Fustrated and lightheaded

[Duchezzlo]

I am trying to find an answer to a question that my doctors have yet to find.  I just spent 18 days in the hospital with a MS exacerbation.  It started out with leg pain/burning and I was being treated with IV steroids for 3 days. I went home one day and came back into the hospital with worse pain than I went in with.  I was told I have 2 new lesions in the center of my brain. I have hypertension, which the steroids made even worse.  I spent a night in ICU when my blood pressure skyrocketed.  After that, I started having horrible headaches and became lightheaded.  I've been in the same condition for 3 weeks now, almost 4.  I can't walk without being lightheaded, having to hold on to walls, etc.  The more I do, the worse it gets.  (I had this problem before, when I would exercise, but the Dr. never addressed it.) And the headaches are daily and change from the back of my head to my temples to the top of my head.  I'm taking BP meds (Lotensin, Inderal LA, and Clonidine) and Tegretol (200 mg, QID), and Vicodin ES, PRN for these problems. I was told there was nothing else they could do, just wait for it to go away.  

I can't believe there isn't any way of relieving the headaches and being lightheaded.  Because of this, I'm on temporary disability from my job and I can't function.  Isn't there anything to do except to just wait to see if it goes away on it's own?  And what are the chances it will?  How long would it take?

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

The headaches could be due to a number of reasons, but one of the big causes could be your blood pressure. High blood pressure, low blood pressure, wildly fluctuating blood pressure, and blood pressure medications may all be playing a role.  If you don't already have a primary care doc to help you with this, consider getting one as this may be a little out of the league of neurologists.  If you have a BP cuff at home or something to measure it, consider starting a diary.  Record your BP throughout the day and the degree of headache to see if there is any correlation. Talk to your primary care doc or get a second opinion from an internist or blood pressure specialist. ANother consideration could potentially be overmedication with things like advil, tylenol, and vicodin. Good luck.

[Croz]

Are you on one of the ABC drugs?

[Duchezzlo]

Yes, I was on Avonex and the doctor took me off of it cuz he thought maybe my body was building up antibodies that were damaging.  He did a blood test to find out but it takes weeks to come back.  I was always sick the next day after my shot, even after taking it for a year.  So right now, because of all this going on, he doesn't have me using anything.  I've tried Copaxone and I had a reaction to that instantly, so I went on the Avonex instead.  I have Relapsing and Remitting MS.

[Duchezzlo]

Thank you for your medical advice - I do check my BP at home and it's been stable.  That's what is making it a stange.  I know MS patients do have problems with headaches, these are daily and different places pretty much.  When the lightheadedness gets worse when I do too much moving, the headache gets much worse.  I know the doctor said when the pressure changes in my head, like barometric pressure or taking deep breaths, the headache is substantially worse.  I just don't understand why that is occurring now?

The vicodin is PRN so I only take it when the headache is unbearable.  Otherwise, I don't take anything else that is like that.  

I appreciate any insight to this problem - it's very limiting and frustrating to say the least!

[Mysterious Stranger]

How long have you been taking the beta blocker, and has the dosage been upped recently?  Beta blockers reduce cardiac output and slow heart beat, which can easily account for lightheadedness.

Are you overweight?  How much water do you consume in a day, excluding ALL other beverages (tea, coffee, pop)?

Do you consume diet sodas, "sugar free" foods, or add aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet) to any of your foods, and if so, how much in a typical day?  Headache is the most common symptom of aspartame poisoning.