Does TMJ cause migrane headaches? - TMJ Disorder -TemporoMandibular Joint Message Board

neveragain444 · 05-31-2009, 04:44 AM

I had a really bad day yesterday, pain in my cheeks/neck, headache all day. Then it got worse so I took 15mg ambien and went to bed, layed down & it got even worse, so I took another 15mg of ambien. I'm only supposed to take 10mg. Well then I get to the point that I am screeming bloody murder (in pain), I rub on the temples on my forehead and start gagging. Immediately take another 20mg of ambien and then started vomitting something terribly. And about 15 min later, am finally able to doze off. Still having all that pain this morning + some jaw pain.

I can't figure out if I puked because of a migrane or because of the pills. It isn't the first time though, I used too many sleeping pills for pain relief and it never made me sick like that. But I have had migranes before that made me vomit.

Could this be two separate problems that happen to be occuring at the same time or will TMJ cause migranes? Or will migranes cause facial pain similar to TMJ?

This has me a little confused with what medications I should ask for tomorrow when I go to my doctor. It's the headaches of the pain I can't handle and end up doing something stupid like last night. When it hits severe mode, it always comes with a severe headache & occurs 3-5 times a month. It's not every day I suffer that bad, though the pain is pretty much there all the time.

Thelma-Louise · 05-31-2009, 07:53 AM

Migraines are a very common symptom of tmj, a changing or shifting bite or mispositioned jaw but can also be due to other causes such as hormonal imbalances or fluctuations, dietary issues, stress, etc which result in vascular constriction of blood flow. It may not be an easy task to determine what is triggering your migraine so you may have to take a scienctific approach to figuring out what is causing yours by trying diff things and seeing what helps and what does not.

I had migraines for 3-5 years after my braces were removed - nothing would help except taking 6 Anacin (it contains caffiene) and sleeping under covers for 10 hrs - I think inhaling my own carbon helped for some reason - like when they tell you to inhale and exhale in a paper bag to help with fainting and adrenaline rushes - the carbon that builds up in the paper bag and is inhaled and exhaled over and over heps opens the "blood" and changes your oxgen level. I would vomit with pain too but usually only if the Anacin didn't have an affect within a couple hours. When my tmj started (20 yrs after the braces) the pain was just as intense and the vomitting returned but now this pain was 24/7 so I basically was vomitting every other day or so and ended up losing a lot of weight. I don't recall my migraines causing or starting with facial pain - they would start at the base of my head or neck and then expand around my forehead and feel like someone beating me with a sledge hammer - but at full throttle my whole head, face, eyes, ears and under my chin would hurt, I couldn't open my eyes and all noise sounded like it was amplified 10 fold.

Taking something to sleep is really not the answer unless you feel you need to sleep to help the migraines ease up. They do have meds that supposedly help with migraines (ususally low dose heart meds) that help keep the blood pumping at a normal rate by opening up the vascular pathways - and newer drugs have come out that address the issue differently.

I'm sorry I can not recall your previous posts at this moment but are you getting other tmj symptoms even when the migraines are not present? Are you going to your medical dr or dentist for the meds?

rondapearl · 05-31-2009, 08:17 AM

Have you ever had an MRI? I had "migranes" + jaw and ear problems and I had an MRI for facial numbness when I would wake up in the morning. The MRI showed that I have Arnold Chiari Malformation so I had suboccipital decompression surgery at University of Michigan Hospital and the headaches are now gone, but I still have jaw and ear problems.

neveragain444 · 05-31-2009, 08:52 AM

I am sensitive to light now and definetly noise when my head hurts. It hurts in my temples and across my forehead and down into my eyes, even my nasal bone starts hurting.

My dentist told me if I needed a muscle relaxant anymore, to go to my PCP. Well he's had me on Darvocet & Ibuprofen the past 3 months and it hasn't helped. I also have bruxism and in no doubt have the mouth problems. I don't think the headaches could be the cause of my facial pain, really. It's starts as facial pain before the headaches occur. I sometimes can't open my mouth without extreme pain, my teeth hurt when I chew on food. My jaws click. But I had no idea TMJ could cause migrane headaches. So, at least I know why they are occuring.

I don't know what's setting off the TMJ, except one of my dentists pulled out about all of my teeth on the left side of my mouth and I only have one side I can chew on. Plus I have PDL enlargements on the side I chew on now. Too much pressure, maybe? My teeth were recently grinded down to improve my bite & I'm getting partials to make up for the lost teeth. This dentist recommended another splint but I don't have the $$ right now. I have knocked my chin really hard with something before and it seems a little off center when I smile, I don't know if that caused a problem. For some reason, it feels like the muscles where the dentist poked me with needles flare in sharp shooting pain. I don't know if that procedure can be hurtful, cause a problem, or not? Of course, my jaws hurt but when the pain is extreme, it's in my muscles.

I am going to the doctor tomorrow. Maybe I will ask for TMJ meds & migrane medications both. I need the migrane medication the most, but if you don't treat the cause, it'll just keep recurring, right?

No I don't take the sleeping pills for pain relief, except in the fact that I know they will make me pass out and go to sleep because I cannot take the pain. Bad way of dealing with it, I know. It was either/or go to the ER and I was too sick to get cleaned up.

neveragain444 · 05-31-2009, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rondapearl

Have you ever had an MRI? I had "migranes" + jaw and ear problems and I had an MRI for facial numbness when I would wake up in the morning. The MRI showed that I have Arnold Chiari Malformation so I had suboccipital decompression surgery at University of Michigan Hospital and the headaches are now gone, but I still have jaw and ear problems.

I've had an MRI on my brain before (normal, believe it or not),

would it be helpful to have one on my jaw muscles?