Posted by Danny (208.170.136.110) on August 28, 1999 at 13:08:37:
In Reply to: Excedrin Migraine posted by Steve on August 27, 1999 at 09:16:34:
Sorry so long - -
I have had migranes or I suppose CH since I was 5 years old. Even in a relatively non economically viable family, I insisted that my parents only give me Anacin as nothing else seemed to work.
When I got older, I determined that it was indeed the caffine along with the aspirin which was such a cure for me. Later, I discovered acem...(tylenol) and this only enhanced my pain relief.
Unbelievably, I had headaches most of the time right up until I was about 31. Daily at work, I might have been sick in the morning, but I was always sick in the afternoon and then when I arrived home from work. Plus, I got extra sick on the weekends.
Yet, though all this time, I always got immediate relief with the aspirin and caffine. I have no idea if I got rebound headaches, I just got the headaches like I had for so many years and then got immediate relief when I took something at work.
By the time I got home from work, my treatment consisted of the pills plus a nap of about 30 minutes and I was good to go. I bet I lasted more than 10 years this way. And like I said, I had headaches probably most days since I was 5.
I think self medicating this way, I must have taken 20 or 30 or more pills per week. Also, to save my stomach, I always took it with Cokes, lots of Cokes - on the order of 2 or even 4 liters per day. I was hooked on Cokes - but it was worth it.
I have no idea if I had rebound headaches. Doubt it because I got such excellent relief. And I never went to the doctor because, I actually thought everyone had these kinds of headaches on a daily basis.
Also, my relief varied some depending on the severity of any given headache. But generally, the medicine would take a painful general headache and provide relief for most of it. Like yours, it would leave some pain at the worst areas of a migrane.
My nightmare started when after all those years and all those pills, my stomach finally could not take it any more. And I will tell anyone, if they want relief from aspirin, they absolutely must take it with something - like food and Cokes - that will protect their stomach.
But anyway, after I got so I could not take aspirin, I suffered tremendous pain - constantly. I got so I could not work. I was by this time newly married to a physician - she coordinated all kinds of attempts and I went though all the usual pain killers - in those days it seems that different medicines would provide relief for a few days or weeks and then quit working.
Besides migranes, I also got headaches with the symptoms of CH. In those days, typically, by midmorning, I had gone through some 12 perscription painkillers and all the Tylenol and Advil that was allowable to take. I hated narcotics - if I had used them I certainly would have long since been addicted. I used to maintain a schedule to wait the minimum time before taking a new dose of a given medicine. And, as I said, this was at the same time that I was taking other medicines.
These days, I take Inderol. With the invention of Imitrex and Amerge I have found medicines that provide some reasonable acute relief. But, I suppose with age, I think the underlying severity has decreased.
My opinion is that before Imitex and Amerge, aspirin (along with caffine, acetomycian is a plus) was the only non narcotic drug which provided any real relief for my type of headache.
It is cheap. However, a person must take pains to protect his stomach when using it.
I know nothing of the rebound side - I always got excellent relief. Maybe I got relief from the rebound - I dont know - somehow I dont think I had rebound headaches. My major suffering occured after I lost the ability to take aspirin.
Another thing I must point out - for me allergies play a part. If I did not get my monthly allergy shot, incredibly, the headaches return. Since I take extended Endural, my allergist wants me to forbear taking it 2 days before the shot - this has caused all kinds of problems for me. So I only forbear one day and dont tell him about it.
Also food additives like MSG (Chinese food, quantity restraunts like Quincy's, Golden Corral is notorous) give me tremendous headaches. Around my worst time, I had just started usingdiet drinks - I got much better when I when back to regular sugar sweetener.
So if anyone got this far, for me it was aspirin and caffine and treatment of side items like allergies.