Category Archives: Headache Relief

Cluster Headache Treatments

Posted on September 6, 2011 by mavigupta| Leave a comment

This is the third post on a series about cluster headache.

Cluster headache treatments are similar to migraine treatment is that there are two parts: a preventive and an abortive. However, the rules for taking them are different than for those who have migraine.

Cluster headache preventives should be started as soon as a cycle starts. They don’t do much good taken when not in a cluster cycle and can do more harm than good. Like migraine, there are some herbal preventives as well as prescription preventives. There are people who need high doses and there are people who need a combination of medications to work.

An effective preventive will make the cluster headache sufferer no longer feel their headaches coming on. That doesn’t mean that the cycle is over. If you stop taking your preventives and the cycle isn’t over, you will feel the headaches again. This is a true “masking” of pain. What you have to do, is start tapering slowly after a month of being headache free – and please get your health care provider’s guidance on this! If the headache comes back, you are not out of cycle and should try again a few weeks later. If you don’t get a headache and you have discontinued the medication and do not have any headaches, then great! You are out of cycle. Note the medications and the dose that worked for you and have them ready for the next time that you are in cycle. Again, get your doctor’s help with this!

There is no way to make a cycle “go away”. You can mask it and that is almost like making it go away, but a real “go away” is not being on any medications and not feeling any pain. The cycle will last however long it lasts, typically a few weeks. Then, it will go away as mysteriously as it came. I know that is a bit confusing. What if you did not take a preventive? The cycle will still come and go as it may but you will experience the headaches. The preventives stop you from experiencing the headaches so that you aren’t in pain and you don’t have to treat them.

What are some preventives for cluster headache?
Melatonin
Kudzu (yes, the vine)

Verapamil
Lithium
Depakote
Topamax
Greater occipital nerve blocks with lidocaine/bupivicaine
Steroid tapers
Methylsergide

The other type of medication that is used for cluster headaches are the abortives. These are used when the headache is present to relieve the pain right then and there. If you get cluster headaches, you should talk to your doctor about getting both abortives and preventives. These are commonly:

Oxygen at 8L/min with a non-rebreather mask (you can get this for home use)
Imitrex
Zomig nasal spray
application of White Flower balm at the base of the nostrils

Opioids should be rarely used.

If you are going to see a new headache, TELL the receptionist when you book your appointment that you get cluster headaches. They often have special slots due to the intensity and shorter cycle of a cluster headache.

Posted in Abortives, Cluster Headache, Headache Relief, Preventives

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Cluster Headache Characteristics

Posted on August 30, 2011 by mavigupta |
The Clusterhead by JD Fletcher

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In the last post, I discussed what a cluster headache is. But there are some really weird things that scientists have discovered about cluster headaches. They are important, not only to help predict when they might occur, but also who … Read more »

Getting Started With Yoga

Posted on August 2, 2011 by mavigupta| 2 Comments

Yoga is a perfect way to stretch, strengthen bones, work out the kinks in your muscles, increase your flexibility, find inner peace and decrease your headaches.

However, not everyone has access to a studio or good teachers due to costs, schedules, childcare, time… and I am sure the list can go on. In my neighborhood, I have access to 4 yoga studios within walking distance but two of them are out of the question because they burn incense which is a powerful migraine trigger for me.

The other two studios are wonderful and do not burn incense. One of them started to but I nicely asked if they would not burn it due to it being a trigger for me and they stopped for good. Unfortunately, I don’t get to go as often as I would like due to my work schedule or my husband’s work schedule.

I have also bought some videos – however, I either did not like the teacher or the pace was not in rhythm with my body. Then I was stuck with them.

This is where an online yoga service is extremely helpful. You pay a monthly fee and for that price, you get access to many different yoga videos, different paces, different teachers, different music. You can find a favorite and watch it again and again or you can find others that you love. If you want to do yoga at 2 am, it is all available to you at that time. MyOnlineYoga costs less than $10 a month for unlimited access. That is less than the cost of one class at most studios! Click the link on my site to go there. They also have a getting started series for beginners.

I would also recommend getting a yoga mat. Without a mat, it is easy to slip and slide around. A mat stops this from happening and also defines your personal space. Yoga mats are inexpensive and can be purchased at many stores including Target or by a yoga mat on the web.

Posted in Headache Relief, Healing, Healthy Lives, Preventives

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Magnesium

Posted on July 26, 2011 by mavigupta| Leave a comment

There have been at least 8 studies involving migraineurs and Magnesium which show that people who get migraines have low brain magnesium. However, finding your brain magnesium level is impractical. It seems that the best results for magnesium are for perimenstrual migraine prevention and as an acute abortive for migraine with aura. When it is used as an acute abortive, it is used as an IV infusion.

One problem the studies found is that the oral formulations for magnesium differ in the different studies. In addition, those with low levels of magnesium seem to respond better overall as opposed to those with normal blood levels of magnesium but who may have low magnesium in their cells (which can’t be tested).

There are some doctors who recommend a high dose of magnesium such as 600mg a day to be of benefit. Dr. Mauskop of the NY Headache Center, one of these researchers, feels that a daily dose of a chelated or slow-release oral magnesium used for at least 4 months is helpful.

Some other physicians such as Dr. Stephen Silberstein on the Jefferson Headache Center feels that magnesium at doses of 600mg a day are most helpful for migraines in pregnant women and as an additional medication to other medications when given IV to get rid of a bad headache.

The main side effect is diarrhea and some stomach upset which is caused by poorly absorbed magnesium. There are some Magnesium formulations that do not cause diarrhea and also help with constipation and improved sleep.

Posted in Abortives, Headache Relief, Healthy Brains, Migraine, Natural, Preventives

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Yoga Poses for What Ails You

Posted on July 22, 2011 by mavigupta |
Dr. Fishburn helps a patient do the wheel pose.

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This lovely article is very timely and came through the CNN wire yesterday and the new spotlight turns towards migraines lately due to Rep Michele Bachmann’s announcement that she suffers from migraines. It is an opportunity to educate people about … Read more »

Headache Emergency Kit

Posted on July 12, 2011 by mavigupta |
via MigraineChickie

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Putting together a headache emergency kit is one of the best things that you can do to help yourself when that an awful headache attack occurs. Calling your doctor is an option but it can take awhile for your doctor … Read more »

Taking Your Abortives Early

Posted on July 5, 2011 by mavigupta| 2 Comments

Much has written about taking your abortives early as the earlier to take them, the better they work. There are some good reasons for this. If your headache isn’t so severe, the medication has a better chance of working. If your headache starts out severe, it stops the pain process of reaching the state of “allodynia”. Allodynia is the feeling of pain or discomfort from something that does not normally bother you. Some examples are avoiding brushing your hair when you have a headache because it bothers you or wearing necklaces drives you crazy. There are studies showing that once you get to the point that allodynia has developed, medications have a decreased chance of working.

Take your medications early when you don’t have a chance to use alterative methods such as meditation, guided imagery, hypnosis, biofeedback. However, here are some tips to help you keep them close.

1. Keep your medications, at least one abortive, in your purse or wallet. Keep two tablets at all times. Restock them.

2. Buy a small pouch that hangs from your keychain and keep your medications in those.

3. Do not keep your medications in the car. Cars get very hot and very cold. These temperature extremes are not good for the stability of the medications.

4. If you keep injections with you, make sure you keep other needed supplies, such as alcohol pads with them. Also, know in advance where you can go to give yourself an injection or who could administer it to you in the event that you can’t.

5. Have a small kit at home where your medications are kept. Make sure that someone else other than you knows what it looks like and where it is kept. If your headache is really bad, you aren’t going to be able to think or speak clearly. Trying to explain to someone what your kit looks like and where it is kept requires too much effort at this time of pain! Saying something like “headache kit” versus “Please go to the bathroom and get the red bag underneath the counter and bring it back to me” is probably more than you can muster.

6. Make sure your headache kit is stocked. Opening that bag when you have a severe headache is not the time to find out you are out of medication. Believe me, I have gotten many calls in the middle of the night to refill medication. It can be avoided.

What helps you? Please share any tips that you have to make another migraineur’s day go smoother.

Posted in Abortives, Headache Relief, Healthy Brains, Migraine

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How to Drink More Water

Posted on June 28, 2011 by mavigupta |
water

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Drinking enough water can get pushed to the side lines if you aren’t conscious of it. We all get so busy and are often moving about, so it is easy to forget. There are a lot of people, and you … Read more »

Coenzyme Q10

Posted on June 14, 2011 by mavigupta| 2 Comments

Coenzyme Q10is used  as a natural headache preventive. For migraine prevention, the recommended amount is 300mg a day, ideally as 150mg twice a day or 100mg three times a day. It takes about 3 months to work. There aren’t a lot of studies because doing a study can be costly and pharmaceutical companies, which fund a lot of studies, are not interested in funding studies for natural substances. For this reason also, the number of subjects in the study are small too.

A coenzyme is a a substance that helps the enzyme do its job better and faster. You need plenty of coenzymes in order to have all the helpers that the enzyme needs to do its job well. I included an article by Dr. Al Sears who explains this in more detail. Coenzyme Q10 is used for other health reasons too.

There are no recorded side-effects of coenzyme Q10. But, I did have one patient who had some skin sensitivity to it.

In one study, 42 patients were given a liquid formulation of coenzyme Q10 or a placebo. The dose given was 300mg/day divided as 100mg/d three times a day.

By month four, almost 50% of the patients taking coenzyme Q10 had their headache frequency cut in half.

Posted in Headache Relief, Healthy Brains, Migraine, Preventives

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Acetaminophen Linked to Lymphoma

Posted on June 5, 2011 by mavigupta |

by William Campbell Douglass II, M.D. Acetaminophen is such a common household med that most people think it’s perfectly safe. Hopefully you’re not one of them. But if you are, you can’t afford to miss this — because the news … Read more »