Migraine, headache, neck ache / pain and head pressure

[Barbarannamated]

Interesting... I had a neck relapse at exactly this time last year, too. I have severe degeneration in my neck and chiropractic and acupuncture are the only things that get me through a flareup.

[Barbarannamated]

there are truly, honest-to-goodness only a few select drugs for which the generic is in any way pharmacologically different from the brand name. Those drugs are Dilantin, Warfarin, and Synthroid. Any other drug there is absolutely NO difference in how the body metabolizes and uses the drug. I would look at other variables. generic vs. brand name is not it.

I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement. I don't want to take this thread on a tangent; there are a few other threads discussing the differences and variations between brand and generics and also among generics. This is not a plug for either, just a suggestion to note which ones work for you and try to stick the same manufacturer.

[Altostrata]

Some people seem to be sensitive to differences between brands.

 

Headachey people, have you all tried magnesium glycinate (better absorbed than citrate)?

[Zoe]

I don't know if any of you suffer from migraines, but my massage therapist just posted a help for migraines. Place your feet and hands in warm/hot water and a package of frozen peas at the base of your skull.  The heat on your extremities pulls the blood from your head relieving some/all of your headache.Hope it helps!

[UnfoldingSky]

I have just had a really weird problem which may or may not be linked to drugs.  Anyone with similar issues or who might know what this is I'd appreciate hearing from.

 

Last night while I was online I went to a site where someone had a quarter-sized round avatar that had sort of jagged edges.  I was looking at it for a bit and then noticed it in my field of vision.  I thought it was a standard after-image so at first I just ignored it.

 

But it wouldn't go away. It was right in the center of my vision, the middle of it was white and the outside were jagged black lines.  It was getting so that I was having difficulty reading, the middle of the image I couldn't see through at all.  And when it didn't clear up right away I started to get worried.

 

Then, it started to expand.  I then had to give up reading, and slowly it morphed until it was mostly in my peripheral vision.  I could see but things weren't lining up right, like my depth perception was off. 

 

Right after that I got a very mild headache.

 

I looked up retinal detachment to make sure it wasn't that and it didn't sound like it was.  Is this a migraine?  At the time it occurred I felt a shift in consciousness, not that dramatic but noticeable.  I wasn't sure what to do, but by the time I went to bed I could see fine, though had the headache and slight feeling like my eyes weren't lining up right.

 

Today I still have both the headache and the feeling of misalignment and a bit of the TD symptoms I sometimes get (twitching in my right eye.)

 

During benzo withdrawal I often had eye issues, I'd have blue dots in my eyes, for a little while I had large dark shadows in my vision and I've also had lasting after-images before.  I had my eyes tested when that was going on and they found I was fine. 

 

So is this likely linked to drugs, is it a migraine or something else?

[Altostrata]

Sounds like a migraine. I get visual symptoms (checkerboarding) before I get the headache, and it seems my eyes are not coordinating.

[Altostrata]

I very rarely have them. I've only had a few in my life. Withdrawal made them more frequent. For me, they seem to be brought on by dehydration. So be sure to keep hydrated!

 

Different people have different triggers for migraine -- specific foods or whatever.

[andy013]

Hey, just wanted to confirm that your discription matches a migraine perfectly.

 

I used to get 1 or 2 a year before I took any SSRIs. In withdrawal I then began to get them much more frequently, around 1 a month for a long time. You are lucky that the headache was only mild, many times when I get them it can be pretty bad. I know it is pretty scary the first time it happens, you begin thinking something is seriously wrong with your brain / vision.

 

I usually take a couple paracetamol once the vision problems start so that they kick in just as the headache is coming on. If the headache is very bad I can sometimes feel quite nauseous as well. I just lie down in a dark room until I feel a bit better.

[Altostrata]

I also have had the eye discoordination symptoms without the headache. Still very disconcerting. Lying down in the dark definitely seems to help.

[UnfoldingSky]

I spoke to a relative recently who is having the same issue, and it was quite interesting.  I didn't know this and wanted to post this for others in case they weren't aware, apparently some migraines can include trouble with speech such that you either utter total nonsense, or sentences that don't make sense.

 

It can look like you are having a stroke but is not at all connected to strokes. 
 

[WinningThrough]

Hi. I've had this quite often in my life, long before I ever had psych drugs. It's a migraine aura. I discovered that mine was triggered by eating bananas. There's something in them that's also in pineapple. Pineapple does it to me too. I'd always get them the day after eating the offending food.

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

I've had them too. Triggered by too much caffeine. An eye doc told me they were called 'ocular migraines'.

[Bellisimo]

since i got into withdrawal ive got this neck pain and high tension, i have to call doc tomorrow bc working with this neckpain / shoulder pain is not fun and im scared i will only hurt my body more...

 

Edited July 25, 2017 by ChessieCat
merged from: neck problems

[Newbeginning]

I don't get migraines but constant dull headaches. Someone I know who has chronic tension headaches has been helped by magnesium. I'm starting that too.

 

My headaches sometimes are not painful, but rather uncomfortable. The best way I can describe it is that it feels as if I had a rock inside my skull that is irritating my brain tissue. Some noises or things moving fast make it worse (like screen scrolling fast). Trying to focus and do demanding intellectual stuff (like reading complex stuff) seems to make it worse too.

 

Weirdly enough, sometimes eating helps. Temporarily. I know I'm not feeling like this because I'm hungry or my blood sugar is low, because it happens when I should not be hungry.

[Altostrata]

Merged similar topics. Thanks, Zoe, for that tip in http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/6024-what-is-this-migraine/?p=78052

[Cdav]

What can be done to improve headaches if I can't tolerate magnesium? 

 

I have headaches every single day along with muscle ache and twitching. It's driving me crazy. Vey debilitating. 

[spectio]

Hi, cdav, I don't know how much fish oil you take but maybe lay off for a few days to see if the headaches get better. Also, have you had your b12 levels tested lately? Might be something to look into. I've been dealing with headaches for on and of two or three years post withdrawal. They are NO fun! Hang in there!

[Cdav]

Thank you Spectio, 

 

actually today I suspended the fish oil to see if these headaches get better. You're right, they are NO fun, I can't stand them. I'll also look into the b12 level. Thank you! 

[Muddles]

I've experienced the worst headache ever today. Haven't been able to move my head it is that bad...eyes are blood shot too. I can't take paracetamol so have used a cooling gel strip which has helped. Going to have some acupuncture to try and help with this.

[Cdav]

Muddles. I'm sorry you're experiencing such a bad headache. Please let us know if the acupuncture helps. Have you tried it before?

 

Today I haven't had a headache for the first time in weeks. It might be related to the fish oil, since I stopped taking it today. But I'm not sure. I thought fish oil was supposed to help with head symptoms, but I suppose in some cases it can aggravate problems.  

[Muddles]

I'm a bit apprehensive about the acupuncture as when I spoke with him I mentioned my withdrawal symptoms but all he mentioned was detoxing...I think I may have to express that I just need help with the symptoms such as pain. I have never tried it before...will let you know though.

 

Fish oil does help many, but like you I can't tolerate it. Leave it off for a while and see if they diminish. They're not your normal average headache are they?! Awful.

[Cdav]

As most health professionals, he's not familiar with the whole withdrawal problem. But I think it's good that you focus on relieving pain. I hope it works for you. 

 

What symptoms do you have when taking fish oil? 

 

And yes, this is not a normal average headache, it makes you want to be able to just not have a head. Hope you feel better. 

[ikam]

Phisiotherapy may help. A lot of headaches relate to the muscular tension in shoulders, neck and jaw...

 

I used to have acupuncture for a different pain in the past and it was helpful. But it was phisio that helpee the most...

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

What can be done to improve headaches if I can't tolerate magnesium? 

 

I have headaches every single day along with muscle ache and twitching. It's driving me crazy. Vey debilitating. 

 

Do you remember me saying something about me having problems when I tried to start taking Lamictal after I went cold turkey off all my drugs? My 'headaches' turned into a pounding feeling and when I took my BP it was elevated. I stopped the L and my headaches faded away.

 

I do not believe there is any active ingredient in fish oil that causes an elevation in bp or an increase in muscle tension leading to headaches, magnesium either. I am always surprised, that when fish oil and mag are suggested that people take a few doses and say they 'can't tolerate them' but they take other compounds such as herbs or antihistamines or drugs from their doctor which are more likely to have adverse effects and don't see that they are more likely to cause adverse effects. They don't blame the drugs as readily or see a connection to them. We have been so used to getting pills from the doc that we become habituated to them as a solution. The one thing a body in wd does not need is more drugs.

 

Mag comes in several different 'salts'. If one is not tolerated then try a small dose of a different formulation. I found that when using the fizzy stuff, calm, it was impossible to take a high enough dose to be therapeutic because of the effect it has on the bowels. Magnesium was the single biggest thing that mitigated many of my protracted wd symptoms, the most important being nearly constant heart palpitations and anxiety.

[Cdav]

CymbaltaWithdrwal, 

 

Yes, I remember what you said about your reaction to Lamictal. I also find it very strange that I had so many weird symptoms when taking magnesium, I tried several times taking it for a while then stopping it for another time to see if there was a connection, and I did find a connection. I stopped the fish oil just a week ago and my headaches disappeared, coincidentally I started Lamictal that same day. So I don't know if it was the fish oil causing the headaches or if Lamictal helped with the headaches. I'm also surprised I haven't had a bad reaction to Lamictal and actually feel better, still some physical symptoms but they lessened a lot and also the depression improved a lot. I mostly always have had bad reactions immediately when the Dr has give me new medication, that's why I was very very scared to take the Lamictal, I still am, but I'm giving it a try because I do feel better so far. I'm going to see how it goes from here. I know I will have to withdraw from this one, so I'm not completely happy. 

 

I do blame the drugs, and I imagine that is why my body is accepting Lamictal but not magnesium or seemingly not fish oil either. Maybe my brain is still "craving" synthetic chemicals or something. 

 

I'm going to try  again some other type of magnesium like you suggest, I was trying magnesium citrate, not having trouble with my digestive system, but was very dizzy and my BP seemed to drop on it among other very uncomfortable things. I hope I find the right kind of magnesium for me. 

 

Thank you for your reply. 

[spectio]

Hi, Cdav, your experiences mirror mine in many circumstances. I have had less success taking supplements than taking drugs. Any your reasoning was dead on with me. I have believed for a long time that brains get habituated with whatever is presented to them, especially if you take these chemicals for years. I was on Remeron for 11years. Maybe it's not an addiction but it sure could be said to be a dependence. The brain has adjusted to drugs. This has been proven many times with many drugs. Consider heroin, cocaine, benzos ssris, etc., etc.

 

Everyone is a genetically different human being. We all have genetic defects. Where those defects are and how they present themselves are different for you and I. Your experience with drugs and supplements will never be the same as mine. We should never discount anyone else's experiences on this road.

 

I've tried vitamin b 12 in three different formulations and couldn't tolerate any of them. My internal restlessness would skyrocket. A similar thing happened with magnesium. Tried mag. Citrate, glycinate, maleate, and oxide. No luck. Fish oil I took for years when I was on AD's because that's the only way I found to manage the depression. Tons of fish oil and a lowered dose of remeron. Today I can't take fish oil either. I get an odd "fish oil" headache. It's like intense head pressure that eventually morphs into nausea. The only drug I have used in withdrawal is neurontin. But even after a couple of days, I start to feel odd and sick, and stimulated. But I accept it for a longer time than supplements

 

So you're doing everything just right. Listen to your body. It will tell you what to do!

[cymbaltawithdrawal5600]

Spectio,

 

That is so interesting, 'fish oil headache'. I would love to be a fly on the wall in your system so I could see into the physiology of that. I do know that there are those that cannot take fish oil and I wish I could remember who they were and if they mentioned headache as the reason. I have never been able to get in the habit of taking it and the same with probiotics as they have to be refrigerated and I never seem to look on that shelf.  (I know, it's dumb of me.) In early wd fish oil intensified my feeling of 'inner vibrations'.

 

What were your symptoms of intolerance to the magnesium? Do you get the same thing if you eat foods high in mag? I am in the habit of eating lots of almonds and it's a good thing too because I keep forgetting my mag pills. So do you eat foods known to be high in mag and get the same result? I can certainly understand being sensitive to supplements. After all, they are chemical substitutes for something we are supposed to get in the food we eat and can contain a lot of supposedly 'inert' ingredients. I recently found out that magnesium stearate is in nearly every pill we consume. It keeps the pill-filling machinery from clogging up.

[Cdav]

Thank you for your reply Spectio. It makes me feel good that I'm not the only one that can't tolerate fish oil or other supplements. I decided to try another brand of fish oil this past weekend, just one capsule, and by the 2nd day I had that "fish oil headache" you mentioned plus muscle spasms. It's really strange. I wish I could take it and have the benefits it gives to other people, but like we both know, our brains have adjusted to drugs. 

 

CymbaltaWidthrawal, l agree with what you said about supplements also being chemical substitutes of what we need to eat. So perhaps this is what affects an unstable nervous system. I also started eating almonds and more fish. This doesn't seem to cause any problems. 

[ikam]

 

Hi Squirrel,

Yes i get headaches too, not severe, usually a couple of paracetemol will ease them or

see them off.

But i also get random pain in the head too, unrelatred to headaches /migraines,

sometimes in the back of my head, sometimes in the side or temple area.

Anyone else experience this too???????

 

Yes, to this post as well. A variety of random head pains occur, aside from the headaches and migraines.

 

I used to get this severe jabbing pain in the right side of my skull that felt as if an ice pick was being stabbed into my head. It would only last for seconds at a time, but very painful.

 

Sense of pressure as well. Pressure spots/points and or tight band effect around the head. Also varying degrees of inner head pressure, not to mention scalp sensations such as shivers. I even had very bad crawly sensations.............could feel my hair strands being lifted at the roots ........feeling as if bugs were crawling on my head.

 

Some people will incur only one or two of these head/scalp sensations yet others will experience many.

 

 

These are all WD induced sensations. Over time they will lessen in intensity and/or in frequency.

 

 

Punar

 

I have had this jabbing pain on my left side of my skull, as if somebody stabbed me with the knife or something sharp, more like a needle...it comes and goes...sometimes when I drive...I have had more of this today, since the morning...

Any explanations? Is this something with the nerve? Got me worried today...

[westcoast]

I am now having the second migraine of my life. I'll try the feet in water/frozen peas things and report back if it works. It so hard to do my work with this pain but I have blown it off since Wednesday because I am a wreck emotionally. I hardly get headaches and normally just from exposure to perfumes. I have to keeping going regardless of the pain. Pissed off!

[leahy]

Hi Spectio,

 

I've read some of your posts. I am wd from mirt myself. I can relate to many of the things you say. I do hope you are doing better these days. I wonder if you being a veterinarian, have heard that mirt is used to make cats eat?

 

Also I am realizing that what wakes me up in the middle of the night is severe headache. Is it WD, or the mirt, or the bruxism brought on by mirt and/or WD? I basically have had a severe headache for 4 months now.

 

Best, Leahy

[a99]

 so recently I've been having a constant annoying feeling like my head is  so full and stiff  with horrible pressure on my skull .

can anyone relate ? does magnesium help with this ? because it's really painful that i keeps me from doing the simplest tasks .

anything that helped with it ? 

[Laura1981]

I just found out about the reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome that can be caused by serotogenic drugs. After reading this it definitely could explain some of the head symptoms I had. 
 
I had severe headaches and things that feel like "cramps" in the brain. Sometimes they would lead to neurological malfunctions, twitches, tremors, zaps. The symptoms would improve with deep breathing. The explanation of narrowed blood vessels sounds very logical, as deep breathing would probably relax the blood vessels. 
 
 Just wanted to share this in case anyone is interested: 
 
Lancet Neurol. 2012 Oct;11(10):906-17. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70135-7.
Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome.
Ducros A¹.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22995694
 
Abstract

Recurrent thunderclap headaches, seizures, strokes, and non-aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage can all reveal reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. This increasingly recognised syndrome is characterised by severe headaches, with or without other symptoms, and segmental constriction of cerebral arteries that resolves within 3 months. Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome is supposedly due to a transient disturbance in the control of cerebrovascular tone. More than half the cases occur post partum or after exposure to adrenergic or serotonergic drugs. Manifestations have a uniphasic course, and vary from pure cephalalgic forms to rare catastrophic forms associated with several haemorrhagic and ischaemic strokes, brain oedema, and death. Diagnosis can be hampered by the dynamic nature of clinicoradiological features. Stroke can occur a few days after initial normal imaging, and cerebral vasoconstriction is at a maximum on angiograms 2-3 weeks after clinical onset. The calcium channel blocker nimodipine seems to reduce thunderclap headaches within 48 h of administration, but has no proven effect on haemorrhagic and ischaemic complications.

 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22995694
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3020907/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_cerebral_vasoconstriction_syndrome

[Petunia]

I used to get this severe jabbing pain in the right side of my skull that felt as if an ice pick was being stabbed into my head. It would only last for seconds at a time, but very painful.

 

 

I used to have this happen regularly while I was on lexapro, only mine was always on the left side of my head. I would often be woken in the night with this intense pain, on average it would happen every month or two. Sometimes, several times in the same week.

 

Since I stopped taking lexapro over 5 years ago, it hasn't happened, not once, I guess, for me, it was a side effect.

[Cressida]

 

 

Hi Guys,

I have gone to the doctor three times now due to fluid build up in my ears.

I believe this is due to a TMJ problem. The doctor said that if I am stressed it could explain

that I perhaps I clench my teeth at night and this causes me the terrible headaches and ear pain.

I will need to get a mouth guard and hopefully it will help.

Has anyone else had TMJ problems? I heard that ADs can cause these problems.

Rosie

 

Rosie,

Bruxism/teeth grinding/TMJ is a documented side effect of SS/NRIs (theoretically, a type of movement disorder by disrupted dopamine). it stands to reason that any side effect can be exacerbation during withdrawal. Google bruxism + drug nameand you should hit medical literature.

 

Yes, a mouthguard should help. There is a thread about them -- available OTC.

 

It kills me to think of how many doctors are unaware of this side effect and Rx a benzo at night. I'm glad your doc suggested the nightguard.

I have suffered with bad head neck and shoulder symptoms . Really severe. Have been wearing a mouthguard custom made to fit me for just over a month and cannot tell you how much it has changed my symptoms for the better. Apparently professional golfers wear them because it relaxes their head neck and shoulders. Really recommend this has helpede more than anything and can't hurt you

[Castor]

I have many symptoms related to being on a high dose of Seroquel and my previous benzo nightmare, but this is really the only one that makes me feel like I won't make it. It comes in reaction to anything that even slightly upsets my CNS-- caffeine, too much exertion, as well as my previous attempts to reduce the drug.

 

It feels like my brain is swelling in my skull but that there somehow is not enough room for it to do so, so it creates an massive, terrifying feeling of pressure. The pressure then leads to an extremely high level of distress and panic. A few years ago I had an MRI done and they found a tiny lesion but nothing that warranted more attention. But I have only ever seen one neurologist, maybe I should try to see another?

 

To be honest I don't think this is a withdrawal symptom in the normal sense. I'm convinced it is some kind of injury and probably an inflammation process of some type. Which makes me wonder if there is something else I can do, I just don't know what.