6 month headache

[appetite]

I am a 22 year old male and in January of this year I started experiencing daily headaches. I usually never get headaches, maybe once every few months, so this was concerning to me. The pain usually became worse as the day went on, never anything very severe, but annoying enough to seek a doctor. My doctor diagnosed me with tension type headaches and prescribed me with meloxicam, somas, and fiorinal with codeine for occasional use.

Well I continued to have these headaches for about a month, and the medications didn't appear to be helping a whole lot. I have to admit that I was very concerned (and probably tense) because of them. I went back to the doctor and he scheduled me for three weeks at a sports therapy place to try and relive this tension I was experiencing. He also prescribed me citalopram, thinking this would help relieve some of my anxiety about the problem.

Long story short the physical therapy didn't appear to help at all and the citalopram was hell on my system. Going on and getting off the pill I had severe nausea and vomiting along with the brain shocks and all that other stuff. I was on the 20mg for 3 months, all of which I never felt any better. During the course of these three months my headaches seemed to have changed, now they are bad in the morning and I get relief when I take somas throughout the day. I'm now pretty much clear of withdrawals from the citalopram I think (its been a month off of them).

I decided to see a new doctor recently, he also diagnosed me with tension headaches. I have not had an MRI or anything or seen a neurologist. Though the last doctor I saw did check my optic nerve, which I assume looked fine. I feel much less tense than I was few months ago, yet these headaches still persist.

I find myself constantly fidgeting and focusing on my neck (feels gritty moving it, popping sounds moving it on one side) and am contemplating seeing a chiropractor. I've read that a herniated disc or compressed nerve due to poor posture (I sit at a computer all day) could be the culprit for similar headaches.

At this point I am very frustrated and not sure what to do next. I still have some concerns, though nowhere near as bad, that it could be something more serious. Yet two doctors now have told me its nothing worth worrying about. I know in all likelihood its probably not anything to worry about, but at the same time I believe that this condition didn't arise from nothing.

Sorry for the lengthy post, any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? You could ask your doctor for a referral to a chiropractor or check in your location a list of certified chiropractors. While it is true that there has been on-going debate about this for a long time now, many patients do experience relief.  Aside from this, there are also other complementary and alternative medicine techniques available such as acupuncture, biofeedback and other relaxation techniques. Rest, relax and de-stress. Anti-anxiety drugs may also help address your concerns about this. Talk to your doctor regarding such prescription.  Take care and do keep us posted.

[hava]

This exercise will relax you, and help with the headache after you can do it for more than 15 minutes twice a day.Start now.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two middle fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed. Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.
While doing anulom vilom, keep your eyes closed, concentrate on the third eye (point in between the eyebrows).

[appetite]

Thanks for the further advice. I do wear glasses so I don't think there in lies the problem.I haven't taken any soma's the last few days and feel pretty much the same. I recently went to a chiropractor and they took some x-rays of my neck. It was clear in the x-rays my next had a slight crick in it to one side which I thought was strange. He told me that he though chiropractic could help. I've been thinking about pursuing it but am still not sure, the technique he uses is with an actuator. I really don't know much about chiropractic but I know there are people on both sides of the debate. More than anything I'd still like to get an MRI or CT but I feel silly asking my doctor to refer me, seeing as I've seen two doctors and neither of them think its worthy of investigating. I don't seem to have any other symptoms whatsoever of a brain tumor. I think I've just got a lot of anxiety about it which could be fueling the headaches and muscle tension. I've been told by both doctors and the physical therapist that I feel very tense through my shoulders and neck. I've always been an anxious person so it is surprising that it is just now starting to cause real problems. At this point I'm not sure where to go, would chiropractic be my best bet?

Thanks again

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

Carisoprodol or Soma is a muscle relaxant, indicated to relieve pain and discomfort caused by strains, sprains, and other muscle injuries. This should be taken as prescribed because it has a tendency to be habit-forming. Unfortunately, possible side effects include   drowsiness,  dizziness, fast heart rate,skin rash, upset stomach, and headache (reference:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682578.html)  To rule out if your symptoms are possibly related to this medicine, check with your doctor and shift to other prescribed medications. Take care and do keep us posted.

[runitskat]

Do you wear glasses? If not that might be the problem. I sit in front of a computer for 8 hours a day at work and I would get really bad headaches everyday. They would even last through the night and into the morning. So I would have a constant headache. I thought my vision was perfect but it turned out I have an astigmatism in one eye. So one eye would strain when trying to focus, causing the headaches.

Also I was on Soma for a few months and had no withdrawal when I stopped. It might be different depending on how long you've been taking it. Withdrawal is different for everyone. Also Soma is a centrally-acting skeletal muscle relaxant and is used for neurological conditions.

[appetite]

Thanks for everyone's advice, I'll be looking into a neurologist and/or chiropractor this month. Another detail I forgot to mention is that I have been taking Soma's everyday (only medication I have been taking) to help with the pain. They do tend to help a lot, just make me sleepy. Generally I take 4 350 mg pills a day, should tapering off this be any issue? I'm just worried because I had such a horrible experience with citalopram, but i realize that is a much different drug. Also it seems to me if I can get relief from a muscle relaxer, it is more likely not to be a neurological problem. Does this seem reasonable?

[Eddie1994]

It depends where you are located.  If your in the Philadelphia, PA area, there are a few good headache centers that have tremendous specialist.  In my region (somewhat rural), getting an appointment could be a few weeks.

[appetite]

Thanks for the reply. Is it difficult to get a referral to a neurologist? I have been told by my mom that it might be, what are other peoples experiences?

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? It is good that the examination done by your doctors were fine. I agree with Edie1994's post. Aside from stress, headache can also be work-related or environmental in nature. It would help if you check with a neurologist and imaging modalities like CT scan be done for proper visualization of the anatomical structures of the head and neck. Take care and do keep us posted.  

[appetite]

Thanks for the reply! I agree I'd like to see a neurologist, but first I need a referral. Also thought I should mention that I had a CBC and everything came up fine. I haven't considered your LCD theory but it makes a lot of sense, I've always wondered what the consequence of staring at an LCD screen was exactly.

[Eddie1994]

If I were you, I'd feel much more confident if the diagnosis came from a Neurologist.  They live and breathe this stuff.

Here is something else to consider:  You obiviously work with a computer for lengthy periods, try taking a holiday from computer use and see if that make any difference in your headaches.  LCD and video screens give off huge amounts of something called extremely low frequency electronic waves at a 60 hertz range.  Much is written about this association and I personally feel that these ELF's, as they are called, can trigger migraines.  The optic nerve is the shortest path to the brain and central nervous system and only soft tissue surrounds it.  The body and the nervous system are electrically driven systems and the electronic harmonic balance between commercial electric power and the human system are not in sync hence the equivilent of "static" in the nervous system.  My thoughts and my theory!

Good luck and be Well!