Dealing With Headaches

Many people who suffer with migraines or chronic headaches take medicines called “preventives” or “abortives”. Or, perhaps they are like me and take both kinds. Until recently, I didn’t think there was ANY difference between an abortive and preventative medication, and I have two college degrees. I was recently set straight by my primary doctor, Dr. Fountain Of Youth Face.

However, if I made the mistake, then perhaps other readers out there in the blogosphere will, too. I’ve seen the terms used interchangeably in medical websites, and I’m sure I’m guilty of doing the same thing on this blog. I’ll be going back through some of my older posts to correct that mistake.

Anyway…

An abortive medication stops something once it already begins. Such a medicine would be Zolmig nasal spray, or Imitrex (sumatriptan), which is taken as soon as you feel a migraine coming on. (And remember — an abortive does NOT mean it will give you a sudden abortion. It’s just a name.)

On the other hand, a preventive medicine stops anything from even starting in the first place. In the wacky world of migraines, you would have to take this medicine every day, no matter how you were feeling. Such a medicine would be DHE. Another medication would be verapamil, which is actually a high blood pressure medication that (as a side effect) often reduced the frequency of migraine attacks in migraineurs.

Still, It’s Not A Cure All

No matter if you take an abortive or a preventive medication (or both), you still need other painkillers, ways of coping with stress and to identify and avoid anything that might trigger a migraine. Keeping a headache journal helps you identify your triggers.

Hope this helps.

I can’t recommend a lot of the videos listed under “migraine headache” in YouTube, as they are usually hawking one product or another. Some of them also have very strange “facts” to present. But every now and then, you get a really helpful video, such as this one from FYINowHealth (which is a YouTube user name, not a website or a magazine). It very clearly lists in layman’s terms how to tell the difference between a miraine and a tension type headache.

In case you didn’t know, it does make a difference as to what kind of had pain you have in order to get proper drugs and other treatments. And also to know whether you can move around or stay as still as possible. Personally, I think migraines are worse than tension-type headaches, but I’m admittedly biased.

Speaking of headaches, I’m not doing so well today. I’m off. Enjoy the video.

Two weeks ago, I had the first bloodwork tests done on me since the age of the dinsosaurs. This is to help diagnose what might be causing me migraines, constant fatigue, attraction to the wrong kind of men, that sort of thing. I got the bill a couple of days ago –$215 damn dollars.

But It’s A Bargain

Now, keep in mind I’m already paying through the nose for my medical insurance. (And I’m not really sure I want to know the origins of the expression “paying through the nose“.) In order to have the priviledge of getting a $215 bill for blood tests, this is what I have to pay:

• $250 per month for the insurance policy premium
• $15 per prescription (roughly $30 per month)
• $25 co-pay for every doctor visit ( I had two)

So, last month, I already paid $330 to my health insurance vampires. But yet, this doesn’t include the blood tests (even though I’ve already paid enough to cover them).

When the bill came, it claimed that the costs of the blood tests were $900 and that my health insurance company graciously paid for the balance.

Oh, come on. I bet you the cost of the blood tests were $215. They’re just saying it’s $900 trying to make me feel better. Retail stores do this all the time — jack up the original price and THEN mark it 20% off.

Does anybody check out these things? I guess we’re too busy watching American Idol and banning trans-fats to bother.

Happy National Headache Week

In related news, June 1-7 is National Headache Week. This is what happens after you pay your blood money. Instead of getting reasonable costs for healthcare, you get a logo and a national week. No wonder the headache will last a whole week.

Although officially my first diagnosed migraine was when I was already at the venerable age of 24, I had excrutiating pains before then. I just never thought of them as migraines. Since I was never diagnosed as having migraines as a child (I had too many other problems that took up my pediatrician’s attention), it is possible that these head and eye pains were not migraines, but symptoms of other things.

But, sadly, children do get migraines (sometimes called adolescent migraines). Personally, I think I had my first one while still in the womb, but I’ve no proof that can actually happen.

Here’s what I can remember of my childhood migraines. (That would make a great title for a book of poetry now, wouldn’t it?)

Getting Drops In My Eyes

Mom has it written in my baby book that before I could walk, I attacked my first eye doctor by biting and punching him. Man, was I psychic, or what?

My first remembered really bad head pain was when I had to get drops to dialate the pupils of my eyes. This left me extrememly photophobic, dizzy and nauseated. And I had to get this crap twice a year when I was a kid, because my eyes were so bad and my eyeglasses prescription constantly needed changing. I’ve been reassured now that these drops are not used anymore, but I’ll be damned if I ever let a doctor dialate my pupils with drops again. If I ever have to get them dialated, I’ll dialate them by listening to Peter Gabriel.

Lack of Sleep

I was an insomniac as a kid. So, I had incredible headaches all of the time. I had so many, I thought it was normal. Now that I look back, I can see that I put up with a lot of needless suffering as a kid. It’s too bad Prozac (or ipuprofen) hadn’t yet been invented when I was a kid. I probably would’ve been better off just getting an IV of Prozac stuck in my veins as soon as I popped into the world.

Gym Class

People thought I was faking it, but I wasn’t. I can’t catch a ball to save my life. This is because I have monocular vision and can’t see in three dimensions. None of my gym teachers ever believed me. So, if any sport involves an object becoming airborne, sooner or later it connects with the side or top of my head. Usually, I’d have migraines even before gym class started just because of the stress involved of wondering when I was going to get beaned.

Now that I think about it, how in the heck did I ever survive childhood? And if any of my gym teachers are still alive, I’d like to smack you right upside the head for not believing me.

Ahh, that thought makes my head feel so much better!

This blog tends to go into medications and alternative therapies for migraines and chronic headaches, my personal misadventures like the pain and other details on trying to manage the pain and on the debilitating symptoms (with a whip and a chair, preferably). But perhaps you need a quick review of the basics.

First off, migraines are different from headaches. Yes, the pain is still located in your head, but also becomes the center of your world. There are a lot of other symptoms and debilitating problesm with migraines. To go over the basics, here’s a neat little video by Illumistream that I discovered today on YouTube. I’m especailly glad that they note that “there is no such thing as a typical migraine.”

Just a couple of personal critiques on the video. When I have a migraine, my dog knows. She also knows when I’m trying to fake it. (I wonder if migraines put off a particular smell?) So, the chances are very good that the Golden Retriever at the beginning of the video, knew the model was faking it.

One critique — they say a migraine can last “as long as a week.” My longest migraine lasted TWO weeks.

Also, be sure to check out the visuals around “Feeling Off Balance.” Just think of what Stephen King could do with that character!

And, as always, don’t use any YouTube video (or a blog post) in the place of a qualified doctor’s diagnosis.

I bear the scars of many injuries from my years at Kmart, most of them emotional. Most people have nightmares about monsters and gruesome deaths — I have nightmares about Kmart. I also have a physical injury that also didn’t left a scar but quite a lot of pain.

About fiteen or sixteen years ago, I as working two retail jobs in order to make rent and my student loan payments. One of those two jobs was (as you’ve probably guessed) at the Sporting Goods department at the local Kmart. I was exhausted and business was slow. When I could, I slipped upstairs to the stock room for a nap. (We had piles of sleping bags back then.

And idiot me managed strike the back of my head against a steel shelf.

Sometimes months go by in between reminders, but every now and then the pain in the back of my head flares to remind my of my own stupidity — and to never work at a Kmart again, even if it means certain death.

What I Should Have Done

Because I was sleeping on the job (literally), I never reported my injury. (Back in my youth, I wasn’t nearly as good a liar as I am today. “Rena, how’d you manage to strike the back of your head against a steel shelf?” “Um, getting up from my knees thanking God that I was able to get a job at Kmart.” Naaah — I don’t think it would’ve worked, either.)

However, I was young and stupid. If you get your head clonked at work REPORT IT IMMEDIATELY. And then, depending on how bad you feel, get your superivor or human resources person to call an ambulance. In the meantime, treat as a concussion.

Sometimes, it takes time for the symptoms of a head injury to develop. Fortunately for me, my future painful flare-ups in the back of my back could be managed with over the counter medication.

When you do get a minor head injury like a blow to the back of your head with a Kmart steel shelf, let someone you trust know about your injury. At the time, my then boyfriend was able to keep an eye on me. Signs that you don’t just have a minor blow to the head inlude still having the head pains after six weeks, your symptoms get worse a few days later, you have trouble talking or are more easily confused than usual.

Ice bags and cold packs are great ways to help turn down the pain into a dull roar. If over the counter medication isn’t helping, than that’s another sign that’s it’s time to go see a doctor. Don’t self-medicate with alcohol, because that leads to other health care risks. Also, if you get drunk, you could fall and hit your head again. Your employer definately won’t cover that, especially not Kmart.

Yesterday, we took an overview on the very painful affliction of ocular migraines. Although we don’t yet know what causes them or if they are seperate from migraines with aura, we do know thay they hurt a great deal. We also noted that the pain is nearly identical to a blood clot in the eye or a stroke, so if you are not sure what’s happening to you, call an ambulance.Today, we’ll try to take a look at treatments available.

It Is A Temporary Condition

The first time you get an ocular migraine, don’t be surprised if the doctor doesn’t give you any prescriptions or tests (other than checking for signs of a stroke or blood clot in the eye). If you have a history of headaches or migraines, than you may get a trial sized dose of whatever pain killer is in the office.

Ocular migraines tend (emphasis on TEND) to happen less often than “classic” migraine. The latter happens many times a month. Ocular migraines happen maybe once a month. (Note — this doesn’t happen to everyone I’ve talked to!) Some people even have a few episodes right in a row, and then not have any for months or even years. That they happen less often means a doctor is likely to not try to give you a lot of drugs for it, because the side effects (and the cost) might be worse than the ocular migraines.

Gimme Drugs!

When you get the strange visual symptoms or aura, you should immediately take any pain killer you can get (even an aspirin). I take Excedrin Migraine. Sometimes, this can help dampen the pain to come. If you can get into a dark room, lay down and do deep breathing, even a warm bath (or visulaizing you are in a warm bath) can help your body relax. If you practice mediatation, now would be a good time to practice some more.

If you get ocular migraines more than once a month, then the doctor usually tries to break out the drugs. Abortive migraine medicines like Topamax may be prescribed. You may also be prescribed Cafergot (a combination of caffeine and ergotamine artrate) or just plain old ergotamine. You may also be prescribed amitriptyline, which is usally classified as an anti-psychotic drug, but don’t panic. The doctor doesn’t think you’re psychotic.

There has been some sucess with injectable sumatriptan which usually is an abortive medicine, but can sometimes help diminish pain once the auras begin.

Will This Hurt My Vision?

In the long run, ocular migraines usually don’t seem to play a role in vision loss. There are a lot more things that will take their toll on your vision before ocular migraines will. Right before and even during an ocular migraine, you will normally see very abnormal things like zig-zag lights, double or triple vision and (what happened to me) seeing the world as though you are halfway underwater. There is even a sharp divinding line between perfectly clear and perfectly watery. It’s very disorienting, but a temporary thing.

Hope this helps.

In the early 1990’s, my doctor told me that ocular migraines were a myth. This was as I was having one. “How did you come to that conclusion?” He snorted, shaking his head at me as if he was trying to pity me, but really couldn’t care less about me.

“Your partner in this practice diagnosed me with ocular migraines a couple of months ago. Don’t you guys ever talk?”

Apparently not. So that shows you how much doctors know about migraines, when two doctors across the same hall in the same building have different points of view. I never went there again.

However, things are a little better in 2008. At least there is a general consensus now int he medical community that ocular migraines (also called eye migraines or ophalmoplegic migraines) are not a myth but (sadly) do exist.

What Are They?

Well, now we come to the fun part about ocular migraines. It is unknown what they are as opposed to other migraines or even how they are caused. There are many theories, however, including a weak nerve, palsy and constricting blood vessels. Now, recently the constricting blood vessels theory for any migraine pain has been challenged by new studies about serotonin levels. But, in the end, we just don’t know yet.

It is also unknown whether ocular migraines are seperate from other migraines or are a symtom of a migraine triggered by caffeine withdrawal (for instance). I’ve been putting off writing a post about ocular migraines for a long time because I could not find any general consensus as to what they are, let alone what causes them.

I have, however, had no problem finding a general consensus about the pain.

What Do They Feel Like?

Ah, here’s the fun part. If you have a sensitve stomach, then perhaps you should skip this part and we’ll see you tomorrow.

It feels like blood is dripping from out of your eyes.

Now, granted, I’ve never actually had blood drip from my eyes (knock on wood) but an ocular migraine is how I imagine what blood dripping from your eyes must feel like.

The pain is centered in your eyes, or just one eye. You often have other symptoms like dizziness, double vision and head pain, but the eye pain just becomes your entire world. It usually begins with an aura and ends with you vomiting in a dark bathroom (you hope it’s a bathroom, anyway). The first time you have one is a very frightening experience. It’s not as bad the next time, because you know that the pain will eventually end anywhere from twelve hours to two weeks. (Your attack might be less or more.)

When To Go To The Doctor

If you have never had any history of migraines or headaches and suddenly get felled by an ocular migraine, then you better go to a doctor. There is a fun condition called retinal artery thrombosis (a blood clot in your eye, basically) that also gives off the same symptoms and pain as an ocular migraine. Also, symptoms of funky vision and extreme head pain (literally blinding pain) and extremem nausea and dizziness may be the sign of a stroke.

If you know you have a history of ocular migraines or just plain old migraines, then you can usually assume it’s an ocular migraine. However, you really should go to the doctor just to rule out stroke.

Your doctor will probably recommend you see a nuerologist or eye doctor to rule out other problems. Other times, they’ll give you a prescription or cocktail of prescriptions to try and take it from there. We’ll look more about treatment tomorrow.

Well, before Christmas, I posted about a product that might appeal to my Mom, who (like me and you) gets headsaches and migraines. A think I did a good promotion for the little bear, too. But now that the Christmas high has definately worn off, Mom and I have had a chance to try and actually use the Gelly Belly Grizzly Bear instead of just “ooooo” and “ahh” over it.

The Verdict

Either we did something very wrong or something wrong happened at Amazon.com. We could not fit the cold/hot pack into the back of the bear. That’s kind of the whole pint of the bear –to be a cute and tough applicator for cold packs or heating pads. The cold/hot pack that was included actually exploded while we were trying to insert it into the bear’s back pouch.

The insides of the pack looked like little tiny round ice balls, but weren’t cold. Ome to think of it, it kind of looked like 3-D confetti. Although it was definately entertaining to do a gross necropsy on the cold/heat pack, it still didn’t do much for my Mom’s actual pain, which needed a cold pack quickly.

So, I found one of those little blue cold packs that you put in picninc baskets or lunch boxes to help make a temporary mini-refrigerator. That fit easily inside the back of the bear.

However, after five minutes, Mom said, “I can’t feel the cold at all. This bear must be too thick.”

No, Mom, I think I was the one that was too thick when I bought the darn thing.

At least Mom likes Teddy bears, anyway. This one looks a lot differnt from the other Teddies she has. It now sits with the prize teddy bear from Build-A-Bear in a teddy capacity rather than in the medicine cabinet. In other words — I managed to buy a nice Teddy bear for my Mom’s Teddy bear when I was suppossed to get her something to ease her aches and pains. It sits there and stares at me, both haunting and taunting me.

Verdict : PPHHHTTTT!!!!! (Both for my Christmas shopping abilities and the Gelly Belly Grizzly Bear).

Just when you thought you could escape news about global warming by coming to a blog on headaches — not a chance. Let’s face it — the planet is at it’s last gasps, but there are many things you can do to help prolong it’s life. One of these things is switching from a normal looking light bulb to those soft ice cream cone lookin’ compact flourescent bulbs.

But a report by the UK’s Daily Mail states that these grren light bulbs cause migraines.

Nothing’s ever easy, is it?

How Reliable Is Anything In The Daily Mail?

I lived in England for over five years. The Daily Mail is not known for its accuraccy of investigative journalism. It’s a cross between The New York Post and National Enquirer. They are of the “if it’s on telly AND it bleeds, it leads” school of psuedo-journalism. More reliable sources of news from the UK are BBC News, The Guardian and The Times.

Hey, BBC News Is Putting Up The Same Story

Slightly toned down, but yes, they are reporting mostly the same story. Normal light bulbs are expected to be banned in England come 2012, and there is a good reason why medical groups are aksing for the ban to be lifted or postponed.

Green light bulbs can cause migraines and eplieptic seizures when they start flickering. It is the flickering that seems to be of the most concern. The bulbs aren’t SUPPOSSED to flicker, but often they do. This can lead to a mild strobe effect, which can trigger migraines. This flickering effect is completely unnoticeable in those who aren’t prone to migraines or headaches.

Yes, green light bulbs cause migraines in certain conditions, but the answer is not to scrap green light bulbs and go back to traditional light bulbs.

There is also thought that some eyes have trouble adjusting to the lower levels of light the green light bulbs put out. If you’ve ever had to work in low light when you are used to bright light, that will give you a killer headache.

Say Hello To LED Lighting

Currently, LED lighting is the only lighting safe enough for eplieptics and apparantly those with migraines.

But what can you do in the meantime? Some tips:

• Talk to your doctor before taking any herbal supplements. I have found that bilberry capsules help the eyes in low-light conditions. Bilberry was given to English World War II bomber pilots when they had to do night flights.
• Make sure there isn’t any glare from any lighting or window on your television, computer screen or anything that you look at a lot (like a framed photo that causes a big bright spot you can’t avoid seeing.) This will give your eyes a break.
• The technology for green lighting is rapidly developing. If you are wary about green light bulbs causing migraines or seizures, you can probably wait to change the bulbs in the rooms you are most often in. The flickering might be taken care of by then. In the meantime, change the bulbs in places you spend less time in, like the back porch or a guest room. Every little helps!

A few months ago, I did a post on panic attacks that can happen during a migraine. Those are the kind I get, and foolish me was not aware that you can get migraines after a panic attack. Well, in doing research on panic attacks for another client, I discovered that getting migraines after panic attacks happens a lot more frequently than the other way around. (I guess I’m just special. Oh, whee.)

Why Is This?

Panic attacks spring upon you for many reasons — seemingly almost as many reasons as there are people who suffer from migraine attacks. If you get panic attacks, please see your doctor. They will not get better on their own. And be a patient patient. It might be a while of trial and error to determine the exact cause of your panic attacks and what medications are of best help for you.

After the stress of a panic attack, your body will usually feel as if it’s just run a marathon. As you recover and your body begins to relax, this is when the migraine hits. This is thought to be a kind of “letdown migraine“, or “Friday night migraine“, where your body has to hold it together for so long it can finally fall apart when it feels it is in a safe enough area to do so.

The bad news is that panic attacks are tricky to diagnose and treat, the migraines after panic attacks usually aren’t. Getting control of the panic attacks can help with the frequency and intensity of the migraines. Both migraines and panic attacks seem to occurr more often in women, according to this study which came out in 2003.

Write It Down

You know I keep telling you to keep a migraine journal with almost every post? It is also recommended to keep a panic attack journal. Of course, if you get migraines after panic attacks and already keep a headache journal, then you are already keeping a panic attack journal. However, life is rarely so simple. People who get headaches or migraines for one reason also tend to get them for other reasons. So, even if you suffer from panic attacks, not every head pain you get will be as a result of panic attacks. ( I know — I’m getting a headache just trying to follow this last paragraph, too.)

One of the benefits of writing during a panic attack is that it tends to distract you from the actual panic attack and helps you calm down. Some people with panic attacks help themselves with aromatherapy, meditation, and deep breathing excercises. I was taught to look at what is around me, smell what is around me, and ask “Is anything trying to hurt me NOW?”

Let me again repeat to go see a doctor if you get panic attacks — especially if this is your first panic attack. Sometimes panic attacks are signs of a different medical problem like thyroid problems or mitral valve prolapse (a frightening sounding but treatable heart condition which usually affects people with thyroid problems).

Hope this helps. And take a deep breath. There is hope.

I apologise right away for the title, but it was the best title I could think up, as I currently have a headache. It’s in my right eye (which is usually a sign that a migraine is coming to town) but it seems to be receeding on it’s own rather than getting worse. As you can probably guess from the title, this headache started when I was pooping. Which got me to thinking

Could I Die From A Headache After Pooping?

Oh, come on, I can’t be the only one who thinks that. Ever since Elvis passed away, the thought of spending your last moments of mortaility on the toilet dying from a headache after pooping has become yet another thing to fear.

There are times I think that that the headache I get after pooping isn’t just a headache. Could it be that a blood vessel has popped inside of my brain? Or perhaps my skull couldn’t take the pressure and shattered? Just from a poop? Could this happen?

Probably Not

You do build up a lot of pressure in your head by straining, which often includes gritting your teeth as you bear down. This all forces your blood pressure to go up, so you may feel as if you are about to have a stroke after a difficult poop. But the odds of you actually dying from a headache after pooping (especially if you are in general good health) is lower than being run over by an aardvark stampede.

(I wish I had some acutal clinical study numbers to prove that, but I don’t).

However…

If you have health like Elvis had, a headache after a poop could bring on an aneurysm. This is yet another reason to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet with plenty of fiber and water and get regular exercise. Water and fiber not only help keep you regular and help keep your blood pressure down, but give you a “full” feeling. Knowing what your blood pressure is can help you not die on the toilet.

And stay away from sideburns and rhinestones. I have this completely unproven theory that they can make your head explode if you are exposed to them too much.

The second most important things you can do to get treatment for migraines or headaches is to get properly diagnosed so you can get effective treatment. The first most important thing is to ask for help. Buut since headaches and migraines are often signs of so many conditions, it can be hard to narrow the diagnostis down. For one kind of migraine (a kind that apparantly doesn’t have it’s own name yet), the diagnostic process has just gotten easier.

In this kind of migraine, one side of the body becomes very weak. This obviously makes a person pretty helpless during attacks. Since this also happens to be a sign of epliepsy or stroke, most people with this severe kind of migraine are treated for epilepsy or a stroke instead of migraines.

Enter Genetic Test, Stage Right

Since both epliepsy and stroke are such severe conditions, a doctor will most likely go with the worst case scenario for a diagnosis with the patient’s life uppermost in the doctor’s mind. But at least a genetic test can now help the doctor get you the right treatment quicker.

The Lieden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands has discovered that this severe kind of migraine usually runs in families and therefore, all people in those families carry one of three specific genes. This test lets you know whether you have these genes or not.

The genes are (drumroll, please):

• CACNA1A
• ATPIA2
• SCN1A

More details than you ever wanted to know about the study and the findings are in the Dec 4 issue of Neurology.

Hope this helps. Now go look at some yummy Brad Pitt photos. Looking at Brad Pitt does help some people with migraines, although I have yet to find a clinical study on it. This needs looking into!

Abominal migraines are proof that the conventional medical profession really needs to start naming conditions more accurately. The word migraine implies head pain. This migraine is still in the head, not in the abdomen, but apparantly the pain is worse in the abdomen than in the head. These are really nasty experiences that you wouldwish on your worst enemies. Abdominal migraines are most common in children ages 5 - 9, but you never really outgrow them, do you, folks?

Where Is The Abdomen?

If you aren’t familiar with the word “abdomen”, don’t be embarrassed. Please never be afraid to ask any question of your health care professional or pharmacist. You need to understand what’s going on and where.

Anyway, the abdomen is a term meaning the entire belly area, pretty much from the bottom of your breasts to your pubic hair. This is a bit different from the abdomens in insects, but I do not know if insects can get abdominal migraines.

Symptoms

Your face turns a sickly pale (called “pallor”) often accompanied by dark shadows around the eyes. Some will not get pallor but will flush red, like when you have a fever. There’s not much pain in the head or eyes. The pain that’s taking up most of your attention is in your abdomen — your belly feels sore, you get very nauseated and usually vomit. Not suprisingly, you don’t have any appetite. This lasts from one hour to 72 hours.

Why Is This Linked With Migraines?

One of the reasons for the peculiar name is that is seems children with abdominal migraines grow up into adults with migraines (with or without auras). Treatments for migraine pain also seems to work on abdominal migraines, if the attacks are frequent.

There isn’t any one diagnostic test for abdominal migraine — your family medical history and other factors are taken into account. You might be tested for other consitions like irritable bowel syndrome, peptic ulcer, duodenal obstruction or Crohn’s Disease to rule them out, as the early signs for them feel much the same as abdominal migraines.

Although distressing, abdominal migraines usually aren’t dangerous. The sooner you can get a diagnosis, the sooner you can get treatment. Please don’t use this article in place of a doctor’s advice.

Hope this helps.

There’s positive things about headaches? Well, yes, in very few instances — and I don’t mean faking one to get out of a family reunion or other horrible event — a headache can be helpful. Since I am headache prone (I get both headaches and migraines — lucky me) I have learned to recognise what some of the pains mean.

I get a peculiar headache about 2pm if I forget to take my Prozac in the morning. Now, I need my Prozac, and the rest of Western civilization needs me to as well (just trust me on this one). Prozac helps me to eat regularly and sleep regularly, which has made a tremendous headway on my recurring endogenous depression (which used to be called clinical depression).

In other words, remembering to take my morning Prozac is pretty important. And yet, somehow, I manage to forget.

Headache To The Rescue!

I can’t be the only Prozac-taker who gets a mild pressure over my right eye as a reminder to take my Prozac. (”Yes, Rena, you ARE!”) Do you get any peculiar symptoms that means you forgot to take your vital medicine (or remind you to eat, which is a malady that befalls freelance writers and video game enthusiasts a lot)?

Getting a headache because you forgot to take your medicine is a form of rebound headache, whish means your body is going through a withdrawal symptom. Rebound headaches are very complex and will later get posts devoted just to them. but they are cureable.

And, in my case, occassionally helpful.

And…oh God…there’s that pressure over my right eye. I couldn’t have forgotten to take my pill AGAIN, could I?

I better go!