RR,

Our symptoms are so similar! I have knots up and down my right side of the neck that when pressed correlate directly to a spot on my head. I've done acupuncture, PT, and craniosacral, all of which have helped very little, I still have the knots. I also have a ton of pain in my suboccipital region that also gives me headaches. I am going to try medical massage. I am thinking the ten to fifteen minutes my Pt massages my neck is not enough and may need a longer treatment from a massage therapist. Also, another pair of hands may do a better job. Also, I am doing more meditation and yoga to try and stretch my neck and shoulders daily, which helps a little. Being mindful of posture throughout the day is helpful, too. We hold most of our tension and stress in our neck and shoulders. Hoping you get relief. I don't think you have migraines though, just a sore neck.

P.S. I have been working on strengthening my neck as well. Maybe you can try it? you basically just hold one side of your head and gentle push your head into your hand so you feel your neck muscles strengthening. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Do this on each side of the head, back and front for 10x twice a day.

I'm on amitriptyline - 50 mg at night. It's a low enough dose that side effects aren't a problem for me. You'll be super sleepy when you initially take it/after any dosage increase, but that should lessen a lot after the first few days or week or so. I do need a lot of sleep but I don't know whether that's attributable to the med or just my brain doing its thing and wanting to sleep.

I started at 25 mg, which did nothing, but a couple weeks after starting 50 mg, it was evident that it helped and is the only medication I've had that has helped that noticeably. It doesn't get rid of my headaches, but it makes them noticeably lower.