Question
I have constant pain in my head, it feels like someone hit me over the head with a bottle.  It only affects the right side of my head.  First I was diagnosed with migranes but the treatment didn't work.  Then the doctor told me I had pulled a neck muscle which caused my head pain.  After more treatment of muscle relaxers, no relief.  I've just settled into the fact that I may have to live with the pain.  I take upwards of 12-16 tylenol a day.  I cant concentrate on my studies and I am upset a lot of the time.  Any advice on how to cope?

Answer
Renee,

I'll bet you can't concentrate on your studies! I have difficulty concentrating on mine and my migranes aren't nearly so bad anymore ^_^*

Sounds like you've already tried quite a bit, so let me go through some things to see if there's anything that might help.

First off, I'd strongly suggest stopping the Tylenol. In such large doses, it won't take very long to severely damage your liver. In fact, it'll do that in smaller dosages as well (and there have been affirmative studies done to back this up, although I can't remember who's done them at the moment)but at the rate you're going, you'll be in trouble. If you're going to need to continue taking large dosages of over the counter medicine, I'd say to try ibuprofen or naproxin. Ibuprofin seems to be the safest of the three OTC pain relievers (which are Ibuprofen, Naproxen (like Aleve), and Acetaminophen (Tylenol). Tried Exedrine Migraine? It doesn't work on all types of severe headaches, but it's worth a shot.

Now I'm puzzled as to why something like Tylenol would help (and I'm assuming it is, or you wouldn't be taking them) where other migraine meds aren't. One thing you should know about migraine medicine is that each different drug won't help everyone. For instance, just because Maxalt worked for a friend of mine, doesn't mean it worked for me. So it's important to find a type of med that works for a specific headache.

I know you've said that the  migraine treatment didn't work. I don't doubt it at all. But your symptoms are classic hallmarks of migraines (others, as I'm sure you know, are auras, nausea, sensitivity to light, sound, odour, or motion, ect.) The pulled neck muscle theory is also plausible; however, pulled muscles should not last for more than a month or so, and those muscle relaxers should have helped in that case.

There are many types of migraines and no two people have one exactly alike. That makes it hard to just hand a migraine sufferer a drug and expect it to take care of things. For instance, I suffer from cluster migraines, which sort of feel like someone's shoved a red-hot fire poker straight through your eye. And treating these sometimes requires different meds than those used with others. What I'm trying to say is that I'd suggest you see a neurologist (preferrably one who has experience with migraine patients and will take the time to try out several different migraine meds until you find one that helps) if you haven't already, give her/him a description of your headache and let them do some sleuthing to help you figure out what's going on with your head. This doesn't mean you should stop looking for treatment yourself, of course, but it's certainly the best idea at this point, in my non-MD opinion. And also, the neurologist should be able to tell you if it's anything other than a migraine. Don't forget to ask questions, elaborate on the type, frequency, and endurance of the pain, and let the doctor know that you're as interested and active in finding help for your pain. That should make her/him feel more inclined to do the best they can for you.

In the interim, have you tried Imitrex injections? When my migraines are unbearable, I go to the ER and with doctor's orders, they'll give you an injection, which will take care of the pain much more quickly, although it will make you very sleepy. But the ultimate goal is to find a method to *prevent* the migraines from occuring, not to stave them off when they do come. It can be done. And I think the neurologist is a good idea. If that doesn't work, contact me again (if you like) and we'll try to figure out something else. There are always options.

My advice on how to cope: don't give up. I know that one's overused, but it's true. Doctors and medication can help you. But you also have to help yourself by trying to find answers as well and not relying solely on the doctors. I know how frustrating chronic pain of any kind is (and migraines are especially bad, since they do, as you've said, make thinking very difficult and almost everything painful), but don't allow yourself to be resigned to feeling like your head's been split in half forever. And one other thing that's always worked for me is praying. Some people don't believe in faith in God as a source of healing, but it's worked wonders for me, and I always mention it, knowing that it can help others as well.

Please don't hesitate to contact me again if you have another question; I'll certainly do my best. I very much hope that something I may have said here will be of assistance to you.  Hang in there!

God Bless,

Celeste

PS: you didn't say if you had nausea with your headaches, but if you can keep it down, peppermint is very good for nausea, and heat has been known to help some people with migraines ease the pain. I.e., placing a heating pad over your head, or if heat makes it worse, try coolness, like with a hot-water bottle filled with ice-water.