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Coping with Medication Side Effects
Do you take pain meds on a regular basis? Do they cause side effects that make you uncomfortable? Do you get discouraged when it seems you have to take more meds because of the meds you have to take? Now if you read the last question really fast you are probably saying "Hey, wait a minute...what does this mean?"
I get cluster headaches. In fact this spring has been a bad one for me. I have suffered cluster headaches since April 3rd. And I am tired of the pain attacks and the meds I need to take to be comfortable and continue to function. Sometimes I ask myself if the meds I need to take really make me feel better or if they just create a distraction from the pain by producing dizziness, nausea, visual disturbances or dry mouth and sedation? Because of these side effects, I end up taking other meds to calm the side effects down.
The medication I have to take causes me to feel dizzy at times if I stand quickly. My mouth is often dry to the point that carrying on a conversation can be uncomfortable if there isn't a beverage or hard candy close by. But I think the worst feeling is the GE reflux that comes with taking these meds. I often get extreme cases of regurgitation and heartburn that often hurts significantly after the headache pain is gone...The only way to resolve the symptoms is to take an acid reducer or antacids on top of the other meds.
I keep telling myself I won't have to be on these meds for long. The last cluster I had started the last week in September and ended the first week of November, meaning I was able to wean down and off the meds by that time. I figure I will stick it out and maintain these meds as long as they stop the piercing, throbbing and agonizing pain of the clusters. I will trade the need to stand a little slower for the extreme nasal pain and sinus-like pain any day. I will gladly take the antacids if it means the pain will resolve quickly and I can go on with life in spite of these horrible attacks. Hopefully this cluster will resolve soon and I can stop taking these meds.
Related Topics: Acupuncture, Drugs Both Help Migraine, Kids' Headaches: Link to Bad Behavior?
Technorati Tags: cluster headaches, pain medications, sinusitis
I get cluster headaches. In fact this spring has been a bad one for me. I have suffered cluster headaches since April 3rd. And I am tired of the pain attacks and the meds I need to take to be comfortable and continue to function. Sometimes I ask myself if the meds I need to take really make me feel better or if they just create a distraction from the pain by producing dizziness, nausea, visual disturbances or dry mouth and sedation? Because of these side effects, I end up taking other meds to calm the side effects down.
The medication I have to take causes me to feel dizzy at times if I stand quickly. My mouth is often dry to the point that carrying on a conversation can be uncomfortable if there isn't a beverage or hard candy close by. But I think the worst feeling is the GE reflux that comes with taking these meds. I often get extreme cases of regurgitation and heartburn that often hurts significantly after the headache pain is gone...The only way to resolve the symptoms is to take an acid reducer or antacids on top of the other meds.
I keep telling myself I won't have to be on these meds for long. The last cluster I had started the last week in September and ended the first week of November, meaning I was able to wean down and off the meds by that time. I figure I will stick it out and maintain these meds as long as they stop the piercing, throbbing and agonizing pain of the clusters. I will trade the need to stand a little slower for the extreme nasal pain and sinus-like pain any day. I will gladly take the antacids if it means the pain will resolve quickly and I can go on with life in spite of these horrible attacks. Hopefully this cluster will resolve soon and I can stop taking these meds.
Related Topics: Acupuncture, Drugs Both Help Migraine, Kids' Headaches: Link to Bad Behavior?
Technorati Tags: cluster headaches, pain medications, sinusitis
