Just wanted to share a few things I have learned, and some of my experience, in the past 7 years regarding medication for headaches. I now have some pretty serious health issues which, I believe, are a domino effect of having severe post-op headaches and being uninformed about the side effects of some of the meds I have been prescribed.
If you are taking NSAIDs--Aleve, (naproxen sodium) Advil (ibuprophen) for post-op headaches--
never, ever, ever take it on an empty stomach. I used to have to take 4 ibuprophen before I could get out of bed, my morning headaches were so bad. I was taking 8 to 10 a day until I took 2 of them once--and ended up in the emergency room with a severe stomach ache. They referred me to a gastroenterologist who did an endoscope (camera down the gullet) and he diagnosed me with a severe and irreversable stomach lining irritation--I had absolutely fried my stomach. I have been back twice to the ER with severe gastritis and am now on a proton pump inhibitor which I will probably have to take for the rest of my life.
I also have severe acid reflux which causes me to have a permanent "lump" in my throat and puts me at risk for esophageal cancer. No doctor ever told me not to take that huge bottle of Advil I went through my first year post-op on an empty stomach, so I am telling you now--I hope this saves you a lifetime of GI issues, which I am now dealing with.
At about year 3 I finally found a headache specialist who put me on Neurontin (gabapentin is its generic equivalent), an anti-seizure medication. A few months later I was put on Topamax, another anti-seizure medication. I did get some relief from this cocktail. Last year I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. Another thing
no doctor told me was that both these meds leach calcium out of the bones and a calcium supplement is essential--at least 2000 mg a day.
No doctor ever told me to get a liver function test every 6 months either and I ended up with a 6 cm cyst on my liver. I had to have it drained and the bozos at my little local hospital did it with no sedative and punctured my lung in the process and almost killed me. At first it reinflated and they sent me home and then it collapsed while my husband was at work and I couldn't get in touch with him right away. When he finally got home he rushed me to the ER and I had to have a chest tube put in and stay in the hospital for 5 days. Absolutely the most painful thing I have ever been through. I ended up with nerve damage in my chest which still bothers me.
Right now I am dealing with the side effects of the osteoporosis, which I am convinced came from not taking enough calcium while I was on the anti-seizure meds. Before I had my surgery, when I had dental X-rays, my dentist told me I had really great strong bones and would probably never have to worry about it. I also worked out at the gym 3-4 days a week. Right now I am dealing with severe sacroiliitis, which probably has to do with having thinned out bones. The stomach meds I have to take also cause bone-thinning. I am treating the osteoporosis with (more friggin) medication and calcium, magnesium and vitamin D.
Can anyone see a pattern here? Domino effect.
So, folks, please pay attention when you are taking medication. These days I am not on any headache preventive meds and cannot take NSAIDs (which is making my sacroiliitis very difficult to treat)--I just wanted to give my poor old body a rest from the toxicity. They do work, however you must pay attention to your nutrition while you are on them.
Do your research on every medication you are prescribed!
Hugs and no more friggin headaches for any of us! (Yeah, right)
Capt Deb
