WORST-HEADACHE-EVER...Suggestions?

[HeyManThatsCool]

Do any of you have any little tricks that you do to make the pain at least back off a little bit?

I've taken advil & I am drinking water to hydrate. I even took a 2 hour nap.

NOTHING is helping. It isnt a migraine. Just an intense headache. But if it doesnt start to go away soon, the migraine will start.

[REP]

1. Worst Headache Ever + Stiif Neck = ER ASAP

No shit. Very serious presentation.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Exactly but did they say they have a stiff neck?

YOu are correct..that presentation could be meningitis

[Carni]

10. Sensitivity to light is also a tip off to meningitis

There is supposedly a pressure point between your thumb and your forefinger and if you squeeze the flap of skin there (hard) it supposedly helps the headache. I personally have never found this effective but I have heard it a number of times!

[givemebackmycountry]

3. Hot shower, REALLY , REALLY hot shower...

Gradually, really gradually, reducing to as cold as you can stand it.

Should take at least 30-45 minutes.
Works for me.

[DemoTex]

4. EtOH induced? Drugs?

If not .. ER stat. How old are you? B/P is ...?

[yellowdogintexas]

5. 600 mg of ibuprofen (advil) 400 mg of tylenol and a Coke to

wash it down.


suggested to me by a nurse and it works

Oh by the way, are you going cold turkey off caffeine, by any chance?

or did you miss your daily coffee because it is sunday by any chance?

take some caffeine if this is the case, even just 1/2 cup of coffee will do it or the Coke.

[Carni]

12. Good point...a caffeine withdrawal headache is wicked

Many times I have thought I was on the verge of a stroke only to realize that I hadn't had coffee that day (pretty pathetic but true!)

[bdmrad]

6. HA

I was just browsing this site (not a Dem). But if the was a thunderclap headache - worst in your life - you need to go to ER to rule out aneurysm/ subarachnoid hemorrhage. It is a bleed season where I live.

[WMliberal]

7. Cannon fire. Drums. Banging pots and pans. Bright lights.

:evilgrin:

A migrane that intense might need to be checked by a doctor. If you get a fever, go to the ER. It could be meningitis.

[HeyManThatsCool]

8. Well I figured out what was wrong....

I had NO caffeine today.
Duh.

As soon as I finished writing that I jumped up & grabbed some diet coke.
I can already feel the headache going away.

[Carni]

13. YEP! That's your culprit!

Hard to believe that the withdrawal is that unpleasant, but it most certainly is!

I have been trying to wean myself off of my daily espresso (mainly because I am lazy and I don't have enough time to make one in the AM)and I have been dealing with an on and off headache as a result.

[HeyManThatsCool]

14. It's unreal that now that I am drinking Diet Coke

I am literally feeling better by the second!

[Nite Owl]

9. Sometime wearing sunglasses

even in the house does the trick. I think it blocks out the light enough to calm things down but it seems to ease it.

[bluedeminredstate]

11. I have migraines

and get "messenger" headaches before migraines from time to time.
I like to use an ice pack on the back of my neck while lying down and keeping the sensory input at a minimum.
Those non-migraine headaches are every bit as evil as a migraine. Are you taking enough Advil to knock it out? My doc says to take 800mg (a prescription dose) which means you need to take 4 of the OTC pills. Lots of people freak out at that amount, but it's what you'd get if you went to a pharmacy to purchase your Advil/Ibuprofen with a prescription from a doctor. Unfortunately, Advil doesn't always work and I have to pull out the Big Guns to get off the sofa or out of bed, but my doctor has always said to hit it early and hit it hard enough to make a statement! I hope you're feeling better. I know how much a headache can suck. Your head is your whole body command center, and when it hurts it's hard to do much of anything.
:hug:

[Moderator]

15. Locking

This may be an indication of a serious medical condition and unfortunately DU is not the place to seek help.

Please get professional medical attention ASAP.

Thanks for your understanding,
DU Moderator