Headache and Migraine Group: Let’s connect

@258068802 Hi, I’ve suffered from debilitating migraines for most of my life. It seems that if the migraines start every evening, that it may be caused by muscle fatigue in his neck. I have cervical dystonia - which causes muscle contraction and spasms in the upper back and neck regions. The muscle spasms cause a clampdown on the bundle of nerves that go from the spine, up through a notch in the skull - called the occipital outlet - to the brain. Contraction of those muscles around that bundle of nerves causes severe headaches. When he lays down at night the muscles no longer need to support the weight of his head, and begin to relax - causing the headache to go away. I see a neurologist and get Botox every 3 months to control the muscles spasms, and thus the headaches. I would suggest that he sees a neurologist, if he hasn’t already, and talk to them about treatment with either a preventative medicine or Botox. I also use Aimovig injections once a month to extend the effectiveness of the Botox. There are many different treatments that could be tried to control his headaches, so he doesn’t have to continuing suffering like this. I hope this information helps you and your son.

@258068802 I don’t know what will help your son, but I can share that I take Propranolol 80 mg every morning and night. In addition, once a month, I pick up the auto-injector Emgality at the pharmacy and inject it into my thigh. It took my neurologist and me a long time to find what works for me, but now I am mostly migraine-free! I was suffering a lot before my current regimen. By the way, Emgality isn’t the only injection option; there are other monthly injectables like Aimovig on the market here in the United States. I really hope your son has access to a health professional who can prescribe what will help him the most.

@duchess926 I have had Botox 4 times & it does help I would say about 50 %> It didn't start helping until my 3 rd Botox. I would recommend trying it .

Botox and Qulipta daily help a lot. I had daily migraines before. Also cold plunge helps a ton. I do more of a cool plunge ~65-70 degrees.

@duvaldena brrr on cold plunge, I haven’t had chance to try this

@bernieboy I’m getting my second round next week, we’ll see

I live in Northern Calif. started having occpital Neuralgia twenty have yrs. ago. My m.d. didn't seem to underatnd
they usually started one side of my neck, sometimes pain going down my back. In resent years the pain has
increase traveling up the back of my head, behind my right eye. This past year the left side is behaving just like
the right side, pain is so servere Ice Pack is the only help. I have had ablasion, (no help) currently Nerve block
shots, every four months, massage, exercise. It is all temp. I use Pivotal Therapy pad that cradles my neck, hurts
but does help. Muscle relaxers are taken at bed time for so for no other relief. Thanks for all your comments
we have a bond.

@duvaldena the cool plunge has never been suggested to me. I’m assuming that you’re filling the bathtub with cool-cold water and soaking in it. How long do you stay in the water?
Are there any negative effects? 🤷‍♂️
Do you warm shower afterwards to bring body temperature back up?
Thanks for any help
Jody

@mojo244 I got an outdoor plunge from the pod company. I use ice packs to get it to the temp I want and sit in it for about 5 min. I like to light up my fire pit to warm up by after. I also have a large near infrared bulb that emits heat and will sit under that after to get the full therapeutic benefit. I do recommend doing it in the evening since it lowers your immune system. Also I don’t think I would try to go less than 65 degrees. Some people do 40 but that would be too much of a shock for me.

It’s awesome. I don’t know why drs don’t recommend it. I have a friend with the same health stuff I have and she gets the same benefit.

Hope this helps!

@lisep It’s so worth 5 min of being cold 😁 I have fibro too and it calms my entire body instantly.