What a headache
I’ve been getting migraines since I was a teenager. Normally I can just zap them with Midrin. Lately, though, I’ve been getting them once a week or more, and the Midrin isn’t helping. I have no idea what’s causing them – lack of sleep? dieting? I’m sure grinding my teeth plays a large part but I do it while I’m awake, and one of those night-time appliances isn’t feasible to use while awake. When I went to my dentist for the first time, he did a double-take at the volume of my jaw popping when I opened my mouth. He said it’s a bad case of TMJ. I guess there’s surgery available for it, but after the horrible surgery experiences I’ve had I don’t want to chance it. This is also why I wouldn’t dream of doing Lasik, although hub’s really intrigued by it.
I’ve read that Botox prevents migraines. The doc told me to try amitryptaline (or something like that) which basically turns me into a raging bitchzombie. Imitrex doesn’t work. Any other migraine people have suggestions? Last week I got migraines for 3 nights straight – the last one so awful that I was gagging and moaning all night, and my right eye was watering uncontrollably. Not a pretty sight.
Argh, I can feel myself clenching my jaw but can’t seem to stop doing it! Maybe I should try bio-feedback.
July 19th, 2003 at 10:41 pm
maybe there’s an easy solution. You might be having allergies! I have found that Flonase ROCKS for allergies of all kinds while Allegra and Claritin does bupkis. Might be worth a try.
July 19th, 2003 at 11:08 pm
Nog, I use Flonase. =)
July 20th, 2003 at 12:08 pm
I thought I was migraines a few years ago. Turns out they were tension headaches. They act the same but are treated way different. I was put on headache meds at first until I could get the muscles in my neck and shoulders relaxed. Now I’m on daily muscle relaxants. Just thought I’d throw that in there.
July 21st, 2003 at 6:41 am
For migraines: depakote. It’s actually an antiseizure medicine but my neurologist prescribe I went to him to after years and years of all types of headaches such as clusters, tension, sinus, and migraines, and “solutions” such as elavil/amitriptylene (which makes you put on weight), paxil (kills sexual desire), midrin (for immediate help), and maxalt (for immediate help — this works but makes you groggy after 1 dose so if you take it at work you’re torched for the day). Seriously, talk to your doctor or go to a neuroligist!
July 21st, 2003 at 12:58 pm
My doctor gave me Midrin a couple of months ago and it hasn’t helped one little bit. For actual migraines, I take Axert, but I can only take that a couple of times a month. The rest of the time, I either try little home remedies like ice packs on my head, deep breathing relaxation, and caffeine … or I break out the Darvocet. Sometimes that doesn’t even help and then I just go home and try to crash.
Keep pestering your doctor to try new prescriptions, and figure out if there are external elements you can change … chronic headaches of any kind just plain suck.
A physical therapist showed me how to do jaw muscle massage so I wouldn’t have to worry about TMJ. That might be a good alternative to surgery.