5 ms·

I've suffered from semi-regular headaches -- sometimes every week, currently about once a month. I don't know what's causing them; the neurologist said it's mig

I've suffered from semi-regular headaches -- sometimes every week, currently about once a month. I don't know what's causing them; the neurologist said it's migraine, another doctor said it might be allergies, other people told me that they are probably related to tension in my spine and another well-meaning friend told me I should just drink more water. Ibuprofen lets me get rid of my headache 90% of the time. Sure, frequent painkiller use has side effects (stomach troubles for me), but the alternative is spending two days in pain unable to concentrate. I know a few people who have been suffering from headaches all their life, and there just isn't a simple lifestyle change that will get rid of it.

Flow 11y ago
I have a very similar story. Have you tried any medicines against anxiety? It could be something as simple as magnesium and water. Or Atarax or Buspirone. I've discovered these reduce the chance of a headache breaking out by quite a bit. But if there's a real tension/migraine headache, ibuprofen is the only medicine that I've tried that helps. But these days I'm very careful about taking ibuprofen, it hurts my stomach and I've already suffered vitamin B9/12 deficiency once. Not fun at all.
- beefield 11y ago
  Have you tried something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omeprazole https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omeprazole when eating ibuprofen? I am not a doctor, but I have understood that it is recommended if you have issues with ibuprofen and stomach.
  - Flow 11y ago
    Yes I have. It works ok most of the time.
- nibs 11y ago
  FYI you may want to take a genetic test. I found that my migranes came from HLA-DQ2.5 gene (Celiac) and that my stomach pain from Ibuprofin came from a gene that I have that causes inflammation when taking ibuprofin. And both gave me B12 deficiency (among other things) before I stopped eating wheat and taking Advil to cure the problems it created. Lots of this stuff is driven by genetics most people are not (but could be) aware of.
- jakobegger 11y ago
  I've tried magnesium and water, but that just gave me diarrhea (which is a result of too much magnesium, I think). Haven't tried any of the others. I also had stomach troubles from ibuprofen, so I try to vary painkillers (Paracetamol, Parkemed also seem to work), but fortunately I have less headaches now...
Casseres 11y ago
Being dehydrated makes people more susceptible to headaches, and many people don't even realize they're dehydrated or think dehydration just means "dying of thirst". How often do you drink water? Try having a water bottle with you so it's easier to hydrate rather having to get up and go to a water fountain a lot.
cpncrunch 11y ago
For a lot of people (not saying this is the case for you), headaches are caused by stress, and fixing the problem (e.g. quitting their job) does completely resolve the headaches/migraines. Looking at your bio, it looks like you're in a pretty sweet work situation right now, running your own business, so I would imagine that workplace stress isn't a major factor for you right now. Have you noticed your headaches decrease recently? Do you take sufficient breaks from your work, get exercise, etc? Also, caffeine withdrawal will guarantee that you have a splitting headache for about 24 hours. If you do consume anything with caffeine, make sure you consume it every day. (IMO caffeine is best avoided, as it doesn't have any positive effects when taken long-term).
- galdosdi 11y ago
  (Tangentially, my instinct would _not_ be to associate "running your own business" with "stress isn't a major factor" -- totally depends on how the business is going and how it's structured, but given no other information I'd assume just the opposite by default.)
  - cpncrunch 11y ago
    Yes, of course. However the OP's business seemed to be similar to mine (earning reasonably good money from a product that is already developed and requires minimal support), which is unlikely to be a significant source of stress. At least, that's what I infer from reading his bio.
- jakobegger 11y ago
  I do have fewer headaches now (once a month is absolutely tolerable in my opinion), and it might be due to less stress. I've also been trying to improve my lifestyle (excercising regularly, standing desk, cycling to work, eating healthy), so that might also be a factor. I've also discovered some things that seem to trigger headaches (drinking beer, not drinking coffee), and avoid them. I can't avoid some triggers like sudden weather changes, though. But mostly, I just don't know what triggered it. Anyway, I appreciate your suggestions.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

Flow 11y ago

I have a very similar story. Have you tried any medicines against anxiety? It could be something as simple as magnesium and water. Or Atarax or Buspirone. I've discovered these reduce the chance of a headache breaking out by quite a bit. But if there's a real tension/migraine headache, ibuprofen is the only medicine that I've tried that helps. But these days I'm very careful about taking ibuprofen, it hurts my stomach and I've already suffered vitamin B9/12 deficiency once. Not fun at all.

beefield 11y ago
Have you tried something like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omeprazole https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omeprazole when eating ibuprofen? I am not a doctor, but I have understood that it is recommended if you have issues with ibuprofen and stomach.
- Flow 11y ago
  Yes I have. It works ok most of the time.
nibs 11y ago
FYI you may want to take a genetic test. I found that my migranes came from HLA-DQ2.5 gene (Celiac) and that my stomach pain from Ibuprofin came from a gene that I have that causes inflammation when taking ibuprofin. And both gave me B12 deficiency (among other things) before I stopped eating wheat and taking Advil to cure the problems it created. Lots of this stuff is driven by genetics most people are not (but could be) aware of.
jakobegger 11y ago
I've tried magnesium and water, but that just gave me diarrhea (which is a result of too much magnesium, I think). Haven't tried any of the others. I also had stomach troubles from ibuprofen, so I try to vary painkillers (Paracetamol, Parkemed also seem to work), but fortunately I have less headaches now...

Casseres 11y ago

Being dehydrated makes people more susceptible to headaches, and many people don't even realize they're dehydrated or think dehydration just means "dying of thirst". How often do you drink water? Try having a water bottle with you so it's easier to hydrate rather having to get up and go to a water fountain a lot.

cpncrunch 11y ago

For a lot of people (not saying this is the case for you), headaches are caused by stress, and fixing the problem (e.g. quitting their job) does completely resolve the headaches/migraines. Looking at your bio, it looks like you're in a pretty sweet work situation right now, running your own business, so I would imagine that workplace stress isn't a major factor for you right now. Have you noticed your headaches decrease recently? Do you take sufficient breaks from your work, get exercise, etc? Also, caffeine withdrawal will guarantee that you have a splitting headache for about 24 hours. If you do consume anything with caffeine, make sure you consume it every day. (IMO caffeine is best avoided, as it doesn't have any positive effects when taken long-term).

galdosdi 11y ago
(Tangentially, my instinct would _not_ be to associate "running your own business" with "stress isn't a major factor" -- totally depends on how the business is going and how it's structured, but given no other information I'd assume just the opposite by default.)
- cpncrunch 11y ago
  Yes, of course. However the OP's business seemed to be similar to mine (earning reasonably good money from a product that is already developed and requires minimal support), which is unlikely to be a significant source of stress. At least, that's what I infer from reading his bio.
jakobegger 11y ago
I do have fewer headaches now (once a month is absolutely tolerable in my opinion), and it might be due to less stress. I've also been trying to improve my lifestyle (excercising regularly, standing desk, cycling to work, eating healthy), so that might also be a factor. I've also discovered some things that seem to trigger headaches (drinking beer, not drinking coffee), and avoid them. I can't avoid some triggers like sudden weather changes, though. But mostly, I just don't know what triggered it. Anyway, I appreciate your suggestions.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]