NeuroTalk Support Groups - occipital neuralgia -nothing helps!

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occipital neuralgia -nothing helps!

hello'i am 22 years old,i have been diagnosed with o/n about a year ago.
(pain moves from back of the head to about above the eyes,intolerence to florecent or natural light,all the triger points add up)
i have tried anything, and i do mean anything
i have tried at least 5 types of pills(and hade acute allergical response to all of them[stridor,and cheastpain that wont go away since the first time], occipital nerve block injaction (that worked out well for about a day and then the pain got even worse)
i have no rest (im also insomniac but thats out of the point[allergic to my own sleep hormone)

is there any other treathment?

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread112237.html
this thread is from below and may be an option to be considered for.
sometimes the O.N. nerve is more difficult to reach so you would want a neuro with good knowledge and history.
PEACE and low pain to you.:hug:
BMW

I haven't been diagnosed with anything yet but I seem to have all the symptoms of ON. My doctor, Neuroligist and Neurosurgeon all tell me there's nothing wrong with me to cause those type symptoms...pain in neck at base of skull, dizziness, eye pain. Do you notice that if you lay in bed, on your back, head on a pillow, that the pressure increases and you have an intense ringing in your ears that sporadically peaks the dizziness?

fortunately you have not tried everything yet. There are still some things to try. All the antidepressant drugs, all the anti epileptic drugs, cognitive therapy and believe it or not, drug addiction therapy. Botox therapy, nerve blocks, topicals like ketamine, compounded drugs in lotion bases. micro vascular surgery, radiofrequency ablation. marijuana. yoga (with medical therapy) meditation. Massage (yeah even when you think you'd better never let anyone near that area let alone touch it!) Anti viral, if you have a herpatic condition. accupuncture

If your Neurologist and neurosurgeon are giving you the old "its all in your head" then you need to get new ones. Go to a pain specialist who deals with neuropathy and neuropathic pain. There is even a magazine out there that deals with chronic pain called Pain Pathways. You can google it.

Do not get discouraged yet. You may have to reframe your life so that it is truely one day at a time..maybe even one 30 second interval at a time. but the minute you give into being a victim of your pain, you are on the down ward slide.

I've had a severe pain complex for over 25 years, the root of which is a chickenpox virus infection of the brain side of the ganglia where the major cranial nerves come out. It causes severe pain in half my head, gagging and choking reflex. icepick pain in my ear and throat behind my eye and a terrible taste sensation in my mouth. Because it is pre ganglian, all the sensations the nerves of my face , head and neck are affected. I can be feeling pain and numbness at the same time. Hot and cold. But I"m not going to give up and let my life be over. I didn't even get a diagnosis for 20 years.

Life is not over just because you have pain. you need an advocate to help you learn to get your best life despite the pain.

What area are you in?

occipital neuralgia

I tried dozens of medications before I found one that gave good results and had a minimum side-effect profile. I'm currently on Cymbalta 60mg once a day, and this has really reduced the sharp pain attacks.

Since you had a good response to the nerve block, you may be a candidate for a nerve stimulator. You may also want to consider ablative techniques, though they pose the risk of causing traumatic neuroma to occur, with a good chance that you'll be in ever greater pain.

So talk to your doctor and see what your options are. You certainly haven't exhausted your medication options, so that would be a good place to start. Some meds to consider include Tegretol, Trileptal, Neurontin, Effexor, Cymbalta, Klonopin, Elavil, Pamelor, Prozac, Lyrica, and Keppra. Finally, I highly recommend talking to a Pain Management physician in a Pain Clinc setting, preferably a clinic associated with a major university or teaching hospital.

I wish you well. Occipital Neuralgia can be difficult to treat, but some medication or therapy ought to be able to offer you some relief.

Quote:

Originally Posted by avri (Post 850653)

Have any of all tried using Arnicare by Boiron? My friend with Occiptial Neuralgia (ON) uses it for the neck spasms. It works in about 10 minutes and offers about 2-3 hours of relief. A few others we have talked about this treatment in the Facebook Occipital Neuralgia support groups also report similar temporary relief of mainly the neck spasm symptoms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by avri (Post 850653)

Hi there! I had O/N brought on by holding my neck so that I didn't hurt from the movement. This caused the muscles across my back and head to cramp bringing on the O/N headaches. Pain med doctor gave me 4 injections across my back that gave me relief for about 1 month. Recently had c3-c5 fused and now no more headaches! Wishing you luck.