4 bed. Sublingual peppermint version available even in 1 mg dose at amazon which is lowest I guess? With that u can experiment what dose works for you.

Cheers!

When I was first injured, horrible horrible headaches were one of my worst symptoms. If you can't get ANY medication, here are some other things you can try:

1) Put your feet in hot water - VERY hot, as hot as you can stand. Put ice packs on your neck and forehead. Sit in a quiet, dark room.

2) Avoid triggers such as TV, computer, reading, loud noises (this meant I spent about 6 months lying quietly in my darkened bedroom).

3) Take max dose of tylenol and max dose of aspirin together. This is the "home-brew" migraine cocktail.

As far as medical treatment goes, these are the things that ultimately helped my headaches the most:

1) vision therapy - find an eye doctor from http://www.braininjuries.org or http://www.nora.cc who can do a vision efficiency evaluation. THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS A REGULAR MEDICAL EYE EXAM.

2) headache preventives - the two that worked for me were elavil (though it got less effective over time) and topamax (this is working great for me now)

Hope you can get some relief soon. I know it is SO SO miserable.

Massage Therapy
 

I just back from Massage therapy and feel like it's not working. I've been in therapy for 5 weeks now.

I went in feeling sore and stiff and came out feeling the same as I did going in but have begun a headache.

She pushed on my scalp which is sensitive and massaged my skull which sent like an impulse pain towards my brow....OUCH!

I wonder if I have a pinched nerve or something.....

Plus I have a new symptom my right shoulder has uncontrollable spasms and was jerking thru out the session.

Very sore today :(

Pinched nerve is definitely another possibility. Have you been assessed by a spinal specialist?

Mist,

Have you received any physical therapy? I believe that light traction will benefit you. My physical therapist also lightly massaged my upper shoulders/ neck area because of the muscle spasms. Can you get a prescription for PT? Does the heating pad help at all?



I was assessed by a neurologist a similar way. Pressure causing a lot of pain on the bottom of my head. I believe it was something to do with figuring out how much of my pain is related to my neck injury and the muscles leading from the neck up over the head. When I do a lot that area burns like its on fire.

best wishes everyone

Thanks everyone,

I think it just might be a pinched nerve.

Last night was just awful. I couldn't sleep coz of the pain.

Neck, shoulder, arm felt like it was asleep and my fingers felt like they were tingly. My shoulder like I said earlier had muscle spasms.

My massage therapist said the jerking was normal but I think she's nuts.

I don't see any other therapists other than her. She held my head and pulled to straighten out muscles and maybe that's what happened. IDK.

I know I'd rather see my regular therapist as she was the only one available this week. This sucks tho.

Sorry to vent :winky:

Hi Kelly,
Your neuro was trying to see if the nerves running over your skull from the back are the source of the pain. I think it is the occipital nerve. Mine did that on my right side where all my pain is. Then he shot the nerve full of lidocaine. I had a vagus nerve response, my blood pressure dropped and I fainted. I came too as my blood pressure stabilized.

It worked short term. I take nortriptyline 50 mg daily to manage chronic pain and headaches. hope this gives some insight.

Laura

Laura,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

Are you recovering from a concussion?

Or do you just suffer from head aches?

Laura,

Good and interesting information. Though fainting seems scary. I also suspect something wrong in that area when I hit my head. My Neurologist also thinks occipital Neuralgia or something in those nerves. I will be going after all kinds of fun shots for the neck :winky: and see if anything works. Right now cervical collar (prescribed by doctor) seems to be helping and after 3 years I have some hope now? Wait to be seen......

Cheers!

Thanks everyone. Sorry I disappeared. I went out of town for 5 days. Flying + PCS = lots of pain and exhaustion. Long week caring from my ill grandmother.

I have tried several of the suggested meds, but was taken off of them when Worker's Comp determined that I'd reached max Med Improvement.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks and more info
 

Hello Mark,

Thank you for all your very useful posts.

Yes, I am recovering from a concussion.

I was six weeks into working at a new job in a psych hospital for prisoners when a patient (who was handcuffed) attacked the staff. He leapt into the air kicking and was grabbed by the officers. He kicked me in the head (right frontal side) and right arm.

I was checked out medically then sent to the ER at a local hospital. I was sent home with a prescription for Vicodin and took the next day off. Work. Had a massive headache.

It was Valentine's Day 2012.

In February I was in and out of work; I had headaches but no cat scans or Other tests done.

I had to testify in court at the beginning of March for three days in a row (professional activity.). I noticed my word slippage and at the end of day two had a super massive headache. I was in dreadful pain and had bizarre lucid dreams that night - I finally got up at 4 a.m. And traveled back to my home to see the doctor. This got me in trouble with the judge but that's another tale.

They then diagnosed me with Post-Concussive Syndrome. They said it was a textbook case.

It took six weeks for workers comp to get me into the neurologist; the lesson there is that no one cares about your own health the way you do.

I am currently off work from my hospital job where I am a staff psychologist. I was out for all of March and April. I returned half time in May but by July could not handle increased hours.

What I am grateful for on this website is the discussion about fatigue. No one can seem to understand it except people who suffer from a concussion. Thanks!

Laura in CA