Question
Margot,

I have been working out for a number of years.  Once in the past(4-5 years ago)I began getting headaches when working out. Very pounding headaches & very sudden onset. Felt like the top of my head was about to explode. No prior history of headaches and none since, until in the gym last week which is why I'm writing.  During the episode 4-5 years ago, I saw a sports doctor(no longer in practice) who kept me out of the gym for 30 days so he could rule out any underlying problem. Sent me to a neurologist for a CAT scan and all was fine. He prescribed a short term (30-day) and low dosage (which I can't recall) regime of Amitryptyline (brand name "Elavil" which I realize is most commonly prescribed as an antidepressant) and it worked perfectly. No more headaches until in the gym last week when they reoccurred out of the blue and with no apparent cause or other changes relating to my lifestyle, workout routine, etc. Is Amitriptyline still a way to deal with this?  It worked so well last time I'd like to stick with this unless there's reason to try something else.  Any thoughts would be most appreciated.  

Answer
Hi Joy and thanks for writing,

We should never self-prescribe so I suggest you go back ad see your GP who should have copies of the reports from the Sports Medicine Physician who ran your tests 5 years ago. You can discuss it with your GP and find out what he was trying to treat and why he chose Amitryptyline.

I hope this helps, all my best,

Margot