Seeking Advise for Cronic Headaches

Hi, my name is J. from Traverse City. I suffer from headaches too,and like you I've had every MRI and cat scan done...nothing. I switched family doctos and he did all kinds of blood work. Come to find out I hardly have any iron in my system. So, I'm now on iron pills and pretty much pain free. Don't give up.

I have also had chronic headaches everyday for over 20 years now myself with very similar symptoms to yours and have gone through all of the same testing like you have, all came back negative also.

Although, with me, my neurologist came to the conclusion that mine are a result of a head injury that I had whn I was 15. I actually fractured my skull at that time.

My oldest son also suffers from Chronic headaches. Elivil helps him, but I cannot take it. I get adverse reactions to Elivil.

I found that Excedrin helps me the best, where Tylenol or Motrin doesn't touch mine. It is something about the mixture of Asprine. Acedyminophine (sp?) and caffine that really works for me, even my doctor confimed that, she even said that taking Tylenol with a caffinated beverege doesn't work as well as taking 2 extra strengh Excedrin.

Good luck.

Well, I'm not sure what your medical history is, but Tylenol does absolutely nothing for my headaches. It's really great for fevers, and that is about it (for me, other people really like it.) I can tell you that large doses of Tylenol is really not good for your liver, and alcohol compounds the problem. I have similar issues with constant headaches and migraines, and I have had a CT scan, MRI, and an MRA, and everything came up "normal". As far as over the counter medications go, I usually stick with NSAID's (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) or Aleve. A lot of my most severe headaches start off as tension headaches. I can feel it creeping up my neck and I know that if I don't take something immediately I won't be able to see straight. You say that your neck is always stiff and sore, well that sounds awful familiar! It is really important to keep up with your doctor, and it sounds like they have done a lot of tests. If you ever have "the worse headache of your life" you should go to the emergency room, because it could be something more serious. Your doctor can also give you a prescription for your migraines, although it won't work on regular headaches. I would give Ibuprofen or Aleve a try (if you don't have any medical reason why you shouldn't) and don't wait until the headache is really bad. Also, if your neck is always stiff and sore it could be causing your headaches. My neck usually hurts because of stress. I never realized how much tension I carry in my neck and shoulders until I took a Stress Management class. I pay more attention to my muscle tension now and I learned several relaxation techniques that help me out quite a bit. Come to think of it, I only get headaches once or twice a month now that I took that class. I used to get them every single day. So, to recap, keep in touch with your doctor, try something other than tylenol, and try a stress management class. Good luck!

I get tension headaches and migranes often. The only time I didn't was when I was pregnant-- which lead me to believe that they were related to hormones. I use LaNatura (lanatura.com) stress therapy sticks-- it is a roll on that you put on your tempels and wrists. I'm not exactly sure what is in it --peppermint and something but it really really helps. They are like 10 each online. I don't know any local stores that sell them. They have helped me when no medications can.

C., reading someone elses response made me think... you might want your dentist to test you for TMJ. If you are grinding your teeth at night (you might not even know it) it can cause stiff, sore neck and horrible headaches. They can fit you for a mouth guard that will help.

Oh you should not suffer from such pain. A long time ago I was referred to a Dr. Anne Pawluk at the Michigan Neurological Institute on Orchard Lake Rd (I am not %100 about the spelling or city it is located, maybe Farmington Hills). Anyway, with what you are struggling with you should be able to get a referral (fight for it if necessary). If you can't see her maybe they could give you a good referral. I used to go for severe reoccuring migraines and she helped prevent them by putting me on elavil at night.

Hi C. -

My name is B. W., and I'm a prenatal massage therapist in the Ann Arbor area. I saw your post about chronic headaches, and I wanted to see if you've tried massage therapy as a possible treatment. Sometimes when muscles get irritated, they can form what are called trigger points. These trigger points can then refer pain to other areas of the body. You may have a trigger point (or series of them) that are referring pain into your head - another example would be a person who has carpal tunnel-like symptoms, when actually the problem is in the muscles of the arm and shoulder referring pain to the wrist. If you go to http://www.amtamassage.org/findamassage/locator.htm you can find a qualified massage therapist in your area. Look for someone who has graduated from an accredited massage therapy school with over 700 hours of training, and who also has attained national certification through the NCBTMB. If you have any other questions, feel free to send me an email at ____@____.com of luck -

B.

Have you tried seeing an allergist. I had headaches for a long time, and found out it was due to foods I ate. I was allergic to certain dyes in food and other food products. after I found out from the allergy tests I changed my diet and got better. I hope this helps.

Hi I was reading your article about your headaches.
Have you ever tried natural products to help get rid of your headaches??I work with natural nutrition company and if you would like some info please feel free to contact me by email
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Hi C. I know what you are going through. I am 24 and have been getting migraines since I was about 11. I too have had MRI'S and CAT SCANS and have found nothing. I am currently on Inderal(a blood pressure med), Elavil(antidepressent),Mircette(birth control), and take Relpax when I get a headache. I just had to go to th ER on Sunday because it was so bad and the Relpax did nothing. Usually that works within 30 to 45 minutes. That was my third time having to go the ER for migraines. They gave me IV's of 2 pain meds which didnt work so then they gave me Morphine, which still didnt completely work. I go back to my Neurologist next week. You should definately be able to get a referral for your headaches. I know I didnt really help you too much, but I wanted to let you know you are not alone.

I would see a chiropractor. It sounds like there might be a misalignment in you spine, near the neck. That would cause a stiff neck and headaches.

With children in the home, this part could be rough. But, when you get a headache, try taking the recommended dose of Tylenol, drink a caffeinated beverage very quickly, then go into a dark room to relax and drink a large glass of water. Dehydration can cause some pretty harsh headaches, and sometimes just drinking more water can help. As for the caffeine, I'm not sure why, but caffeine seems to make Tylenol work better. I was once on a prescription drug for migraines(horrible, curl up on the floor and scream migraines) that was really only Tylenol with caffeine. Soe when the prescription ran out, and I couldn't afford to refill it, I tried chugging a Coke with a couple Tylenol, and laid down for a half hour. I was pretty amazed when it worked.

i have had a similar problem. once i had mono because of the lymphnodes. know i have low blood sugar. still no cure. i say save some money and get a second option because their is something wrong.

Hi C.,
I thought I would tell you that My mom has been getting migraines for as long as I can remember, Then about 6 yr ago she went to the diamond headache clinic in chicago, and they gave her a list of food, that are known to trigger migraines, Like cheese , chocolate, peanut butter, coconut,pickles they gave her a two page list, It's differnt for a lot of people my mom has a lot of them, For instance she can only have one hershey kiss, anymore chocolate then that and she'll have a migraine. She the same with cheese, and peanut butter, You may want to cut out some of those foods and see if that helps, Good luck .

You might be having chronic daily headaches. If you have a history of headaches and migranes (which is sounds like you do) and take a lot of over the counter medications to treat them, you can develop rebound headaches which can occur on a daily basis. I used to get them because I was using too many over the counter medications to treat my migranes. If you are getting migranes there are several prescription medications your doctor can offer, and whatever he writes the prescription for, ask him/her for some samples to cut down on the cost. Taking 4 tylenol as one dosage (especially if you are doing this on a regular basis) is VERY bad for your liver. I have found that both massage and accupuncture have helped with my headaches if you are considering non-medical treatment! For more info on chronic daily headaches, check out:

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/66/79578.htm

Good luck!

C.,

I haven't experienced this myself....however, I have a friend that suffered from migraines everyday. She finally turned to alternative medicine...she went to a 5th generation medicine man. She is now migraine free. I know this man was located in Eaton Rapids, I don't know for sure if he is still there, however, I bet you could find one on a local reservation. His pay, was whatever you could give him. Just a thought...I know it is kind of out there, but you never know what these old time rememdies can do! Good luck! and let us know!

I had a chronic headache problem and was at my wits end. When I finally switched doctors, I thought she was crazy when she told me what to do. She said that I was suffering from rebound headaches. Because I was constantly taking something for the terrible pain so I could function, my body was not learning to compensate for the problem on it's own. She insisted that I take NOTHING for 2 entire weeks and let my body manage it. It was nearly unbearable, but I DID IT! She was absolutely right. Now I only have occaisional headaches and I try to not take anything - usually if I'm home just laying down for a little while helps now. If it does get bad, I do take Tylenol, Motrin or Excedrin, but I don't depend on them now. I used to not leave the house without a headache medicine. I'm so glad to be free of the constant pain! Good luck to you. Hope your solutions is as simple, but I will bet you'd be much releived if you can somehow take care of the issues with your teeth. There is an infection that can come from decaying teeth that can affect your heart. An acquaintance experienced this and had she not gotten it taken care of they said she risked serious conditions or worse. So please, don't overlook your problem. Many offices will set you up with a payment plan if you just ask. It is so important to your health.