I would investigate all the medications that you are taking. Including herbs and vitamins. Medications can cause migrains. Some people are more sensitive than others.

Also, something that you are eating/drinking or possibly a new perfum that you are around.

2nd,

It is not normal to have an ongoing headache. Even for people who get migrains or cluster headaches (what I have). You may want to consider having an MRI just to make sure there is something not going on.
 

Best to check with your doctors. I get cluster headaches that can last for days, but don't think I've quite had one for that long.

Sometimes ice helps mine a little. Other times if I sit in the tub and let the warm water run on my head and/or sit in a tub of very warm water to help relax my muscles I get a tiny bit of relief.

If my head is in the mood for a headache, the slightest scent can trigger it. Mild deorderants & detergents, scents of things that normally don't bother me. (Stronger scents always set me off.)

And lights, even weak light if I've got a headache brewing.

You might even need to take a break from your computer for a few days
 

I have always been prone to headaches. This is not a migraine just constant pain. My doctor is out of the country now on holiday but I will call when he is back in the office. I know all about perfumes setting me off. But usually they just make me sneeze!

I really watch what I eat - I know MSG, red wine, cheddar cheese all can give me a headache.

I guess for now I'll just pop the excederin and hope for the best. I guess it doesn't help that I'm on one of my spells that I'm not sleeping either.

I can't tell you how much I have learned from everyone who is on here. You don't know how relived I feel when I see someone else going thru the same things or suggestions to make everything go a little better. God bless you for taking the time to help others.
Peggy
 

I can't take anything with caffiene after noon or I have an extra hard time falling asleep.

But then, any pain from not taking the Excedrin will probably keep you awake, too.

And, if I don't get a relative decent sleep, I usually end up with a headache.

I take several different prescribed meds for my various headaches. But that wouldn't help you at the moment. If ever you would like to know my cocktail, please ask, okay?

Oh, are you wearing a decent pair of sunglasses indoors? Sometimes that will help a bit when I've got a bad headache. It doesn't make it go away, but seems to be a bit easier on the eyes during those times.
 

also I find the green liquigels advil to work best for me for these kind of headaches..nothing else used to touch them..once I got rid of the babs, headaches gone...

hope htis helps,

lisa
 

the middle of my forehead.

The only thing I found that worked was sinus pills. That was just *me* though, I dont recommend anyone popping them like I was, and again, I was undiagnosed at that time.

Zoloft is keeping them WAY under control now. If thats an option, you could ask your LLMD.

Tramadol helps somewhat but doesn't take the pain away.

We are still trying to find the cause of the headaches.

There are a lot of prescription pain meds. Check with your doctor.

------------------

 

It actually had gotten somewhat better in the last two months, so she is in school full-time- her periods became regular again a few months back and we are wondering if Lyme affected her hormones (or the abx, since tetracycline esp. seemed to stop her periods) which then affected her pain.

Was yours sudden onset? Is it different from other headaches you've had? Where is the pain located and how intense is it? (My daughter has migraines about once/week, but this is a totally different headache).

First, I agree, make sure you are safe, and have an MRI just to make sure. Even a CT scan.

Second, try alternatives before meds. We tried chiropractic, massage, ultrasound, heat, physical therapy, therapeutic swimming, even ballet.

Third, meds can be really helpful, but it can be hard to find the right one. There is an MGH neurology site with a lot of headache help. Many of those folks have ended up here on Lymenet!

OTC drugs can have powerful rebound headache problems. I believe from researching that Aleve is the only one that doesn't. If you use Advil or Tylenol or Excedrin or whatever too frequently, then stopping will cause horrible headaches.

My daughter tried amitryptilene (Elavil) first, and it helped a lot but caused some sort of seizure type activity. Paxil helped. Anti-convulsants such as Topamax or Neurontin or even Depakote are often tried but can make you sleepy and spacey. Zoloft helps, but gave my daughter diahrrea and amazing weight gain. Everyone is different.

Yours might go away soon, so I don't mean to scare you. But if it is a long term problem, there are things you can do, including meds. Biofeedback, cranial-sacral therapy and acupuncture are other options.

it can also be a good idea to get rescue meds in case the pain really has you moaning and screaming. We tried percocet and codeine/tylenol, but then someone on this site told us about Butalbital. That works great for my daughter. Not only does it rescue her when she's in agony, but it seems to cut short the pain cycle so the next couple of days she doesn't go through such agony.

We feel for you, believe me. And if MD's tell you it's psychological, don't feel alone. We've all heard that one at some time.
Good luck... PAB and others were very helpful to us, there are a lot of people here who have had this problem (and, unfortunately, a lot of kids too).

[This message has been edited by Lyddie (edited 03 January 2005).]
 

I'm going to jump in with both feet here. I'm going to assume you're seeing an LLMD and being treated for Lyme and maybe coinfections.

Like many others I had really bad sinus headaches for about 2 years which became more severe and affected my vision.

My Nurse Practitioner at my LLMD's prescribed a diuretic Diamox for the Lyme encephalitis which I have.

I take 500mg once a day and Potassium Chloride 10% 7.5 ml. a day. I can't even tell you how much this has helped me. Very few headaches for me.

Let your LLMD know about your headaches and where they hurt and how you treat them. I had to use ice too all the time before the diuretics. It was the only thing that helped with the intense pain.