headaches
- Thread starter ppa
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ppa said:
I used to get intense migraines to the point of passing out and waking up in my own vomit (Luckily, I seem to have outgrown them about 10 years ago), and I remember that it was presented to me as common knowledge back then that pain medication could be the cause headaches if not used with care.
So, I am confused about the posting of this link - especially the newsworthiness of it. Is this new knowledge?
Gustav
Gustav said:
I don't know if it is new or old but it should be fine to write it since there are a lot of advertising on these drugs and people don't care always to limit themselves to use them, I think.
Any way this research looks as new.
Pier Paolo
I recall back in the '70s when one maladjusted kid I knew tried to commit suicide by swallowing a bottle of aspirin... It didn't kill him but gave him a whopper of a headache.
JR
JR
I have migraines all the time, sports usually helps, bad luck for me I have a broken knee and I solving the headaches makes my knee hurt. I pick the headaches since a pill calms it and the knee I need quite a bit more than that. I do know taking too much of that makes it worse but I kind of manage to get it going smoothly, once in a while I have to avoid taking them for a few days with headache and it get's back to normal. On average for me when taking them every day is a real problem, once in a week is quite fine. This is a known problem with certain drugs, there are others than doesn't cause much of a problem for the head but any of those help me with my pain.
JS
JS
sahib
Well-known member
I have been suffering from migraine all my life. Earliest I remember is when I was in secondary. So, that makes it 45 years. Sometimes it lasts a day, sometimes 2 weeks. I stopped using paracetamol based pills since I was prescribed Immigran a few years ago.
Paracetamol based pills only mask it. This Immigran is a miracle. About 15-20 minutes after taking it you can actually feel the pain going away. In fact it also comes as a nasal spray which makes it go away in liyterally 5 minutes. We are lucky here in Scotland that we have free prescriptions. Otherwise over the counter it is GBP 4.00 a single pill.
Paracetamol based pills only mask it. This Immigran is a miracle. About 15-20 minutes after taking it you can actually feel the pain going away. In fact it also comes as a nasal spray which makes it go away in liyterally 5 minutes. We are lucky here in Scotland that we have free prescriptions. Otherwise over the counter it is GBP 4.00 a single pill.
> Immigran is a miracle.
One "m". Imigran.
Generic is Sumatriptan.
Seems to be UK-specific? Ah, in UK it is over-the-counter, in US it is available only by prescription
One "m". Imigran.
Generic is Sumatriptan.
Seems to be UK-specific? Ah, in UK it is over-the-counter, in US it is available only by prescription
gltech
Well-known member
Having experienced and read a lot on this subject, I wanted to chime in here. I'm in my early 50s and suffered from migraines (real ones, keep reading) from the time I can remember anything until I was 29.
There are basically two different kinds of headaches, and the terminology people use for them is quite confusing and can cause people to medicate themselves worse. The common garden-variety headache comes from vasoconstriction (meaning the blood vessels in your head narrow raising blood pressure). A true migraine headache is caused by vasodilation (the blood vessels dilate and the blood pressure lowers and can impair brain function).
Sometime in the 70s/80s people began self-proclaiming themselves as having migraine headaches when they were not, using the word "migraine" for "chronic". This miswording became so rampant even the medical community invented new terminology, "classic migraines" for real ones and "common migraines" for everything else. Before writing this post I did a quick check of webmd.com and even their information is quite confusing. I have personally read many in-depth documents for years that are much more scientific and informative, and they all pretty much align regarding the two types of headaches. I've definitely had both types and a real/classic migraine is 100x worse than anything else.
The medical community didn't know what they do now when I was a kid in the 60s. They would prescribe the typical asprin/etc. This was devastating and only increased the vasodilation. Treatment for a real/classic migraine is actually the opposite -- vasoconstrictors (Maxalt etc) are used. Most people have never had a migraine headache. It's usually preceded by blind spots like dancing lights (called aura) for about 30 minutes with no pain. Then the headache sets in and usually comes with some pretty bad nausea, and can even last a few days. I had a couple so bad I had stroke-like symptoms, such as impaired speech and numbing of an arm (from low blood pressure in the brain as occurs with a stroke). Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG7NuH5QTdE
I told the people I was with the second I saw that girl's original broadcast that it was a migraine. That's exactly what I experienced with speech.
The cure for me was getting off caffeine. That was when I was 29, and I haven't had a migraine since, and very rarely ever have a headache at all. I know everybody uses caffeine, but once you don't for a while, you begin to see the "junkie" side of it more than you might think.
So make sure you know what you've got and medicate in the right direction!
Edit: I just noticed this in sahib's post:
Yes see, Imigran is a vasoconstrictor as I said. Don't take this unless you know you have a classic migraine!
The one silver lining is that meds for vasodilation work much better/faster than meds for vasoconstriction.
There are basically two different kinds of headaches, and the terminology people use for them is quite confusing and can cause people to medicate themselves worse. The common garden-variety headache comes from vasoconstriction (meaning the blood vessels in your head narrow raising blood pressure). A true migraine headache is caused by vasodilation (the blood vessels dilate and the blood pressure lowers and can impair brain function).
Sometime in the 70s/80s people began self-proclaiming themselves as having migraine headaches when they were not, using the word "migraine" for "chronic". This miswording became so rampant even the medical community invented new terminology, "classic migraines" for real ones and "common migraines" for everything else. Before writing this post I did a quick check of webmd.com and even their information is quite confusing. I have personally read many in-depth documents for years that are much more scientific and informative, and they all pretty much align regarding the two types of headaches. I've definitely had both types and a real/classic migraine is 100x worse than anything else.
The medical community didn't know what they do now when I was a kid in the 60s. They would prescribe the typical asprin/etc. This was devastating and only increased the vasodilation. Treatment for a real/classic migraine is actually the opposite -- vasoconstrictors (Maxalt etc) are used. Most people have never had a migraine headache. It's usually preceded by blind spots like dancing lights (called aura) for about 30 minutes with no pain. Then the headache sets in and usually comes with some pretty bad nausea, and can even last a few days. I had a couple so bad I had stroke-like symptoms, such as impaired speech and numbing of an arm (from low blood pressure in the brain as occurs with a stroke). Example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG7NuH5QTdE
I told the people I was with the second I saw that girl's original broadcast that it was a migraine. That's exactly what I experienced with speech.
The cure for me was getting off caffeine. That was when I was 29, and I haven't had a migraine since, and very rarely ever have a headache at all. I know everybody uses caffeine, but once you don't for a while, you begin to see the "junkie" side of it more than you might think.
So make sure you know what you've got and medicate in the right direction!
Edit: I just noticed this in sahib's post:
sahib said:
Yes see, Imigran is a vasoconstrictor as I said. Don't take this unless you know you have a classic migraine!
The one silver lining is that meds for vasodilation work much better/faster than meds for vasoconstriction.
sahib
Well-known member
PRR said:
Thank you PRR. Errors of speed writing.
Indeed the prescription is Sumatriptan. But commercially marketed as Imigran.
I am surprised that it is only prescription in the US. Normally a lot of simple drugs you get over the counter freely in US are prescription only here.
Hi GLtech,
I think (I'm quite sure) that there's been a great development in the knowledge about the pathophysiology causing migraine. I don't want to start a discussion but here are some publications from highly regarded journals which can give you more insight, if you need it. There's also peer-reviewed information available for patients (and medicine professionals) on UpToDate.com.
Best,
Zander
- Charles A. Advances in the basic and clinical science of migraine. Ann Neurol. 2009;65(5):491.
- Charles A. Vasodilation out of the picture as a cause of migraine headache. Lancet Neurol. 2013 May;12(5):419-20. Epub 2013 Apr 9.
I think (I'm quite sure) that there's been a great development in the knowledge about the pathophysiology causing migraine. I don't want to start a discussion but here are some publications from highly regarded journals which can give you more insight, if you need it. There's also peer-reviewed information available for patients (and medicine professionals) on UpToDate.com.
Best,
Zander
- Charles A. Advances in the basic and clinical science of migraine. Ann Neurol. 2009;65(5):491.
- Charles A. Vasodilation out of the picture as a cause of migraine headache. Lancet Neurol. 2013 May;12(5):419-20. Epub 2013 Apr 9.
Axelerator
Well-known member
yes, only take triptanes when you are suffering of real migraine !
i can confirm that up to date is actual the best libary for medical guidelines .
currently using it for preparing for my medical specialist examination later this year ...
did you know that triptans also derivate from ergot grains.. 8)
i can confirm that up to date is actual the best libary for medical guidelines .
currently using it for preparing for my medical specialist examination later this year ...
did you know that triptans also derivate from ergot grains.. 8)
Axelerator said:
ERGOT alkaloids
I see now... My syllabus says they're a different class from triptanes but also used for acute migraine. I know ergot alkaloids are derived from a fungus called Claviceps purpurea which grows on grains I'm having pharmacology next tuesday :O
pucho812
Well-known member
I had a period where i was getting massive headaches off and on. I drink lots of coffee on the daily so I attributed it to that and finally figured out my tipping point and adjusted accordingly. I have a pretty high pain threshold so I avoid most over the counter meds. I will do what the doctor says but crikey ever read the side effects on some of that stuff, sometimes it's as bad or can be worse then what your trying to cure.
Kingston
Well-known member
ppa said:
This is old news from the turn of the millenium. Nowadays they even have a name in the Finnish doctors jargon for this that I can't successfully translate. Some consumers don't realise the recommended doses are there for a reason and eat them like candy. You have to balance the nanny state vs. convenience.
PS. Adblockers make these kind of infomercial sites quite moronic when it comes to content. You will not see the infestation of ads that were supposed to come with it - just the dumbed-down "article" missing all the references to real world. Well, at least this particular infomercial was loosely based on actual studies.
PPS. WTF is that website! The translations are completely failed, content missing all the references, and there is homeopathy involved.
Unbookmark that thing and forget you ever saw it. It's ad-poison for morons.
druu
Well-known member
I'm curious if anyone has experienced regular headaches due to dry or congested sinuses? I suffer from these regularly. Would be good to hear from others how to overcome..
