Headaches anyone???
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Headaches anyone???
| Fri, 02-09-2007 - 8:07pm |
I don't know if its the anxiety, which has been getting better, but everyday for the last couple weeks I end up with a tension headache at the end of the day. I am on Paxil so you are not supposed to take Ibuprofen so I have been using Tylenol which only helps about 50% of the time. I also feel like my jaw is tired at the end of the day. I never catch myself clenching but its almost like I am holding it in the same position for too long. I dont' know but I am getting sick of taking Tylenol every evening and it not helping. I can't even take one Ecedrin because the caffeine in it shoots my anxiety and heart rate up. Too bad, since it was always the one thing that would take away any headache I had. Any suggestions? I have tried visualizing, breathing, hot baths, and putting a warm rice bag (like a heating pad) on the back of my neck. None of it seems to take the pain away. I looked at Wal Mart today for one of those sound machines but they didn't have one. My *T* has one in her office and I LOVE it!! The sounds of water and rain are so soothing!!! I guess I will look online. Any suggestions are soooo welcome!! Hugs, Erin

(((Erin))) There was a time when I used to get awful tension headaches & I also did the jaw clenching.
Sheri Ann
Those tension headaches can be killers. I use peppermint or lavendar essential oils in my burner or in candle form to relax. Warm, moist heat from a shower or tub soak will relieve tension. Perhaps the dr. could order you a muscle relaxant. It would seem that this is pretty severe when the rice pack doesn't help. I understand about the caffeine. I am very sensitive to it as well.
Meditation or listening to a relaxation CD might help. As for sounds, I don't have a machine, but have an alarm clock from Wallyworld with nature sounds on it. I love the ocean sounds & breathe to the waves. I had awful jaw pain from teeth grinding when I had the worst spell of anxiety EVER in the early 90's. It does get better. I recall @ the time, it was very miserable & I felt hopeless, but when the antidepressant finally took hold, I noticed a big difference, Erin. Have you tried chewing gum to keep you more conscious of the jaw clenching? After I had mouth surgery, I was advised to chew gum to keep my jaws *limbered up.* Don't let it get ahead of you:) GBH!
I tried to go without the Ativan last night again but had to take a 1/4 of a pill at 4am after being awake for an hour and a half. Using only that much helped and didn't make me too groggy when I got up at 8am so that's good. I seem to remember last time when I used the Xanax, I only took a 1/2 if I did it at bedtime. I guess we all just have to learn what our bodies can handle.
You know about the caffeine, I never had any problems with it until after I started having my kids! I used to be the queen of double and triple mochas!!! LOL! Now, even one soda can get me all jittered up and antsy. I have even gotten at times that when I drank too many cups of coffee or too much soda, it would make me actually dizzy. It took me a while to figure out it was the caffeine. It really bummed me out since I LOVE coffee in almost any form except straight black. I had been drinking de-caf or 1/2 caf the last few months but even stopped that when it got bad this time. I am looking fwd to at least being able to drink de-caf again. Right now my tummy would probably not like it too much, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel now!!!
Thank you for always taking the time to read my long posts and replying, it really does make a difference to all of us!! You and Sheri are great!! Love and Hugs, Erin
I have been reading your posts and your symptoms sound exactly like mine. I just started on Wellbutrin. I hope it will help. I also have been takig Klinopin at night to help sleep. I have had all of your sleep troubles as well.
I have had so many symptoms that I don't know which to address.
I also have a HUGE phobia of going to the doctor. Just thinking about it ma
kes me feel so sick, so clammy, heart race and I am sure my blood pressure rise. I am so scared. Have you or anyone else have this intense doctor phobia? I know I need to go to be checked next week and it makes me so nervous just thinking about it. I feel so crazed!
Any help or suggestions to help me get there and not totally freak out would be so welcome!
I see you are feeling better--that certainly gives me some hope!
Continue to be well! I also know what you mean about trying to eat!!
Hugs!
Lynne
I totally feel for you! I know what you mean about having so many issues, you can't even focus on one!! Luckily I am narrowing down the ones that set me off. I was thinking about your Dr phobia. Have you always had that or only since the anxiety?? Is your fear that the Dr will find something bad or that they won't find anything at all and you will feel like you are "crazy"? I have had both fears at different times. I never really feared actually GOING to the Dr, it was just hearing what they had to say at the end of the visit. On the one hand, if they find nothing, then you SHOULD be glad, but your inner voice is just SURE they must have missed something right?? Or the other hand, they find something, then what??? I got to the point that I had seen so many Drs and they all kept saying all my results were normal. I went to every kind of Dr you could think of trying to find one that could find my PROBLEM (because I just KNEW there was one). Finally after a REAL panic attack where I thought I was dying, I saw an ER doc that said to me "you have seen all of these specialists, what is it that you think I, as an ER doc am going to be able to tell you that they can't"? For some reason that just woke me up. He gave me pamphlets on anxiety and depression and told me to start the Paxil, which I did that very day. One thing I can say is that, IF they find something wrong, its usually not too bad because 9 times out of 10 there is a solution to that something, whether it be meds, or treatment or whatever and you can get better! How dumb would you feel if you had put off going to the Dr all this time, only to find out there was an easy solution to your problem all along??? I know these are all rational suggestions that our irrational part of our mind does NOT want us to listen to, but I hope I helped in some way or other. I am so sorry that going to the Dr scares you so much but I think you should go. Its taken me a long time to convince myself that all these physical symptoms are anxiety and not some underlying disorder. You will get there too. How long have you been taking the Wellbutrin? When I started the Paxil the first time, my anxiety was very bad and I started feeling it work in a week. I wasn't totally BETTER in a week mind you, but I could tell it was starting to work. Give it some time, that is what I am having to do this time around with meds. After the meds worked, I didn't even need meds for sleeping at night. I hope you get there soon hon, I will be thinking of you!! Email me anytime iveson3345@msn.com!! Hugs, Erin
And so the cycle continues! I started the Wellbutrin this past Monday. I hope it works! Do you know anything about how the doctors select the meds? Do they randomly choose one? Did they give you reasons for taking Paxil? Let's stay in touch and look forward to hearing from you and anyone else that has dealt with this! Major hugs to you--you have a friend here! :) Lynne
(((Lynne))) I can relate to being in the posistion that *rationally* I knew I had a medical issue that required investigation. However, I
Thanks for your kindness and compassion! I can tell you've been down this road! It does just "stink", doesn't it?
I will also take to heart and remember your "mind" post today!
Thanks for reponding!
Lynne