Am I waiting too long? What do you all do?

You all know how skittish I am about medication, and I could be on something every day when I wake up.
Today the wake up pain was too bad to even bother with OTC so I hit, yet another Triptan.

Now the pain was not at the level I usually give in and take one, and I know all the advice of taking it right away.
But as I say, if I did that I could take one every day. And sometimes it does back off and I wouldn't have needed it.

How much pain is too much? Isn't that a hard one, because its all too much.
But given the amount of Triptans allowed and the concerns about too many tablets of any kind, its a concern I dont need.

This group seems to almost be falling into two groups when it comes to medication.
Those that, (often with drs blessing) just take whatever they need because pain is awful and life is too short).
Those like me who get anxious about it (and wish they didnt cos it doesnt help). And maybe suffer more because of it.

So should I have just hit the triptan at 8am? Given I have already had half of my allowance for this month.
And given that yesterday I didnt have one, and it backed off?
Yesterday, I left the house.....drum roll!!! :bounce
I drove the car.....all of 2 miles there and back to the grocery store.
I was out a whole hour.....and on no medication at all. But who can tell?

I wish I could have a gadget like the forehead thermometers that tell me how bad it is "now".
Because I try to gauge is it bad enough, is it as bad or better than yesterday?
I could stick that on my forehead when I wake up, and have it tell me what number my pain is and then decide.
Maybe take it sooner, and maybe it would work better. Or find its not so bad and wait a while. Or try the OTC.
Maybe Brent could make one, he is a clever chap.

So would that mean I took more or less?
What about the ones I take that I probably didnt need, but needed to do something so took it.
See I have two kinds of pain, but they feel the same.
The migraines, which are not going anywhere without a Triptan.
And the other pain which is mainly from my neck, well in it anyway, and can come and go at will.

The tablets are in a drawer in the kitchen. I stumble down to it and stand or try to, pulling out the OTC and the Triptans.
Sometimes I take them both to the sink, still unable to decide what to try.....I feel like I am crazy....

I think this is getting crazy, I will stop. Thanks for reading. :

So further to, and as no replies. I had some improvement from the Triptan, but the neck pain came back hard at 5pm. This is 6 hours after the Tritpan. So now I am wondering how much good it did, and what on earth I can do about this neck pain.

Sorry, Pen. Saw this earlier and didn't have a chance to respond and forgot about it.

Triptans do work better when you catch it early. However, it doesn't mean that they will kill them 100% of the time. And the longer you wait the less it's likely to work. The hard part with you, is that you have other issues. For me it's pretty straight forward...when I know a bad one is coming I take one. It either knocks it out or it doesn't and then I resort to rescue medication. Also if I've waited too long, better to resort to rescue than to try a triptan.

For me it is pretty much cause and effect. I don't have other issues that can creep up and leave me wondering if I knocked out the M or not. Sorry to not be of more help but I think those with other conditions are not always going to have straight-forward answers.

hi pen i dont really have any words of wisdom for you, just to say that i always keep meds in my bedside draw, and have snack (such as plain biscuit ) in a tupperwar, and glass of water by bed, otherwise i would not make it downstairs to take meds, i usually toss and turn in pain then drifting back off then coming to, and look at clock and realise its been 3 hours, since i first woke up in pain, hence i would of been too late for triptan, so for years now its all by my bedside, the other thing is that when my M have turned into daily events lasting for weeks i have always gone back to gp with renforcements, such as mum or hubby and wont budge until i have some sort of new treatment to take, i know you dont get on with alot of preventatives, but i wonder if daily triptans can be just as harsh, thats all i have really , thinking of you xx

Hi Theresa,

I actually do keep a ziploc with biscuits and a glass of water and medication by the bed.
Sometimes I forget to reload and that is what happened this morning.
Other times I need to get out of bed for a pee and so take them from downstairs.

I have BTW been to the GP with every member of my family and it makes no difference.
I have had pretty much al the preventatives and dont react well to them, so unless they come up with something new bit of a dead end there.

I dont take daily triptans, but what did you mean by them being just as harsh Theresa?
I dont get side effects like with preventatives, and the triptans do work, bit hit and miss but mostly good.
Its just the waiting. It sounds as if you dont wait then. But if you have a bad phase, say before you go back to the GP, do you deliberate more?

When I have a better phase, I dont give it much thought, but since May 17 it has been non stop and I am being much more circumspect. Do you find that?

Thanks Theresa

Here is what I wish....I wish that doctors would read these posts. Then they might get an idea of what people with migraine/pain/headaches go through. They never would believe it... walk a mile in our shoes...

Pen,

I have 2 of the problems you have: migraines and neck pain. And I can only speak for myself.

My migraines and neck pain are definitely related. I had a head and neck injury when I was 3 that was never treated. I'm fairly certain that's when my problem started.

I rarely get a migraine without neck pain. Sometimes it's hard to tell what started first.

I take a triptan at the first twinge of a migraine. I don't worry about it. Since I stopped doing "what if?" TO myself, I am less anxious and have fewer migraines.

The neck pain is related but separate. Sometimes the Maxalt takes away part of the neck pain with the migraine. Sometimes it doesn't.

I have rediscovered muscle relaxers. They greatly diminish the neck pain. I get so tight and tensed up when my neck hurts. Of course the tension just makes it hurt all the more. The muscle relaxers help release that tension and I have also discovered that they help me to sleep better.

I have also found that exercise helps. Again, I'm talking about me. I've found that strength training helps. The physically stronger I am overall, the less I hurt. I have a knee issue also. The more I consistently I exercise, the better my neck, shoulders, arms, and knee feels. I know weight lifting isn't for everyone, but it suits me and helps a lot.

I would like to learn yoga and add that to my program. I have strength but not the flexibility I think I should have.

Yes, sometime it hurts to exercise, but overall I receive a net gain.

I gather that exercise is a problem for you Pen. I certainly don't want to suggest something that is going to make you worse off. But I will say that it is common, and not just with migraineurs, to be quite sore for the first 2 or 3 weeks of a new exercise program. But after that, one starts to feel better than before starting the program. And actually, with the neck pain, exercise has been of more help than anything else.

Chris

Excuse this being so brief Chris, just to say I cant exercise at all because it hurts my head.
Just moving around hurts my head. Going in the car.... Washing my hair.
I imagined everyone is the same with chronic pain, but maybe not.

I would love to be able to exercise. When you can't get off the couch due to strangling headpain it's not possible.

I have to agree with Chris. I have forced myself to exercise through terrible headaches. The net effect on pain management that you get from regular, decently intense exercise is very, very worth the (tremendous at times) effort of working through the pain. Both my neck and my migraines are greatly helped.

I have tried Jayme, really I have. We got a Wii machine. Sometimes I can do a bit of the steps on there.
Since this hit I cant do any of them except the yoga mediation. It isnt just the head the fibro means I try something one day and it is a week before my muscles let me do it again.

Perhaps it is more my age. I think I am a lot older than you and Chris, but without any form of pain killers to relieve the extra pain from exercise, I just cant deal with it. I would like to and I do try. I walk, but I spent 15 minutes in the garden quietly filling hanging baskets and gave myself so much pain I am scared to risk it.

If I had a pill to help it, I would go for it, but I have nothing, absolutely nothing.
I discussed it with the lady at the pain clinic assessment. She couldnt suggest anything.

I understand completely. You've told your situation perfectly. We do our best. That's all we can do. BTW The last time I forced myself out the door (against my better judgment) I got as far as the bank and colasped. When I came to the staff had to call me and cab. I came right home. We know out limits. I wish you all the best as always.

Pen,

Have you tried muscle relaxers? I don't remember. They aren't narcotic so one it's easier to get a doctor to prescribe them. I'm not saying that narcotics aren't appropriate and very helpful for some pain sufferers. I'm just saying that with many doctors, it's easier to get them to prescribe non-narcotics.

Of course, muscle relaxers have their own set of issues, as any drugs do. I do know that they have been very helpful for my neck pain, which allows me to exercise more, which in turn helps my neck even more.

The other thing is that I read that muscle relaxers are often prescribed for fibromyalgia.

Chris

Chris,

Muscle relaxants here are valium. I cant take anything and function, and I need to function so i have to try to just deal with it.
The only drugs I take are OTC Excedrin alike. Naproxen or Diclofen sometimes at night, and Triptans.

I cant be doped up or I would have no life at all, and as I said, exercise is out of the question without some pain relief.
No win I'm afraid.

P

Valium is a benzodiazepine. I don't think that is what chris is talking about. Is it Chris? There is a product here (Canada) called Robax. It consists of Tylenol and a muscle relaxant. Not a benzo. You buy it on the counter. It also comes in generic names. They are cheaper of course. If you would like the exact name of the muscle relaxant, let me know. Gail Also, if they don't carry Robax in England, perhaps you could purchase it online. If you are interested, of course.

Syndol is a otc med that contains a muscle relaxant as part of its pain relief i have found them helpful in the past to take alongside of triptan and anti emtic, Boots the pharm also do their own version with it in, at half the price.

There are many, many types of muscle relaxants. One common class are the benzos, which include both valium and other, milder drugs. Skelaxin (metaxalone) is one of the most commonly prescribed muscle relaxants. It does not make you feel woobly. There is also cyclobenzaprine, which is incredibly commonly prescribed. It does make you tired and is usually prescribed for you to take at night before bedtime. The effects last for a long time after waking, though.

Have you ever actually asked your doctor to try muscle relaxants? Because I would be pretty surprised that any doctor would go straight for the strongest benzodiazepine out there (valium) before trying one of myriad other, more commonly prescribed drugs.

Hi Jayme,
England and America seem to be very different places when it comes to drugs.
I always assume it is our NHS that limits choice, but we also dont seem to like a lot of the drugs you guys use quite freely.
my GP is pretty good, but she struggles to prescribe for me because of the Fibro making me so sensitive.
EG: Amitriptyline. Started on 10 mg with a view to increasing. 2 months later, taken off because I could not function....couldnt wake up until 2pm Lowest dose Propranolol had me on an emergency appt when my BP plummeted. Anti histamine...non drowsy and decongestants, really spacey and weird. All my family take these things without a thought.

I have NOT always been like this. I used to use Syndol. Now I cant cope with it. It wipes me out, makes me feel really ill and the effects can last 24 hours. I had codeine for years for IBS and dihydrocodeine, known for its side effects....no problems at all.

They tell me its the Fibro, and a brief look on Google will confirm it seems to be an intrinsic problem with it for many of us.
I know it sounds as if I am being difficult, but I dont have much quality of life, and I no longer go where things might make me worse.

I appreciate the suggestions, but drugs and I just do not get along. I am better without them.

gailgigi wrote:Valium is a benzodiazepine. I don't think that is what chris is talking about. Is it Chris? There is a product here (Canada) called Robax. It consists of Tylenol and a muscle relaxant. Not a benzo. You buy it on the counter. It also comes in generic names. They are cheaper of course. If you would like the exact name of the muscle relaxant, let me know. Gail Also, if they don't carry Robax in England, perhaps you could purchase it online. If you are interested, of course.

You are correct Gailgigi. I am not talking about Valium. I think the Canadian Robax is probably similar to Robaxin in the US. Generic name is methocarbamol (what I'm taking). It makes me a little sleepy so I take it at night. I've been sleeping better since I've been taking it and there is no hangover the next day.

Chris

Pen,

I am 63 and I have Migraines and neck pain also. about twelve years ago I ruptured a disc in my neck and had to have it removed. Since then I have had neck pain that goes into my right shoulder. It is not always there, but it comes and goes. If I do not take something for the neck pain right away, it developes into a migraine.

When I wake up with any kind of pain, I take some kind of pain killer. It doesn't matter if the pain is at some level or not. If it is there, it is time to take something. Triptans do not do much for me, so I do not bother with them. I either do the hard drugs or take OTC, but I do it right away. If I wait, I will surely pay later in the day and then nothing really works.

Hal

hi pen i dont wait, not at all now, i have waited in the past and paid for it big time, my M never just faded away if i rested or laid down, they just kept coming on stronger until i was unable to do anything, they are more manageable at mo due to preventatives but still take diclofenic, paracetomal and anti emtic as soon as i feel that familiar pain starting, if i wait what i do take doesnt work, i may have to take a second lot a couple of hours later and plod on in some pain, but not as bad as b4 the preventatives, but to answer your question, (as i am prone to waffling, lol) no i dont wait anymore.

Theresa, I dont think you waffle, that is just your style.
My problem is determining which is migraine and which the "other" pain.

You are absolutely right, migraine always wins....I hit the Triptan ASAP.
BUT because my other pain is so similar, if I wake with it, I am too groggy to decide.
I dont have enough Triptans to take every time this happens (almost every morning),
and I am sick of being "warned" about taking too many and rebound etc etc.

There is my dilemma, not being able to decide if it is migraine or not.
Taking OTC which sometimes help but often dont, and not having anything else that does.

You say you take Diclofen. I am on a months course of them as advocated by Andy Dowson, the idea being they reduce inflammation in the head. So far so good, but they dont help the pain itself one little bit. Nothing does.
If I take a Triptan and it turns out it is the other pain, then I get no relief and I have wasted it.
Thats why I am not keen to rush in. Last month I took 12 Triptans. A lot for me as 10/11 has been the norm.
Not happy with that, but with no preventatives, that is it for now. I have to try and live.

So thats is probably why I wait too soon. If I had a neuro like some on here that just says...go for it, I would have a lot less anxiety about it all. But all I get is tuts and warnings, so, it goes on.


Hal,
I am just behind you, just turned 60. Life is mostly behind me and I can only strive for a better quality.
Not sure what to do really, but If you have something that actually works, I can understand why you just hit it.
As I say above, apart from Triptans, I dont.

Yes, that is the same generic name. It can be helpful for certain types of pain. re: valium...note of interest...my doctor told me, many years ago, that getting off Valium can be worse than getting off herioin....who knew?

Gailgigi,

Perhaps Methocarbamol is available under the name Robax or Robaxin or another name in Britain. I would be surprised if it isn't. But perhaps it's a moot point as far as Pen is concerned. It sounds like she has very few choices of meds that she can tolerate.

Chris

Its true Chris, I end up off everything. But thats my choice in order to have some life quality, albeit with pain.
I appreciate all your comments though.. Really.