Dealing With Headaches

Yesterday, Mom and I went to one of my favorite museums in the world, the Brandywine River Museum at Chadds-Ford, on the Philadelphia Main Line. It’s the main museum of the Wyeth family (including Andrew and Jamie). Today, they had a special exhibition of work by English equine and canine artist Sir Alfred Munnings. Although I do not condone horse racing, I do still admire the horse racing and foxhunting paintings of Sir Alfred, which only make up a small part of his overall work.

But, as anyone prone to chronic headaches knows, museums can be a potential trigger for massive pain. You have to prepare in advance to thwart a headache to not end your day hunched in the road by the side of the car moaning in pain and nausea. I don’t know about you, but that always spoils my museum trips a bit.

Be Ruthless

My best advice to avoid headaches at museums is to not try to see everything in the museum. Don’t even try to scrutinize every single detail on one floor. This leads to severe eye-strain that can and usually does trigger severe headaches, if not a migraine. Plan in advance which exhibit or floor you want to concentrate on and then take all the time you want there. If you’re not sure which floor to concentrate on, just let your instinct take you to the floor.

One of the reasons the Brandywine River Museum is so close to my heart is that it is small enough not to trigger a migraine. The Philadelphia area is thick with museums, including the world famous Art Museum in center city (most famous for the steps Slyvester Stallone ran up in Rocky.) However, the Art Museum is a definate migraine or headache trigger just for the visual overload. Pick one type of art or a specific exhibit and leave the rest alone.

Eat Breakfast

Going to a museum is exciting and mind-expanding (or, at least, it is for me). You will use up a surprising amount of energy going through the museum, even though you are going at a snail’s pace. It could be the senosry overload that wears you out. You need to eat a good breakfast (or lunch, depending on the time you visit) in order for your body to have the calories to get you through.

Otherwise, you will get a bad headache from being so darn tired.

Pack Painkillers With You

Keep them in your pocket, your purse or wherever, but be sure to take them. I also take a dose right before I leave the house. I use an over the counter painkiller to take the worst of the pain off, but you might need to take a nasal spray or other kind of medication, depending on your headache history.

Get Somebody Else To Drive

You might not be able to avoid this one, but if you can, it takes so much stress off of you. You don’t have to tense up worrying if you have the strength to drive safely home — thus, triggering a headache. Take public transportation if you can and trains over buses, since trains tend to swifter and smoother.

If you have to drive yourself, then pack a light lunch in the car and leave it in a thermal lunch box in the car. That way you can relax and recharge in the car. A car is your own little territory, which is easier to realx in than a public space like a cafe. And take all the time you need driving home.

Hope this helps.

Since I keep banging on about how important it is to keep a headache journal, you might want a quick review of just what you’re supposed to write in the journal. This video is quite helpful. Keep in mind that it’s a guide and not Gospel. You don’t have to follow it’s suggestions exactly. For example, you can get a journal with lined paper rather than the blank paged version shown.

Also, I have no idea why it’s flanked by a bunch of sex-related videos. I see they are all put out by Illumistream (which sounds suspisciously close to Illuminati, doesn’t it?)

Then again, sex and headches just seem to go together, don’t they? Just thinking about sex can give many a headache. Any coincidence that this tip went onto YouTube of Valentine’s Day? Anyway, if you watch this on YouTube instead of here, try to ignore the thumbnail images of sexy couples groping and just concentrate on the Headache Journal video.

Since we don’t know what exactly causes migraines (despite what the doctor in the bright white coat says in the tape), we do know that if you are observant and keep a headche journal, you often can avoid some of the most common triggers unique to you. Hope this helps and have a pain free weekend.

There is a popular theory that one of the reasons we get migraine is due to a magnesium deficiency. There’s also some thought that the body also may be going through deficiencies in calicium and/or ribolfavin (one of the B vitamins). Apparently, most people don’t get the daily requirements of magnesium (let alone that of calicium or ribolflavin).

Part of this theory about migraines being due to magnesium deficiency is based on thinking that migraines are caused by constricting blood vessels. This theory is on the outs, being replaced by serotonin levels being the culprit. But the sad fact is that no one knows what is the actual physical action that produces migraine pain.

Any Proof?

Part of the basis for this lack of magnesium theory is that some migraineurs, given enough magnesium to choke a horse, would report that they got less migraines. There was a 1992 French study that showed some promise, but that was only on 55 controls and 79 miraineurs. Another 1996 study, this time from Germany, and the migraineurs were all women suffering from menstrual migraine (so at least you had a pretty good idea of when the migraines would hit). In 12 weeks, the migraine reduction was 41% for those recieving whopping amounts of magnesium.

What’s the Catch?

I haven’t found any long-term studies done about magnesuim therapy for migraines. I wonder if, a year or two later, those same women with menstrual migraines were getting their migraines with the sme intensity and frequency as before? Any kind of new therapy can trigger the placebo effect int he body. The placebo effect is an amazing thing — but the problem is that you have to keep switching your placebos once or twice a year.

Also, taking such large doses of magnesium can get you very sick, especially if you already have kidney troubles. You also will get diarrhea. You can usually get all of the magnesium you need just by certain foods you eat, such as bananas, whole grains, beans, soy products, seafood, dark leafy green vegetables and milk.

For Pete’s sake, don’t start experimenting with a bottle of magnesium tablets. Talk to your doctor first!

See what you can accomplish when you focus on a problem? This seems to be the result from an Italian study of office aches and pains — namely headaches, neck and shoulder pains. Results of this interesting study were published in this months’s issue of Cephlalagia. This was called an “employee initiative” program, but apparantly, none of the employees were given any incentive to participate, except for the slim chance that they wouldn’t have as much pain when at work.

That seemsed to be enough.

Roll Out The Numbers

In case you let your subscription to Cephalalgia lapse, here is a really quick round up of the main points:

• 384 office workers in Turin volunteered, with about half beign a control group. 80% were women. The average age of a volunteer was 46.
• The study lasted eight months
• The employees in the non-control group kept a daily headache journal and did relaxation exercises every two to three hours of their work day. They also had twice dailt 10-15 minutes rest breaks just “sitting in an armchair with warming pads placed on their cheeks and shoulders”.
• Incredible results: 51% reported that they took less painkillers at the end of the study than when they began
• Also, 41% less headaches at the end of the study than at the beginning

• “Our study clearly shows that workplace interventions can reduce headaches and neck and shoulder pain. The methods adopted were relatively simple and the positive response from the employees, including the low study drop-out rate, suggest that it would prove popular in other workplaces. We also believe that employers would support this low-cost initiative as it would improve productivity in the workplace.” — Professor Franco Mongini of the Headache and Facial Pain Unit at the University of Turin

The Practical Upshot

If you get headaches, neck aches and shoulder pains iat work, move to Italy.

No, seriously — this is a very promising study with results to make people’s lives just a wee bit less stressful. This study centered on office workers, but I imagine it could also be used for food service, retail and teaching jobs. It would take a big mind-shift in the attitudes of employers to let their employees get up and stretch — which looks like goofing off. But, quite frankly, the managers probably need to do the stretching exercises as much as much as their underlings.

Following the study’s journal, heating pad and stretching regimen would be much cheaper (and a lot more legal) than giving your employees meth, which is what some Asian employees reportedly do to get intense (but breif) workloads from their new employees (at least, that’s what National Geographic says).

Hope this helps.

This isn’t a reflection on the fine people at Prada — just a joke, folks (albeit a very small one).

But finding the right sunglasses is often no joke when you are migraine or headache prone. If you don’t have the right ones, then you will be more likely to trigger a migraine or headache than if you wore ones better suited for your eyes. Don’t just wear any old pair or sunglasses or any sunglasses that look cool. You need to be as selective about your sunglasses as you are about your shoes (if you care about your shoes fitting comfortably).

Who Turned Out The Lights?

Some sunglasses are just too dark for you to safely get around. This puts more strain on your eyes that is necessary. Squinting or trying to make out dim shapes can also make you tense for a long period of time, which leads to headaches.

However, really dark sunglasses are superb when you have a migraine and can lay down for a while. They should only be worn in those situations — not for driving, working, walking the dog or shopping for more sunglasses.

Distortion

All sunglasses or sport goggles are going to have some distortion in them. They make your eye focus differently than how they are used to focusing. This will give you a whopper of a headache. By trying several on, you can usually find a pair that makes your eyes focus more naturally. The sunglasses industry is aware of this problem and markets a lot of sunglasses now as “distortion-free”. You usually have to try them to see if they live up to their claims.

Glare

Since I wear glasses, I have to have large wrap-around sunglasses that fits over my regular eyeglasses completely. I suppose I could get prescription sunglasses, but I don’t make enough money for that. Also, they probably would not help me.

I have tried those clip-on things that hook over your regular glasses. My Dad loves them. But, for me, they’re crap. The reason is that sun glare pokes through the top of the sunglasses. This is enough to cause me a migraine.

Put your current sunglasses on and see if any light peeks over the top or around the sides. This can potentially trigger migraines or headaches. You either need to always wear a wide-brimmed hat with these sunglasses — or get a new pair.

Those prone to headaches or migraines need to get polarized sunglasses to cut down on glare.

You should also get sunglasses that are coated to block out the sun’s UVA and/or UVB rays. Normal dark sunglasses let these rays in, which means your pupils will eventually dilate as if they were under bright light and the pain will soon set in.

Although it’s great to get sunglasses as gifts, the odds are that you’ll have to wind up regifting them as they won’t be right for your eyes. It’s better to risk insulting the gift-giver rather than be stuck with a fashion accessory that can trigger migraines or severe headaches.

Hope this helps.

A little while back, I wrote about what I called computer headaches – headaches you get when working on the computer for hours at a time. I just made the name up — seemed a logical name to me. Apparently not.

It’s now officially called Computer Vision Syndrome (or CVS — I bet one American drugstore chain is smiling at the free promotion there). Doctors (ususally eye doctors or opthamologists) are saying they hear more and more of their patients complaining about CVS — the syndrome, not the drugstore chain.

Whee

Although just naming a particular physical complaint may not sound like much, in some ways it actually is a big deal. Getting an official medical name means:

• You are not the only person in the world that has it
• Your doctor will be more inclined to believe you
• Drug companies take notice and start to research expensive drugs for this particular complaint

And bloggers get yet another topic to write about.

Symptoms

Pain usually starts in the eyes, but not always. If you feel a headache coming on (pressure all over the top of your head, for instance), then take a painkiller as soon as you can. Also, look away from the computer screeen for a few minutes. This might help to abort a really painful bout of CVS.

But usually, pain starts in the eye or eyes. For me, pain tends to be in my right eye, but that may be because I’m prone to migraines. For those not prone to migraines or chronic headaches, your eyes will begin to feel like this:

• Hot to burning
• Gritty, as if something is in it all of the time
• Very dry, making even blinking uncomfortable
• Extrememly sore
• Blurred vision
• Double vision

Longterm Treatment

People with dry eyes (for whatever reason) are going to be more prone to CVS. You need to work on that problem as well as taking whatever painkiller that works best for your headaches. Ice packs also help relieve eye-centered pain, but you might not be able to use them at work. You need lubricating eye drops to help keep your eyes from burning. If you have allergy problems, you need to find out if your eyes are affected by allergies and get treatment for the allergies.

You also need to remember to look away from your computer screen every ten or fifteeen minutes just to give your eyes a break.

Are there any glare spots on your computer screen? They can certainly cause computer headache or CVS. You can tile your computer screen or try adjusting your light source to remove the glarte spots. In my home office, I’ve had no choice but to keep the window shades pulled and keep the overhead light on every single time I’m on the computer. It certainly made a diference in the time I could spend comfortably on the computer (although I don’t think Al Gore will be too happy with me.)

There are also color-tinted sunglasses available to help filter out any really glaring light and help make the word a little softer on the eyes. You need to be a patient patient, but computer headache or CVS is one of the more easily treatable headaches you can get.

Hope this helps.

A few months ago, after walking to the Rite Aid and back to pick up my Mom’s prescription, she screamed when she saw the bottle.

It wasn’t her perscription.

She called and Rite Aid promptly apologized and had someone drive the correct perscription over and pick up the mistaken one. Now, whenever Mom or I pick up a prescription, I take it out of the bag and read the label before we leave the store.

And we aren’t the only ones. As it should be.

The Average Pharmacist

Prescriptions are usually filled by assistant pharmacists — that means they are a cashier who has been allowed to handle legal drugs. The job of an assistant pharmacist is just as busy and stressful as the job of any retail worker — plus, they usually have to get a lot of flack about the cost of the things they sell. They are asked a lot of questions about tens of thousands of drugs that they just can’t keep up with. Their bosses will not pay them to get the proper training about the things they sell. They do a lot of high stress work which pays very little.

Mistakes are bound to happen under this system — and they do. Sometimes the consequences are merely annoying — as in Mom’s case — but they can also be deadly.

A USA Today story revelaed that there was an average of 3.7 million errors a year, based on studies done by Auburn Universtity. CNN reports that the number is most likely 30 million errors a year. I’m sorry I can’t get you an actual number, becuase none exists. Pharmacists are not required to record or document any errors they later discover that they made.

Protecting Yourself

When you get your prescription, don’t just go right home and start taking whatever is in the bottle. Take it out of the bag before you leave the store. Do the pills look familiar? Did you get the right amount? Are they for you? Just a quick check can save a lot of literal and metaphorical headaches.

Hope this helps. And, to relax, check out these pictures of Brad Pitt.

I’m not a big clothes person. When I was homeless, I did not care about what clothes I wore — as long as they were comfortable. I’m still like that. For many, the cost of clothes is the leading cause of pain. For others, any material made from fur or skins can cause a major anxiety attack. However, in Sweden, one daycare worker has discovered that certain patterns on clothing can trigger painful migraines.

Ban Horizontal Stripes!

Although I’d love to see a ban on horizontal stripes on clothing (and not becuase it triggers any migraines), sadly any kind of striped or polka dotted clothing was found to be the trigger to the Swedish daycare center worker, who has remained anonymous. The worker’s employer then banned kids or employees from the migriane causing clothing. If a kid showed up with the migraine trigger clothing anyway, they were given clean, solid-colored clothing to wear, instead.

Overreaction?

Some, such as the head of the Swedish Home and School Association, do think this is a bit of an overreaction. However, if it makes the worker able to perform a good job, isn’t it a small price to pay? And really, you’re doing your kids a big favor by making them wear clothes now that they won’t be embarrassed by decades later when family albums are cracked open at reunions and weddings.

But can clothing patterns trigger migraines? You betcha. Migraines still are a mostly misunderstood beast, so automatically ruling out visual patterns as triggers is not wise. Personally, I’ve discovered that those Magic Eye artworks where an image is hidden in a seemingly abstract poster a 100% trigger for migraines. Also, so do 3-D movies.

Dr Alex Shepherd of Birkbeck College in London states that, just as flickering lights can cause migraines, so can stripes in some migraineurs:

“Stripes, flickering lights, bright reflections — these are all the sorts of things that people report will set off their migraine. If you think for a moment about how many times you meet these things in your daily life, you get some idea of how precarious life can be for someone whose migraines can be triggered by visual patterns.”

So, if your co-worker with the loud clothing seems to be a walking migraine trigger for you, tactfully talk to your boss. If your workplace bans certain perfumes or colognes for causing headaches, then why not certain pattens? You better be sure you are a good worker so you are worth the fuss that your co-worker will kick up.

As always, keep a headache journal to help you determine what triggers your migraines and headaches so you can avoid them.

Computer headaches can happen to anyone who has to stare at some sort of print for at least eight hours a day. You can get computer headaches working as a cashier or a college student cramming for an exam. These kinds of headaches are usually triggered by a combination of tension and eyestrain. The bad news is that they hurt. The good news is that they can be prevented, or at least not hit your head so often. Here is a checklist you can do before your shift starts for reducing computer headaches.

Clean Your Glasses

When you wear glasses, you get so used to them that you don’t realise how dirty they can get. You can’t at first see a speck of dirt on your lens because it is so close to your eye that it becomes invisible. However, this speck can cause light glare on your tired eyes, which leads to eyestrain and computer headaches. Make a habit of cleaning your glasses before you get to work and this will help reduce your frequency of computer headaches.

Check For Glare Where You Stare

Ever watch television when the sun is setting, throwing a glaring patch of light that crawls across your screen? Perhaps you want to try and save money by keeping the window shades open instead of turning on a light, but be careful. That glare off of screens, books or terminals can trigger computer headaches. Notice where the light is coming from and see if you can adjust your computer screen or whatever to avoid the light spots.

Take A Deep Breath

Whenever you can, take a deep breath. When you get tense, your breathing tends to become shallow and your body hurts from lack of oxygen. You may also feel panicky or have trouble concentrating. Taking a deep breath not only helps get oxygen to your body, but helps to relax tense muscles. Relaxing tense muscles can lead to less of the tension that causes computer headaches.

Go When You Can

It’s not always possible to get to the bathroom once your shift starts. Make sure your bladder is empty before shift. This saves on stress that causes the tension that triggers computer headaches. If this means getting to work five minutes early, try and do so, if possible.

Carry Medicines With You

There are very discreet pillboxes which can esily slip into your purse or pocket. Put any kind of portable medicine — pill or alternative treatment — in there. Just touch the pill box before shift, even if you’ve forgotten to restock it. Over time, this becomes a reasurring feeling to the subconscious. And even if you have forgotten to bring your meds, the chanes are good that co-workers have remembered theirs. Some businesses keep bottles of over the counter painkillers with their first aid kits.

Rolling A Golf Ball In Your Hand

I’ve never personally tried this out, but many people have claimed this is a great way to ease computer headaches or tension headaches. The golf ball triggers accupressure points that help realx the muscles in your body. This is what you do:

*Get a golf ball
*Place on the palm of one hand (doesn’t matter which)
*Clasp both hands together, interlocking the fingers
*Move your hands so the golf ball massages your palms and below your thumbs

You don’t have to do this entire checklist before every shift (obviously, if you don’t wear glasses!) Do what you can and feel free to adjust thise sugestions to suit your unique working or studying enviornment. Hope this helps.

Although I try my darndest to get you the best and most pertinent information on headaches and migraines that I can, I can’t quite cover all of the bases. One of these is how to survive the December holiday season, whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Saturnalia, the Festival of Lights or another mid-winter celebration that I just can’t remember at the moment. Headaches and migraines spare no belief system.

In addition to a gift idea and dealing with Christmas Muzac headache, you will learn all you need to know about getting through the holidays if you are prone to migraines or headaches with Surviving the Holidays: Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival, put together and hosted by Somebody Heal Me!’s Diana Lee.

Here’s the official write up of the carnival from Diana:

The holiday season can be a fun time of year filled with special events, family and friends and lots of great food. But it is also a minefield for headache and migraine sufferers.

Am I In There?

Yes, one of mine on motion sickness is in there, but there is also quite alot about:

• clumsiness with migraines by Migraine Chick
• gifts for under $20 and tips on holiday survival from My Migraine Connection
• lowering your expectations can also lower your pain over the holidays, according to Headache & Migraine News Blog
• And Much More!

What Is A Blog Carnival?

To tell you the honest truth, I don’t exactly know what a blog carnival is, even though I have an article in there. It’s sort of like a e-zine devoted to one topic, but instead of being filled with poems, and letters from the editor, it’s made up of previously published blog posts. There are no rides, I’ve discovered, and no cotton candy. Oh, well. I suppose they’ll try and work on that for the realease of the next generation of blogging software.

But the biggest advantage of a blog carnival (or blog expo, whatever you want to call it, fair’s fair) is that you get to find links to other writers who write about whatever it is you care about. Personally, I was pleasantly suprised to find Migraine Chick’s blog and hope you will enjoy it as much as I am.

January Headache & Migraine Blog Carnival

Diane Lee is brave enough to host these carnivals once a month now, and soon there will be a call for submissions for January’s blog carnival, devoted to starting the year off right (or left?) You don’t get any money from submitting your blog posts, but you do get a lot of publicity, which can certainly ease the headache of the average freelance writer.

Hope this helps. See you tomorrow.

Right — why am I writing about instant oatmeal on a headache/migraine blog? Two reasons:

One: This Stuff Tastes Like A Migraine

Ever have those friends, co-workers and family members who just can’t comprehend what having a migraine is like. Give them this stuff to eat. It tastes like a migraine, NOT like banana bread. Prehaps you’ll get some sympathy this way.

Two: Can Be Eaten When You Are Getting A Migraine

I usually stay as far away from oatmeal (porridge) as I can possibly get, because I was raised with cats. (Or was I raised BY cats? Some days, it’s hard to remember.) In case you are still wondering what cats have to do with making someone avoid oatmeal, keep on wondering. You really don’t want to know. Remain blissful in your ignorance and continue eating your oatmeal (porridge).

However, today I felt the unmistakeable signs that a migraine was coming on. I had pressure and piercing pain in my right eye, sounds were getting incredibly loud and my stomach was suddenly upset. In order to take my Excedrin, I have to have something in my stomach, or else I’ll just toss up the Excedrin and spend the next 13 hours moaning in migraine pain.

So, I had to eat something. And I had to eat it before the migraine pain took hold. However, since sounds had greatly magnified, I had to eat something that did not require chewing. All we had that I could easily grab was this disgusting instant oatmeal.

It smells great, just like fresh baked banana bread. But the smell is a lie.

However, it can be eaten very easily and settled my stomach right down. I was able to take the Excedrin Migraine, lay down curled up next to my dog for an hour, and now I’m about 75% better and tapping away at the keyboard.

So, in the spirit of the holiday season, I thought I’d share. Hope this helps.

For what to eat when you have a migraine, click here.

Bon appetit!

Caffeine withdrawal is a major trigger for those of us with killer migraines. The best way to get rid of the frequency and intensity of these incapacitating migraines is to cut back on your caffeine consumption. This can be scary, because cutting back means you put yourself right in the line of fire for pain. However, this is a temporary pain and after a few days goes away. By gradually cutting down, you will go through a minimum of pain. This is the road to take for those of us who still want to drink tea (or whatever) and yet have a more healthy life in the long-term.

Problems With High Caffeine Consumption

One of the other reasons I discovered I had to cut back on my caffeine consumption was that other areas of my health was being greatly effected. Those main reasons were sleep problems and tummy troubles. Lack of sleep combined with an upset stomach makes your entire life miserable.

Other problems include an inability to concentrate, sudden and rather unpredictable bouts of irritablity (if you see people diving for cover when you enter a building, you know you have these swings or a scorpion riding on your unknowing head), high blood pressure, birth defects, heart problems (because of the high blood pressure), osteosprosis, dehydration (ironically enough) and miscarridges. There is some schools of thought that high caffeine consumption (over 500 mgs a day) will make you prone to some cancers and fibrocystic breast disease, but the jury is still out on that.

The Tips

Going cold turkey is incredibly painful and not recommended unless you have a serious health issue that any ammounts of caffeine can aggravate. The thing I did was to consciously cut down gradually AND keep at it (that’s the hard part).

• Are there kinds of caffeine that don’t aggravate your stomach so much? For example, I had to drop Coke and Pepsi, but stuck with tea.
• If your painkiller has caffeine, take only one pill instead of two — that might be all you need.
• Remember that decaffeinated coffee and decaf tea usually contain traces of caffeine (and in America, the decaf tea is VILE. If you are in England, you are in luck.
• No caffeine one hour before bed the first week. Two hours before bed the next week. Three hours the next and keep at that. Go to four if you can.
• Drink (or, with chocolate, eat) your caffeine mindfully. Don’t gulp! Savor it. Bring your full attention to every drop or morsel. It’s like a meditation, and tends to make your daily decreasing quota taste better.
• Drink a glass of water (at least 6 oz) between cups of caffeinated beverages.

Here’s some other advice from an herbal “coffee” company, so keep in mind they’ll try to sell you stuff. I have been able to substitute some herbal teas for my evening teas, but still need real black tea in the morning.

Hope this helps.

Caffeine withdrawal migraine is yet another item on the long list of proofs that life is not fair. Caffeine is found in deliscious beverages like tea, hot chocolate, fizzy soft drinks and that other popular drink coffee. Caffeine is also found in chocolate and in certain over the counter painkillers like Excedrin (America) and Panadol (England).

Caffeine is a natural substance tht occurs in some botanicals like Kola nuts, coffee beans and tea leaves. Even decaffinated coffee and black tea contains trace ammounts of caffeine. Some scientists think mankind began the love-hate relationship with caffeine during the Sone Age (or Stoned Age, whichever you prefer). Back then, our species needed any excuse to get out of a nice warm pile of leaves and face the rigourous tasks of survival. Not much has changed since then, has it?

Over The Counter Drugs With Caffeine

Monitoring your caffeine intake is very important to keep healthy — and to prevent caffeine withdrawal migraine. I nicked this list from this site.

OVER-THE-COUNTER PREPARATION CAFFEINE (mg) per tablet
Stimulants
NoDoz tablets 100
Vivarin tablets 200
Pain Relievers
Anacin 32
Excedrin 65
Excedrin P.M. 0
Midol 32
Vanquish 33
Cold Remedies
Coryban-D 30

This list is for American over the counter drugs — sadly, I could not find an equivelent for UK drugs. Basically, if it is listed as a painkiller, check the ingredients — odds are, there is some caffeine in it. It is usually mixed with paracetamol.

The Pain, Oh The Pain

Caffeine withdrawal migraines are right up there in the pain department with stomach flu. You shake, you’re dizzy, your eyes have the distinct sensation that they are leaking hot blood (even though they are not), you cannot tolerate light, you are incredibly nauseasted, vomiting, rib and abdomen pains, you can’t tolerate sounds, light or tastes — basically, you wish you were dead.

I get these is I do not have caffeine at least once every 21 hours. I used to be worse — I used to get them every 12 hours. Ironically, cutting down on caffeine gradually reduces the frequency of caffeine withdrawal migraines. I say ironically, because the fasted way to get is of a caffeine withdrawal migraine is — you guessed it — ingest some caffeine.

People have successfully gone off for three or four days incapacitated in bed until the symptoms ease off, as reported by best selling author, Dr. Andrew Weil, (who is from the Philadelphia area like myself). Afterwards, whenever a migraine seemed to come about, a quick cure was a cup of coffee.

Quite frankly, I’m too much of a wuss too purposefully face a few days in agony. So, I worked on cutting my caffeine consumption. Instead of taking two Excedrin pills, I take one. Instead of drinking the equivelent of three liters of Pepsi a day, I know only drink four or five cups of black tea.

Yes, this is very complicated issue!

Topamax (topiramate, for those who want to know the generic name), which was originally used for seizures but now is mostly used for migraine prevention, has been found to increase a person’s risk of getting kidney stones. You will are not 100% guarenteed to get kidney stones if you take Topamax, but your body leans a little more in the kidney stone direction.

Who Says So?

The UT Southwestern Medical Center, that’s who. They’ve finished conducting the largest study to date about the long-term affects of taking Topamax and are the ones waving the warning flag. They say that doctors have long been aware of this complication, but have not informed their patients of the risk well enough. (They don’t mention if the drug company knew about this complication or not. However, looking at the official Topamax website, kidney stones are listed as a potential not fun side effect.)

Before the findings of the UT Southwesten Medical Center study, it was thought that only 1.5% of Topamax takers would develop kidney stones. Now the heads of the study thinks the actual percentage may be a lot higher than that:

“There is a legitimate concern for the occurrence of kidney stones with long-term topiramate treatment,” said Dr. Sakhaee said. “Studies are needed to explore optimal measures to prevent kidney-stone formation with topiramate use.”

Now What?

Quite frankly, if you regularly experience migraine pain, then you can probably deal with kidney stone pain. Treatment for kidney stones is a lot better than just twenty years ago. You and your doctor must decide if this new risk outweighs any benefits that you receive from Topamax.

Some days, I think it’s just easier if I cut off my head…

From the “What’s Old is New Again” Department: More and more people are rediscovering the benefits of natural remedies. They are especially looking for remedies with few side effects. All medicinal herbs are medicines and need to be treated with the same ammount of respect you would any medicine. In fact, many modern medicines were derived from plant and herb remedies, including digitalis (from foxglove) and aspirin (from willow bark and spices like tumeric). For prevention of migraines with auras, patients and healers are looking at a modest little flower called feverfew.

There’s A Reason For The Name

Feverfew is the most common folk name for Tanecetum parthenium. It’s other folk names include bride’s button, featherfew, featherfoil, febrifuge, motherherb, wild quinine, nosebleed (!) and wild chamomile. It’s in the daisy family, so if you are allergic to ragweed (the black sheep of the daisy family), stay away from both feverfew and any kind of chamomile, wild or not-so-wild. Pregnant women should stay away from feverfew, too, as it has been known to stimulate the uterus.

From folk names, we can pretty much figure out what a plant was used for. Feverfew was used as a painkiller, a fever reducer, help for menstrual cramps and arthritis. Usually the flowers were used — fresh or dried. You can find feverfew in capsule form today.

In order to prevent migraines, you need to take a few capsules a day. It’s no good once a migraine or an aura starts. The ingredient thought to help prevent migraines is called “parthinolide”, thought to help regulate the blood vessels in the brain. Although causes of migraines is unknown, one of the theories is that dilation and constriction of the blood vessels may contribute to the pain. Another theory is that the brain’s serotonin levels is the main culprit. Yet another theory is that BOTH seronin and blood vessels in the head are responsible. It is thought 250 mg of parthinolide daily can help lessen the severity and frequency of migraines with auras.

Any Proof?

Two clinical trials were held in the UK in the 1980’s about feverfew (taken fresh or dried) one to six times a day as migraine prevention, where a large percentage of the volunteers reported significant relief from the frequency and severity of their migraines. Another two were done over the years, with similar results. An evaluation was made in 2003 that cited all of the clinical trials findings and recommended feverfew as one of many options in helping to prevent migraines. However, in all totlat, less than 400 people were tested, so the studies are not considered “scientific” enough to warrant be taken very seriously. You need to take feverfew for a month at least before you start getting any of the benefits.

In Canada, feverfew capsules are classified as drugs and not herbal supplements. You need to talk to your doctor before taking feverfew — or ANY herbal supplement in such large doses. If you start getting strange side effects like mouth sores, nausea or hives, call your doctor. These side effects are reversable.

It’s always good to know that there are options if conventional medicines don’t work for you. Hope this helps.