Leelee
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19112
posted
Horrible headaches (some with phantom odors) plague me.
I don't like to take Excederin, but sometimes I just have to. It doesn't necessarily work anyway, but can occasionally take the edge off.
What does anyone recommend as an alternative?
-------------------- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King,Jr Posts: 1573 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2009
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
I take aleve sometimes.
Mostly ibuprofen as it doesn't go through my liver.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
the triptan meds help a bit, but give me a rebound headache the next day
best for me by far is butalbital as I get no side effects, no rebound, just fast substantial headache relief
also of note is my headaches dropped dramatically when I began to avoid vitamin D intake
Posts: 727 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2006
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dmc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5102
posted
Excedrin works for me...I do take up to 4 if migraine,
Posts: 2675 | From ct, usa | Registered: Jan 2004
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cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347
posted
None of the OTC stuff touched my headaches, and neither did the usual migraine meds.
But - after years of experimenting, I found Butalibital too and it is the very best relief I've ever had!
Interesting about the Vit D, dguy - have you had your D levels checked? Are you high in D? ...Vit D has had no impact on headaches that I can see, but that is very good to know about.
-------------------- �Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005
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sparkle7
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10397
posted
Excedrin worked well for me... better than Relpax.
Headaches may be related to hormones or toxins. If you address those issues, you may get less headaches.
It's hard & it seems to just be part of the process of trying to get well.
Posts: 7772 | From Northeast, again... | Registered: Oct 2006
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quote:Originally posted by cactus: Interesting about the Vit D, dguy - have you had your D levels checked? Are you high in D? ...Vit D has had no impact on headaches that I can see, but that is very good to know about.
cactus - yes, I had the low 25D / high 1,25D combo often found with lyme
many web sites include headaches in the list of hypervitaminosis D symptoms, such as
cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347
posted
Thanks, dguy.
-------------------- �Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
-
Most meds either send me to the moon or smack me against the floor. My liver can't do tylenol and the other over the counter pain stuff has no effect on me at all.
What works best for me is cranial-sacral therapy, full body massage with attention to neck muscles - and especially - as much magnesium as my bowels can tolerate. Fish oil is good, too.
Resting in a quiet, dark room with a cool cloth over my eyes. A soft ice pack to the back of the neck, base of scull also helps at times.
If you have someone around who could give you a shoulder, foot or hand massage, that might be of help.
On your hand, in the web between the index finger and the thumb, sort of where a "V" would fall, see if there is a tender point there. Massage until that is worked out. It helps me sometimes.
Gentle jaw exercises also help sometimes if TMJ is involved.
posted
for anyone for whom vitamin D is a concern, be aware that fish oil is extremely high in vitamin D
Posts: 727 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
My doc just call in Flouricet for me because I have had a headache for 3 weeks straight.
I called him and told him I had had enough-and i am limited on what I can take because of mechanical valve.
Excedrin was not touching it, and the Flouricet is working-it is very cheap.
Posts: 303 | From Jekyll Island, GA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Leelee
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19112
posted
Even though I started this thread, I forgot that I actually have Maxalt for my headaches. Sheeeesh! How could I not remember?
So I guess my next question is, is it safe to take with abx and supplements? Having forgotten I had it I haven't been using it, but would like to if it's okay.
My LLMD was not the prescribing dr. and I no longer go to the PCP that gave me the Rx.
-------------------- The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King,Jr Posts: 1573 | From Maryland | Registered: Feb 2009
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-------------------- Dying is easy. Living is harder. Posts: 257 | From owensboro kentucky | Registered: Mar 2008
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cactus
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7347
posted
Leelee, check out your meds on a site like www.drugdigest.com - they have an interaction checker.
Or call your pharmacist and ask.
For what it's worth - my LLMD gave me Maxalt while I was on various abx and supplements for TBDs. So depending on your particular regimen - you may be fine.
Maxalt is one that works best if you take it before the headache gets ahead of you, right? Still, worth a shot.
If it doesn't do the trick, call your LLMD and ask for more options.
So sorry you're feeling so poorly. Headaches are horrific.
-------------------- �Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?� - A.A. Milne Posts: 1987 | From No. VA | Registered: May 2005
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Shosty
Unregistered
posted
Don't take Maxalt with an antidepressant, and don't take it if you ever have "hemiplegic migraine" with muscle weakness or paralysis on one side.
Butalbital is a good next step after Excedrin. it also has caffeine in it, along with a narcotic.
Tylenol with codeine can sometimes help.
For frequent, long lasting migraines, anticonvulsants like Topamax and Lamictal may help as preventatives. But start really, really low (like 1/5 of what the docs say is the lowest dose, and stay as low in dosage as you can, if you ever do go on these.
If you have phantom odors, then you have migraine with aura. So the drugs I just mentioned might help.
Do you get nausea? Our daughter had compazine for a long time, but then was given Zofran which she likes a lot better.
Dealing with food allergies and doing alternatives like cranio-sacral, hypnosis, acupuncture etc. can help. Magnesium can be glycinate, which does not affect bowels so much. IV magnesium can help but we found it to sort of slow the brain down and cause depression.
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posted
Advil seems to be the only thing that works for me (although often it just takes the edge off).
No other OTC meds work and I've tried a bunch of migraine meds. Those don't work at all for me.
-------------------- I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in August 2007, but I now feel it was a misdiagnosis. I was finally properly diagnosed with Chemical Sensitivity in February 2011. My life has changed drastically since then. Posts: 128 | From Dallas, Texas | Registered: Jul 2008
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linky123
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 19974
posted
Hi LeeLee,
I use zomig. It's a lot like maxalt, and imitrex. It is quite effective most of the time. My doctor only allows me to take 2 a week, I guess it can be hard on the heart, which is a bit scary, but I've had no ill effects, in the eight years I've been taking it. My insurance company is very chintzy (sp?) about how much they allow. You have to be careful. Taking these drugs along with some anti-depressants can cause a potentially fatal reaction called serotonin syndrome. So, talk to your doctor about all the meds you are taking if you decide to use these drugs. This medicine along with an ice bag and a dark room usually gets me back on track in and hour or two. Hope you get some relief! Linky
Posts: 2607 | From Hooterville | Registered: Apr 2009
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