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Any suggestions?
SpaceMan27 posted:
I have been suffering with headaches since I was 16. In the last few years they have gotten worse. I have tried lots of preventatives like imitrex, maxsalt, topamax, and others. Finally we figured out that the miagranes are starting from my neck at the base of my head, from a muscle right around that. So we tried muscle relaxers like flexaril, and soma. Soma works great to loosen it but the nerve still shoots pain down my back alot. So I went to a pain management place and they did nerve blocks and burns. The burn lasted about 2 months except for the first few weeks it hurt, and then finally the burn started rubbing off. So I went back to the neuro and we have been trying a variety of meds. Started off as percocet and soma, come to find out im allergic to tylonal. So we then tried the 15mg of oxycontin twice a day along with Soma 3 times a day, but since im in pain all day long we(my dr and me) desided to try oxycodone 3 times a day along with Soma 3 times day which didnt really do too much where as other did. Since that didnt work this last month we went to M S contin 30 MG with Soma 3 times a day which did even less. Any suggestions what i should do? I have days where I cant move my neck.
4 Replies |Watch This Discussion | Report This| Share this:Any suggestions?I have been suffering with headaches since I was 16. In the last few years they have gotten worse. I have tried lots of preventatives like imitrex, maxsalt, topamax, and others. Finally we figured out that the miagranes are starting from my neck at the base of my head, from a muscle right around that. So we tried muscle relaxers like flexaril, and soma. Soma works great to loosen it but the nerve still shoots pain down my back alot. So I went to a pain management place and they did nerve blocks and burns. The burn lasted about 2 months except for the first few weeks it hurt, and then finally the burn started rubbing off. So I went back to the neuro and we have been trying a variety of meds. Started off as percocet and soma, come to find out im allergic to tylonal. So we then tried the 15mg of oxycontin twice a day along with Soma 3 times a day, but since im in pain all day long we(my dr and me) desided to try oxycodone 3 times a day along with Soma 3 times day which didnt really do too much where as other did. Since that didnt work this last month we went to M S contin 30 MG with Soma 3 times a day which did even less. Any suggestions what i should do? I have days where I cant move my neck.
Lainey_WebMD_Staff responded:
Hi SpaceMan27,
It seems like you have tried a lot of different medications and therapies with temporary results. Many members here have similar problems. I am sorry you are in pain and hope you find relief soon.
I'm sure others will be responding when they get a chance but, in the meantime, I just wanted to welcome you to WebMD.
It seems like you have tried a lot of different medications and therapies with temporary results. Many members here have similar problems. I am sorry you are in pain and hope you find relief soon.
I'm sure others will be responding when they get a chance but, in the meantime, I just wanted to welcome you to WebMD.
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute or an hour or a day or a year but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
Lance Armstrong
Report This| Share this:Any suggestions?Hi SpaceMan27,<br /><br />It seems like you have tried a lot of different medications and therapies with temporary results. Many members here have similar problems. I am sorry you are in pain and hope you find relief soon.<br /><br />I'm sure others will be responding when they get a chance but, in the meantime, I just wanted to welcome you to WebMD.
Have your doctors tried anything like notritpyline or Cymbalta or Gabapentin? These medications are used for both neck pain and headaches.
In our pain clinic, patients sometimes have 2 or 3 of the radio-frequency ablation procedures before they get longer lasting relief.
In our pain clinic, patients sometimes have 2 or 3 of the radio-frequency ablation procedures before they get longer lasting relief.
Report This| Share this:Any suggestions?Have your doctors tried anything like notritpyline or Cymbalta or Gabapentin? These medications are used for both neck pain and headaches. <br /><br />In our pain clinic, patients sometimes have 2 or 3 of the radio-frequency ablation procedures before they get longer lasting relief.
mymygraine responded:
Hi SpaceMan27-
I would go back to the pain management place you went to and get another set of RFA's and nerve blocks. I had them done a few times, and they never worked for me, but a two month lack of pain from the RFA sounds like heaven to me, and for a more permanent result you may want to try having a few more treatments. You may also want to ask the pain clinic about botox injections in the back of your neck (in trigger points) in conjunction with the blocks, and find a very good massage person that will help keep your neck and traps loose after these procedures are done.
You can also try Yoga - I would suggest Iyenegar style because that is the only one that deals with healing the body, and look online for the Iyenegar Institute, call them and try to find a senior practioner in your area. A bad yoga instructor can do more damage in a few sessions than doing nothing at all, so find a good teacher, and depending on where you live this may be difficult. You will know after one session whether the person is hurting or helping.
I have been on MS Contin, percoset, oxycontin, and have found them to be poor pain controllers. I have had good luck with Toradol injections, which is an NSAID, takes about 4 hours to work and you must catch the mgraine at the beginning otherwise it will not help. I like it because it is non-narcotic, and those are really hard to get off of when they are not working.
Just stretching and keeping the muscles limber when the blocks are working may help. Good luck and keep in touch.
I would go back to the pain management place you went to and get another set of RFA's and nerve blocks. I had them done a few times, and they never worked for me, but a two month lack of pain from the RFA sounds like heaven to me, and for a more permanent result you may want to try having a few more treatments. You may also want to ask the pain clinic about botox injections in the back of your neck (in trigger points) in conjunction with the blocks, and find a very good massage person that will help keep your neck and traps loose after these procedures are done.
You can also try Yoga - I would suggest Iyenegar style because that is the only one that deals with healing the body, and look online for the Iyenegar Institute, call them and try to find a senior practioner in your area. A bad yoga instructor can do more damage in a few sessions than doing nothing at all, so find a good teacher, and depending on where you live this may be difficult. You will know after one session whether the person is hurting or helping.
I have been on MS Contin, percoset, oxycontin, and have found them to be poor pain controllers. I have had good luck with Toradol injections, which is an NSAID, takes about 4 hours to work and you must catch the mgraine at the beginning otherwise it will not help. I like it because it is non-narcotic, and those are really hard to get off of when they are not working.
Just stretching and keeping the muscles limber when the blocks are working may help. Good luck and keep in touch.
Report This| Share this:Any suggestions?Hi SpaceMan27-<br />I would go back to the pain management place you went to and get another set of RFA's and nerve blocks. I had them done a few times, and they never worked for me, but a two month lack of pain from the RFA sounds like heaven to me, and for a more permanent result you may want to try having a few more treatments. You may also want to ask the pain clinic about botox injections in the back of your neck (in trigger points) in conjunction with the blocks, and find a very good massage person that will help keep your neck and traps loose after these procedures are done. <br /><br />You can also try Yoga - I would suggest Iyenegar style because that is the only one that deals with healing the body, and look online for the Iyenegar Institute, call them and try to find a senior practioner in your area. A bad yoga instructor can do more damage in a few sessions than doing nothing at all, so find a good teacher, and depending on where you live this may be difficult. You will know after one session whether the person is hurting or helping.<br /><br />I have been on MS Contin, percoset, oxycontin, and have found them to be poor pain controllers. I have had good luck with Toradol injections, which is an NSAID, takes about 4 hours to work and you must catch the mgraine at the beginning otherwise it will not help. I like it because it is non-narcotic, and those are really hard to get off of when they are not working.<br /><br />Just stretching and keeping the muscles limber when the blocks are working may help. Good luck and keep in touch.
carpetcrawler5 responded:
You can also try using a TENS unit.
Hopefully you know that Imitrex and other triptans aren't preventatives? By the way did any triptans work for you? None do anymore for me andI've tried all of them.
Hopefully you know that Imitrex and other triptans aren't preventatives? By the way did any triptans work for you? None do anymore for me andI've tried all of them.
Report This| Share this:Any suggestions?You can also try using a TENS unit.<br /> <br />Hopefully you know that Imitrex and other triptans aren't preventatives? By the way did any triptans work for you? None do anymore for me andI've tried all of them.
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