To Paul and others,
When I lived in LA I never took pills or needed them. When I moved to this area up north, all my med problems began. No, I didn't have headaches in Los Angeles area. I lived in the desert area to begin with and then the beaches. (without any problems)
When you age, your body changes so it could be the allergies to this area I live plus, getting a bit older so-to-speak. Over all, I always thought I was an extremely healthy person. My only problem in my youth was, I could never sleep. I just stayed up all night doing things. (getting things done) I do remember now that I think of it, taking a Valium on a Sundday each week just to get one nights rest. Other than that, no pills. I have a slight curve of the spine so, that might be some of the neck problems, along with the AN as, that got worse over the past few years. (the AN not being properly diagnosed and getting larger) So Paul or anyone else.......can it be the fluid is cut off, perhaps? (that is supposed to flow) You know about all that. (those who had a shunt) I'm not knowledgable in that area at all.
I have lived on Imitrex for many years now. In fact I have only a few pills left and never ran out. I'm about to run out. You only get a few pills on a card and the card cost is, two hundred eight dollars, without the insurance kicking in. I have fifteen more days and they will help me with the percentage of getting another card. They only pay for so many pills per a duration. Reasonable but when you are aflicted as I have been lately, I ran out of my quota. I hope I don't have to resort to getting the pills without the insurance percentage, this next bout. It is one in the morning as I write this. Sometimes I don't want to go to bed as, that is when the headache comes on, the most. I moved to the front part of the house and I'm camping out there by the fire where it is warmer. That helps some of the time when it is in the upper twenties or low thirties, outside. We are having snow now on our local mountains. (not in my yard but, close tonight)
If there is a "headache thread," I'm a good candidate for that. (very experienced) I thought the rolling colored lines I would get would be connected with headaches but, "I used to say to my husband that I wondered if I had a brain tumor," when I would get rolling colored lines across my vision and it would last say, about five or so minutes. (I did wonder if I was not diagnosed properly and had a brain tumor when I would get those lines or the times my head would feel like it was about to blow-up, if I would be sitting and suddenly stand up) For an extremely athletic person, all this became very frustraiting. I'm the thin and wire-type. (and yes, TYPE-A person in the past) This AN put a big dent in my schedule. Fatigue is now on my speciality list, too.
I'm sorry..........I wrote way more than I planned to do on answering Paul's question.
Good night or good morning........Palace