Hi,

I'd appreciate any help or suggestions anyone could give me. Im writing about my boyfriend who's had a constant severe tension headache for the past year. Most of the time he's in agony, although the pain can fluctuate but it doesn't really seem to get down to a bearable level.

He's a vegetarian and has cut out all the typical trigger food groups: dairy, citrus, yeast, chocolate, gluten.

He's also had an MRI scan which came back clear and has been on a large variety of painkiller and preventative drugs such as Amitriptyline, proprananol, Nefopam and
Mefenamic Acid, all which have had no effect at all. He's now stopped taking any medication as nothing has worked, and alot of the drugs have bad side effects.

He's also a healthy weight and doesn't suffer from stress, sometimes the headaches are so bad he has to stay in bed all day. He also has all his wisdom teeth fully in so its not due to an impacted tooth.

Please help, the headaches are destroying his life and he feels the doctor has just given up on him. :(

Has your boyfriend seen a Neurologist that specializes in headaches/migraines?

Hi,

Yes he has, he just sent him for a scan as he thought it was tension headaches, and the MRI came back clear.

Thanks for replying, :)

Sarah

Well, since he has stopped taking all of his medication, the only thing I can offer are a few home remedies that will make your boyfriend comfortable during his attacks.

Place an ice bag on the top of his head. The ice bag must be the old fashion kind which can be found at a pharmacy like CVS. You put ice cubes inside the bag. NOT crushed ice. It must be ICE CUBES.

400mgs of Vitimin B2 taken daily-the only side effect is that your boyfriend will have the yellowest urine in town. :D

Wear dark sunglasses on sunny & especially snowy days if it snows in your area.

My personal favorite - Breyers Vanilla Ice Cream - Eat the ice cream just when you feel the migraine knocking on the door.
MUST BE BREYERS. NO OTHER BRAND

----------------------
Prescription drugs
If your boyfriend has not already tried:

Zomig Nasal Spray - works 3-5minutes if you take it just as you feel the migraine knocking on the door.

Good Luck :angel:

Hi, thanks for the advice!

i'll let him know about the vitamin b12.

i dont know if we have tht ice cream here, im in the uk!!i'll certainly have a hunt though!

also, does the nasal spray work if he already has the headache, as it hasnt actually stop since it started in last january.

Thanks again,
Sarah :)

I also suffer from daily tension headaches. Sometimes medications can trigger headaches, called rebound headaches. Taking to much medication actually causes the heachache to come back. You are literally robbing Peter to pay Paul!

Try not to take medicine unless you cannot stand it. He needs to get the medication out of his system. If he is taking something for headache more than 3x weekly then he is likely suffering from rebound headaches.

Another suggestion: Does your boyfriend grind his teeth @ night? If so, have him see an orthodontist who can treat him for TMJ dysfunction and have him a splint made.

I have been seen @ St. Louis University Heachache clinic, by a neurologist and am now seeing a headache specialist @ St. John's Headache Center in St. Louis.

I hope some of this information is helpful.

mimikaye

Please read my post about the book that healed my headaches. There are so many foods that cause headaches that I could not begin to list them all here but there might be one he hasn't thought of. Does he eat nuts because they are a no no. Also bananas are bad. I wish I could remember the whole list but read the book. Heal Your Own Headaches. It really helped me. I suffered for four years and had no relief.

Please read my post about the book that healed my headaches. There are so many foods that cause headaches that I could not begin to list them all here but there might be one he hasn't thought of. Does he eat nuts because they are a no no. Also bananas are bad. I wish I could remember the whole list but read the book. Heal Your Own Headaches. It really helped me. I suffered for four years and had no relief.

Please read my post about the book that healed my headaches. There are so many foods that cause headaches that I could not begin to list them all here but there might be one he hasn't thought of. Does he eat nuts because they are a no no. Also bananas are bad. I wish I could remember the whole list but read the book. Heal Your Own Headaches. It really helped me. I suffered for four years and had no relief.

im in the uk!!
I was unaware of that. Thanks for the info. Your health system is a lot different than the ones in the USofA.
Breyers is an American ice cream manufacturer. If there is a store in your area that sells American products, you may be able to find it.
also, does the nasal spray work if he already has the headache,
Zomig Nasal Spray as with most *nasal spray* migraine medications work best when taken right before the migraine kicks in, 3 - 15 minutes.

If you take it when you already have the migraine, it will take a whole lot longer to for the migraine to "go away". May take up to 1 to 2 hours or more or you may need to use 2 sprays within 2 hours. Depending on the severity of the migraine. :mad:

Again, your health system is quite different than those of USA. The Zomig Nasal Spray dosage they usually start you off with is 5mg.

Good luck :angel: