Headaches Continuing!
Posted , 8 users are following.
Awhile ago I posted something about having so many headaches. Now, to be clear, I've been plagued by headaches off and on since I was 17. But holy-moly, every, single, solitary am, I'm waking up with horrible (I think tension?) headaches! They also tend to make me nauseous. I'm downing Excedrin, and using ice packs on my forehead and the back of my neck, but nothing seems to help. I've really only been experiencing this level of am headaches since starting prednisone. Has anyone else experienced this, and if so, what the hec have you (if anything) found that helps? ....desperate in San Jose, Ca.😕
0 likes, 15 replies
margaret53690 lynda62707
Posted
Are you taking straight prednisone or methyl? Methy gave me bad headaches and blurry vision
lynda62707 margaret53690
Posted
Hi Margaret, thx 4 getting back 2 me so quickly! I'm only on prednisone. And I've talked w/my doc (probably not as extensively as I should should), and not gotten much feedback from her. She's on vacation now till end of September. I just recently had my eyes checked, ( you may have read about all my woes with that appt! ie, need surgery, can't afford it, yada, yada, yada!! Anyway, as I said before, I was wondering if this could be YET another crummy side effect of prednisone? Any input is greatly appreciated!
EileenH lynda62707
Posted
Headaches can be an adverse effect of pred but i have never heard of anyone complaining they were that bad.
But are you sure they aren't GCA poking its head over the parapet? Do they fade after taking your pred?
lynda62707 EileenH
Posted
Hmmm, good question! I hadn't really thought of that, but yeah, they DO! But then they return late in the afternoon/early evening. So, what do.you make of that?
margaret53690 lynda62707
Posted
Does your eye doctor know that you have PMR? There are specific things he can look at if he knows to determine any indication of GCA Keep in touch with your doctor! A rheumatologist I presume...you didn't answer my question on that. GP's don't know much about PMR It took me 8 months to find that out!
EileenH lynda62707
Posted
The antiinflammatory effect of pred lasts between 12 and 36 hours depending on the person. If you aren't on enough pred anyway there will be some inflammation left over and so it will reappear at some point as the inflammatory effect wears off.
lynda62707 margaret53690
Posted
Yes, my opthamologist does know of the pmr. That's one reason she was both understanding but concerned about me being on prednisone. She said while prednisone is "a miracle" drug, it also has (as we all know), some nasty side effects, one of them being the exacerbation of BAD cataracts, which I have and was told if I didn't have surgery soon, I was in jeopardy of losing my site in one eye!! Ughhh....and yes, I do have a Reuhmatologist. My primary said he didn't even want 2 begin and deal w/it! Good bedside manner!😲
judith90525 lynda62707
Posted
I do wake with a mild headache most mornings.
I am wondering ,if you split your pred dose ,whether that would help? I take 5 mg on waking and 4 mg after lunch.
Just a thought....
lynda62707 judith90525
Posted
Thx for the thought judith! I'm always so happy when someone actually responds to me directly, ( a little like getting mail, lol!). Anyway, yes, I did try splitting my original dosage of 15mg throughout the day. I found that if I took the last amount too late in the day, I had trouble with sleeping (which I've already got problems with anyway), and when I took it earlier in the day, I had a difficult time making it through 2 my next dosage the following day😱! I KNOW!! Anyway, along with my own desire to get off prednisone ASAP, and some bad advice from my doc, (I now have a new Reuhmatologist), I kinda messed up my body and am now back 2 square 1, only NOW I'm on 16.5 till the end of September when I'll be starting a Slow taper! Ahhhh....Good Times!
judith90525 lynda62707
Posted
Yes I know what you mean about getting replies - feeling the luv!!
Have you got a copy of Kate Gilberts book PMR and GCA : A Survival Guide? I recommend. ...available on Amazon or Book Depository.
If you read this forum you will find the advice is to not be impatient re getting off pred. It's a potent drug but the best one for us with PMR. Anyway it's all in the book..
I find that with this forum plus a good GP I am better off without a specialist. IF you are lucky you may get a good one. My doctor respects my intelligence and ability to read and gather info . She knows I lead a REALLY healthy lifestyle and that I am self aware. She lets me manage my own taper but she's there for me if I need her. She also has had a friend with PMR which has given her a personal interest.
Good luck. Be patient! !
Anhaga lynda62707
Posted
My morning headaches were not, apparently, nearly as debilitating as yours. But... if GCA is ruled out... are you on a low sodium diet? My morning headaches which did get quite bad, persistent, and frequent this spring, went away when I started to consume more salt. It seemed almost too easy. I've hardly had any headaches since this change in my diet, and all have been related to weather changes. No morning headaches since mid May. At first I still expected to wake up with head pain and would be surprised when it wasn't there.
Not saying yours have the same cause, but if they do the solution is really simple. I did find the headaches would often, not always, go away when I ate my breakfast, too quickly for it to have been the pred dose which helped. Painkillers tended to be ineffective.
The person who put me onto this headache cause possibility told me to take a little salt on my fingertip and taste it. If it tasted good to me, then it meant I needed more. It did taste good that first time so she told me to keep on taking more, just a few grains at a time. I did this for a while during that dinner. The next morning was the first time in ages I awoke with no headache. A couple of days later I thought I should take a little more salt, and it still tasted nice. Then, quite suddenly, it tasted horrid and I didn't want any more, so I knew I'd finally had enough. It's not like sugar, with salt the body knows exactly how much salt it needs - of course this only works with pure salt, not with tasty salty foods, or foods with hidden salt.
lynda62707 Anhaga
Posted
Hi Anhaga....hmmm, the salt thing almost sounds kinda counterintuitive to me. At least in my case it does. No, I'm not on low sodium, but I DO retain water like crazy! Am on a diuretic as needed. It seems I've needed much more often since prednisone! (I've needed lots more things since prednisone lol lol). However, it Does definitely help w/joint and muscle pain! So whatcha gonna do?? On a whole different note...I've gained 13lbs in 2 weeks, (I KNOW!) But the Strange thing is, my clothes are all getting Loose on me😱! It's SO weird. Anyone else experienced this??
Anhaga lynda62707
Posted
Diuretics are generally safe, but they do have some side effects, such as increased urination and mineral loss.
Diuretics can also affect blood potassium levels. You can develop too much potassium (hyperkalemia) if you take a potassium-sparing diuretic or too little potassium (hypokalemia) if you take a thiazide diuretic.
Other possible side effects of diuretics include:
Low sodium in your blood (hyponatremia)
Dizziness
Headaches
Dehydration
Muscle cramps
Joint disorders (gout)
Impotence
karenjaninaz lynda62707
Posted
lynda62707 karenjaninaz
Posted