Daily Headaches/migraines

[Donnea]

I'm at a loss now.
I had daily headaches upon waking for probably 20 years and I fixed it with the Peat diet. I was great for about 2 years, and now the headaches are back. I have thrown everything at it that I can think of. Trying to keep blood sugar even, making sure I get enough nutrients, including liver.

The headaches are more than just headaches. They are similar to migraines as they effect my eyes, mood, and energy. I'm gaining weight. Aspirin doesn't even touch these headaches. Lisurade seems to take the edge off the headaches, but the rest of my body still feels down.

I struggle through the work day, and then I go to bed when I get home and just rest until it's time to sleep. I avoid social interactions and anything that takes me away from my bed.

Has anyone successfully managed to get rid of headaches like these?

 

[Sucrates]

Similar problem. I'm using 600mg aspirin a few times a day. Doxycycline helps too, 40mg/day. Caffeine. Cyproheptadine. Low dose LSD and Psilocybin seem the most effective things, if they're legal where you are. If I was female I'd load up on progesterone. Taurine seems to be a major trigger.

 

[Donnea]

Thank you Sucrates.
I take aspirin every day and I have tried various doses. I also take Doxycycline right now, and Lisurade I guess is from LSD. I have taken progesterone for years and the last few months I have been mega dosing to see if that would help.
I drink a few cups of really strong coffee every day.

I bought the Lisurade from Idealabs, but I'm a little affraid of it because the bottle says 1 dose is 8 drops. I need much more than that to really curb my headaches. I took 2 drops this morning with no effect. Took another 6 drops an hour later and did feel a reduction in my headache but i would probably have to repeat that dose 3-4 times a day to keep it at bay, and I don't know how ok that is.

I don't know what Psilocybin is, but i will look it I'll. Thanks so much for your response!

 

[ecstatichamster]

are the headaches on one side or another?

 

[Donnea]

Ecstatichamster, today it's on my right side. Base of the scull, right temple and right eye. It travels though. It's never only in one spot or consistently on just one side. Sometimes both sides can be involved at the same time

 

[Sucrates]

Thank you Sucrates.
I take aspirin every day and I have tried various doses. I also take Doxycycline right now, and Lisurade I guess is from LSD. I have taken progesterone for years and the last few months I have been mega dosing to see if that would help.
I drink a few cups of really strong coffee every day.

I bought the Lisurade from Idealabs, but I'm a little affraid of it because the bottle says 1 dose is 8 drops. I need much more than that to really curb my headaches. I took 2 drops this morning with no effect. Took another 6 drops an hour later and did feel a reduction in my headache but i would probably have to repeat that dose 3-4 times a day to keep it at bay, and I don't know how ok that is.

I don't know what Psilocybin is, but i will look it I'll. Thanks so much for your response!

Lisuride is structurally similar to LSD and Psilocibin (in "magic mushrooms"). They don't seem to have the same effect though. Lisuride is a preventative, similar to Cyproheptadine, the other two seem to work as abortives and last from weeks to a year (when they work).

I've been trying to get to the bottom of persistent headaches and migraine for a while, not there yet. One thing seems to be serotonin dilating vessels in the brain, different vessels in different regions have different serotonin receptors. So if one serotonin antagonist isn't effective, another one might be. The book I'm reading at the moment has a chapter on a Japanese herbal preparation that looks useful, it's called choto-san.

There is a trial on low level laser therapy on the back of the nasal cavity ongoing too ( similar to Sphenopalatine Nerve Block). Coldness on the forehead lowers intensity for me, there are gel pads that stay cool for hours.

 

[Xisca]

If you can try any kind of myotherapy or Jones technique, they relax muscles so that the blood can go up freely.
When is probable is that you worked with success on reducing some triggers, but then it is not enough, or the muscle problem increases, and then the threashold changes, and headaches come back.
Where everything goes up to the head, it is very narrow for all blood vessels, nerves...
Of course any stress can also stiffen more the muscles, but only if the problem was already present does it triggers the problem.

Imagine that your house is wet only when it rains, though the tiles are permanently out of place on the roof!
Put the tiles back, and the worse rain will do nothing...

Did you have any things the last year that could have triggered the coming back?

And as you suffered from migraines before, what sort of accidents, fall, surgery, any big pain, problem at birth, twist, broken bone... did you have before the onset of your migraines? As far as you can remember.

 

[Donnea]

Thanks Sucrates.
Yesterday morning I started taking a rather large dose of theanine divided in 3 doses.
I actually didn't have a headache when I woke up this morning. I am taking it again today and have had 2 doses so far and no headache. I feel absolutely exhausted though, but that's fine. If you are running on stress hormones and suddenly lowers them, of course you'd get tired.

It's way too early to say of course, but theanine is supposed to lower seratonin and increase dopamine quite effectively so I'm hoping this will help me going forward.

Coldness on the forehead eases it for me a bit also. For me thought it isn't even the headaches that is the worst. It's the rest of it. The sensitivity to light, the very low mood, the need for isolation, the lethargy and the feeling of just being "compressed" and the inability to function.

 

[Donnea]

Thanks Xisca.
I find that light force chiropractic works great on my headaches (that's all it does though. It isn't good for adjusting anything else, i find).
I can't go to the chiropractor every day though .

I also get massage every 2 weeks as well as accupuncture for the past 6 months. It doean't seem to do much for my headaches I'm afraid.

I have never had any broken bones or injuries that would explain my headaches. I have always been prone to headaches though, even as a kid. And it would be the same type of headaches back then as i get now. The whole body, personality changing headaches. When I'm "normal" I'm a very outgoing and positive person. I'm the one who gets things done. When I have these headaches, being around people pisses me off and I have no patience and I have no will to do anything. Things that I would normally find important becomes un important.

 

[Sucrates]

Those mood changes indicate serotonin. Lysine might be worth trying after you figure out the effect of theanine.

 

[ecstatichamster]

IF you have headaches on a side or another, and if chiro can help it, then you probably have a cervicogenic headache. It makes you feel terrible but does not have haloes and the migraine stuff.

See this
Cured My Headaches

 

[Donnea]

Thanks Sucrates, I will look into Lysine as well. I have never tried it. Placing an order tonight

 

[Donnea]

Ecstatichamster thanks.
Regular chiro doesn't help only the light force chiropractic (the clicker thingy). I do get all the other stuff associated with migraines- throwing up, a heavy 'aura", eye problems, and lethargy etc. Sometimes those symptoms are worse than the headache part itself. I also do see a fantastic chiropractor right now for something else as well. I'm glad you found relief that way though! That's awesome!

 

[Donnea]

Sucrates- you said that you are struggling with headaches as well. What seems to have worked best for you? And what is your theory about why you are getting your headaches?

 

[Donnea]

Xisia- sorry, I just realized that I didn't answer your question properly. I have gone through some really stressful events over the last 2 years, and I think all the stress has finally caught up with me. I think it just pushed me over the edge,,i just can't seem to get back to normal

 

[Sucrates]

Sucrates- you said that you are struggling with headaches as well. What seems to have worked best for you? And what is your theory about why you are getting your headaches?

200mg doxycycline will kill it dead for 36 hrs. I don't think that's safe long term, it lowers respiration in a dose dependent manner. The decrease in cytokines is pretty high at 20-40mg and ABX resistance isn't shown at that dose. At that dose the suppression isn't as potent. Aspirin is the other thing I use. 600mg 3-4x/day

Tetracycline has been positively studied with "NDPH" at 2x100mg, but that was for months at a time.

I'm not sure of the cause of my headaches, yet.

 

[tara]

Hi,
I'm still struggling with frequent migraines. (I have a long log, meaning to update it.)
I use triptans when they get beyond point of no return - usually effective, but I have concerns about frequent use, so I don't necessarily recommend. Have tried various supplements and other tactics, and do use pharmaceuticals, some of which I don't know Peat's views on.

I found small amounts of coffee sometimes interrupted/deferred a headache or migraine, but seems to generally make them worse after a while. I think the withdrawal was hitting me harder than any benefit I was getting from it. I expect cutting back coffee would give nasty withdrawal, but it's possible the coffee might be contributing to the problem - I know others who report this too. Or it might not - different effects for different people.

Have you got good bowel transit time? Eating grated carrot or sth to carry old bile out?

Not getting dehydrated? This one can get me now and then.

Thyroid function/body temps/base metabolism in cooey of normal?

Getting all the essential minerals and vitamins? For me, if I go too low on fruits and veges for a few days it seems to be a factor to leave me more vulnerable. I'm guessing Mg and/or potassium.

Breathing through nose at night?

I guess you've considered some of the more common trigger foods (not that they are all triggers for all migraineurs, just some of them are for some people.) For me aged cheeses seem to be risky, and maybe chocolate (though for me I think it gets me in withdrawal rather than when I actually eat it). Some people do better minimising old or fermented foods, eg yogurt. Some people have trouble with citrus, or eggs. I have not had it in me to do a rigorous food elimination diet, but you might be able to notice some kind of pattern about particular foods?

Good luck.

 

[northwoodsgal]

New here, with background in health research and getting up to speed on Ray Peat's fabulous work. I suffer from nearly an exact headache description of Donnea. I'm somewhere in between cluster headaches and migraines with additional good time party of occipital neuralgia.

Donnea, neurological issues have vast etiology, and as others have posted could be many things. Figuring out the root cause and the triggers by taking great notes on your behavior is your best bet. If you don't have other underlying health issues, usual culprits of triggering migraine/cluster headache are: medication side effects, neck, back, spinal issues, hypertension, stress, food, changes in blood sugar, dehydration (even if it's mild), vitamin deficiencies, hormone spikes (for women, their menstrual cycle or perimenopause), weather changes, sleep cycle changes (too much sleep, too little sleep), under eating/overeating, alcohol, scents, noises, caffeine and overheating. Not sure of the Peat research on this, so I'll have to check it but I've successfully reduced my headaches with high doses of B-2 and magnesium, in addition to adding in Melatonin (at night), Butterbur, Feverfew, Coenzyme Q10, 5HTP, fish oil, and a great multi vitamin. Other research has supported the use of these supplements, so I'm experimenting on myself and so far so good. My headaches and pain during headaches has reduced significantly. As another mentioned, I also use sumatriptan 100mg as a last resort and it works great if I use it before the full pain kicks in. Regular OTC pain meds will absolutely not work on me unless I catch the headache very early by noticing preliminary prodrome/aura signs.

If you notice symptoms early (before the sharp pain), I would also suggest drinking A LOT of water. If your body rejects that and you start bloating from so much water, try ginger tea or a daily enzyme. Also, oddly a combination of VERY cold on my neck using an ice pack while simultaneously warming my stomach with a heating pad works well. If you are open to less natural approach... I find that an aka seltzer extra strength plus 1 aspirin works, or just 3 regular strength aspirin (975 mg - NOT on an empty stomach). Diphenhydramine 50 mg works for me, in addition to putting me to sleep, as that is the best way to end the cycle for me. Also: the stuff is nasty and I don't recommend for long term use as it will cause rebound headaches (MOHs) but Excedrin Migraine or any other combo of aspirin/acetaminophen/caffeine typically works very effectively. It's not a good long term solution and will whack out your CNS but great in a pinch if you have to urgently pull it together.

Looks like you've tried a lot of things and possibly are taking too much aspirin regularly rather than higher doses minimally for acute attacks only. Using aspirin more than 3 times per week can cause rebound headaches in people prone to it. Possibly your hormones have changed as well? Especially if you've been headache free, then returned and you've ruled out the other environmental factors. My headaches worsened with age and are clearly correlated with hormone spikes. I tried high does of progesterone and it didn't work for me. Lastly, I get cluster headaches/migraines so regularly that I use a smart phone app to track them. There are a bunch of good ones and most have some resource suggestions to help. It's the tracking, even if its overwhelming, that will help you get a handle on it. I know how overwhelming it is. Stay strong. It gets better!

 

[Sucrates]

I think coffee or caffeine treats the symptom, cerebral vasodilation. Withdrawal simply leaves the problem untouched, rather than causing ti to get worse. Have you heard of/used the herbal Choto-San @tara ?

 

[tara]

I think coffee or caffeine treats the symptom, cerebral vasodilation. Withdrawal simply leaves the problem untouched, rather than causing ti to get worse. @tara ?

Yes to treating the vasodilation - a good thing. And I do believe it's really helpful for some people.

My experience has been that coffee has several times given me temporary relief, but often has left me with more intractable migraines than I get without the coffee. I think there might also be a component of speeding up metabolism temporarily and then leaving it more sluggish than it was previously when it wears off. Possibly some extra stress response gets mixed in in some circumstances, and maybe it also gives an extra job to the liver or some other system that gets a bit overloaded. I'm speculating. But I know more than one other person who has told me that they get headaches if the drink too much coffee, and not if they stay away from it or keep it to smaller amounts. I know that's not everyone, just some people. It's only relevant if it actually works like that for a particular person, I'm not suggesting everyone or all migraineurs should avoid it. It's also possible that if I changed other factors for myself I would get different effects.

Have you heard of/used the herbal Choto-San @tara ?

I've never heard of it till I saw you mention it in an other thread recently. Thanks for the tip. I'll take a look and see if it's available locally.