a - therapy for headache

[Guest guest]

a, I wish someone had told me about ice therapy for headaches a long time ago. Since I've been having so many migraines, which I think are being triggered by sinus inflammation, I've been desperate to find something that works. I recently started icing the back of my neck and rubbing small pieces of ice directly on my face, temples, forehead, and got a remarkable reduction in pain. The duration of the headaches was much shorter, too, even without the aid of migraine meds. Plus, I could semi-function (meaning I didn't necessarily have to be in a pitch dark room with no noise and could avoid throwing up, etc. Since this was working well, and I found the more ice the better, I began wrapping bags of crushed ice in thin towells and trying to tie them all over my head and holding them on my face (even

though I don't have face pain). As long as the ice stayed on, the pain was tremendously reduced. But it was a ton of work keeping it all in place & dealing with leaking water, especially when you've got a headache. Without the ice, though, I'd never have been able to function enough to even make the ice packs. So I started looking for something a little easier to use and came up with some pretty remarkable products which I've posted below. If the photos don't show, just click on the links and you'll see a forehead/neck wrap. A face wrap. And the second link shows an entire head wrap. http://www.painreliever.com/Headache-12.html http://www.icewraps.net/neck-ice-wraps.html I bought all three, because like I said, I found the more ice coverage, the better. I even think that possibly wearing these while sitting in a warm bath might work even faster. If I were you, I'd try putting ice on

your head/temples/face and back of your neck (you can also try putting your feet in a warm tub). If it's as effective in reducing your inflammation/swelling/pain as it is mine, then think about investing in these gel packs with the velcro closures so that you don't have to deal with all the work of keeping stuff tied onto your head, leaking ice, etc. I think that once inflammation starts it becomes self perpetuating and is hard to stop (and may be why migraine meds often only work at the very first sign of migraine). In my case the ice therapy actually is able to interrupt and abort the inflammatory loop. In the back of my head, I'm hoping I can retrain my nerves to not be so sensitive, as I've read that there are imaging studies that have shown that once your headaches become chronic, your brain/nerves actually change as if they've been reprogrammed to overreact to inflammation.

Perhaps by using this kind of therapy, we can program our brains back to their original, less sensitive state. It's a cheap experiment, and most likely safer than a lot of meds. I highly recommend trying it. Like I said, I wish someone had emphasized this to me a long time ago, as a wole lot of people get relief with ice. pennypjeanneus <pj7@...> wrote: I will be most interested in the scientificly minded folks' reaction to this

article on Lyrica for fms. My latest fiasco of treatment for my head pressure was a neuro who decided I have tension headaches. He prescribed, guess what, Lyrica. I read that when you stop it intracranial pressure will increase. Also, if you note one side effect seems to be fluid retention and weight gain. IF indeed I have intracranial hypertension I cannot imagine a WORSE DRUG TO TAKE. (Needless to say, I did not take this drug which is very expensive even with health insurance.) Furthermore, I cannot see where it fixes the underlying cause of anything. Am I missing something?Thanks for any replies,a>> Well, I guess at least it's good to know that FMS is starting to be taken seriously as a real illness, even if they don't know what it is.> > http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118245956340043894.html?mod=googlenews_wsj> > FDA Approves Pfizer's Lyrica> For Treatment of Fibromyalgia By JENNIFER CORBETT DOOREN> June 21, 2007 5:16 p.m.> > WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Pfizer Inc.'s Lyrica to treat fibromyalgia, a poorly understood pain disorder.> The approval marks the first time a drug has been approved for fibromyalgia, which is believed to affect three to six million Americans, mostly women. Fibromyalgia is marked by widespread muscle pain, tenderness and fatigue. The condition traditionally has been treated with a mix of painkillers and antidepressants.> Lyrica, already on the market to treat nerve pain associated with diabetes and shingles, is designed to interfere with damaged nerves that

cause pain. The drug had $1.2 billion in world-wide sales last year, and has been used by about five million people.> The FDA granted Lyrica priority review status, which cuts four months off the standard 10-month drug review time and is reserved for treatments the agency deems an advance over existing therapies on the market.> The approval was good news for Pfizer, which on Wednesday saw the FDA delay approval of its proposed HIV drug maraviroc. Pfizer also announced Wednesday it had ended development of a lung cancer compound, PF-3512676 for lack of effectiveness.> Romano, a vice president in Pfizer's global medical division, said Lyrica appears to "dampen" the hyperexcitability of the central nervous system.> The FDA said Lyrica reduces pain and improves daily functions for some patients with fibromyalgia.> "Today's new approval marks an important advance, and provides a reason for

optimism for the many patients who will receive pain relief with Lyrica," said Galson, the director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. However, he cautioned that not everyone on the clinical studies experience a benefit from Lyrica.> The FDA said two studies involving about 1,800 patients, support approval for use in treating fibromyalgia with doses of 300 milligrams or 450 milligrams per day. Pfizer had also studied a higher 600-milligram dose for Lyrica.> One of the studies involving Lyrica lasted about three months and involved about 750 patients who were assigned to a 600-milligram, 450-milligram or 300-milligram dose of Lyrica or a placebo. It showed that 30% of patients on the highest dose had a 50% or more reduction in pain, as measured by a commonly used index, compared with 27% on the middle dose, 24% at the lowest dose and 15% on placebo, or a fake pill.> The most common

side effects of Lyrica included dizziness and sleepiness. Blurred vision, weight gain, dry mouth, and swelling of the hands and feet also were reported in clinical trials, and the FDA said side effects appeared to be dose related.> The FDA said Pfizer has agreed to study Lyrica in children with fibromyalgia as well as a study in breastfeeding women.> Write to Corbett Dooren at jennifer.corbett-dooren@...>