TBI Headache

[Todayistomorrow]

I've tried a lot of different therapies past 6 years following car accident(Tbone) which resulted in mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Daily symptoms since include
Tension headaches
head pressure
brain fog
sensitivity to light and sound
tight back/neck muscles
numb emotions w/outburst
insomnia
lack of stress tolerance
low exercise tolerance before worsening of symptoms(at same time exercise definitely helps overall mood)
low energy
post convergence insufficency(eye muscles struggle pulling in and tracking objects:20/20 vision though)
A couple of my blood test has shown low Testerone(total T 207, free T 6.4mg). I'm getting a STIM test done next week to assess pituitary function.

I tried ketogenic diet for 6 weeks but that lead to worsening of all my symptoms.

Obviously 6 years out, I've been on a host of medications and supplements, most of which were ineffective or made it worse for me. This lead to being reliant on Vicodin for pain relief(last 2 years) and Ambien for insomnia due to being in constant pain. I'm down to 1 50mg tramadol for pain and weening off my ambien over next 2 months.

I can't help but think there must be a physiologic reason why I have these tension headaches. I have trigger points in my neck that refer pain to my temples. I've done physical therapy, lidocaine injections, facet injections C4-C5 cartilage, Chiropractic adjustments, TMJ mouth device. Nothing works.

It could be that my hormones are the main source of all my complications. Will know more after next week but it could also just be one of many areas I need to address in order to get my life back.

I see aspririn recommended on here a lot. Most OTC does nothing for me though I've noticed maybe small improvement with tylenol-aspirin(320mg) combo. Amitryptaline worked year 1-3 after my car accident, but after I went through major sleep deprivation after my 2nd born, that medication made me more depressed and foggy to function when I tried to restart it.

Would appreciate any thoughts on diet or supplements. Thanks!

 

[Dave Clark]

I mentioned this in some other posts, but have you ever had any atlas orthogonal adjustments? This is where the atlas (C1) and axis (C2) are re-aligned, ususally by an upper cervical chiropractor that specializes in it. Anyone with a head trauma is almost assured to be out of alignment, and since the brain stem goes through these discs, misalignment can cause a host of symptoms that you would never guess could be from it, since the brain stem branches out down the spine to the rest of the body parts. The Goodman Method of Chiropractic
This is who I go to in my area. Do a search and see the remarkable benefits that can come from the procedure. My wife and I were in several car accidents with whiplash and head trauma, so we felt we had to be off, tests showed we were, we got aligned, and have had some major improvements. Also, most regular chiropractors are not trained in atlas orthogonal alignment, I would not let someone do it that doesn't specialize in it. As you can see from my link, that is all Dr. Goodman does, in fact, his father started the business 40 years age and has only treated people on their atlas and axis, he said once you get that aligned, everything down the spine goes into place.

 

[Todayistomorrow]

I mentioned this in some other posts, but have you ever had any atlas orthogonal adjustments? This is where the atlas (C1) and axis (C2) are re-aligned, ususally by an upper cervical chiropractor that specializes in it. Anyone with a head trauma is almost assured to be out of alignment, and since the brain stem goes through these discs, misalignment can cause a host of symptoms that you would never guess could be from it, since the brain stem branches out down the spine to the rest of the body parts. The Goodman Method of Chiropractic
This is who I go to in my area. Do a search and see the remarkable benefits that can come from the procedure. My wife and I were in several car accidents with whiplash and head trauma, so we felt we had to be off, tests showed we were, we got aligned, and have had some major improvements. Also, most regular chiropractors are not trained in atlas orthogonal alignment, I would not let someone do it that doesn't specialize in it. As you can see from my link, that is all Dr. Goodman does, in fact, his father started the business 40 years age and has only treated people on their atlas and axis, he said once you get that aligned, everything down the spine goes into place.

yes This was the first therapy I tried after doing vestibular therapy for a year. Wasn't helpful for me.

One thing I never really understood about chiro's, is that they say your spine is misaligned, but then when i got cervical MRI 6 years later, it was perfectly fine? Is it standard medicine definition of what misalignment really is?

I also went to Brain Carrick Center who did some more adjustments and for me, made me worse off.

 

[Dave Clark]

yes This was the first therapy I tried after doing vestibular therapy for a year. Wasn't helpful for me.

One thing I never really understood about chiro's, is that they say your spine is misaligned, but then when i got cervical MRI 6 years later, it was perfectly fine? Is it standard medicine definition of what misalignment really is?

I also went to Brain Carrick Center who did some more adjustments and for me, made me worse off.

Sorry to hear that. I hope you can find your magic bullet. I wanted to mention the atlas orthogonal in case you weren't aware of it. Every case is different, some people get great results, others have deeper problems that AO can't solve. Goodman told me that he often sees that when the atlas and axis are aligned, the rest of the vertabra fall in line, sort of like a train, if the engine goes left, the cars go left, if the engine goes straight the cars go straight. Goodman told me his father, who practiced for 40 years, never adjusted anything but the AO, said it wasn't necessary, because of the aforementioned reasons. The AO is the only adjustment I will ever get for my back. I wish you good luck on solving your issues.

 

[Todayistomorrow]

Sorry to hear that. I hope you can find your magic bullet. I wanted to mention the atlas orthogonal in case you weren't aware of it. Every case is different, some people get great results, others have deeper problems that AO can't solve. Goodman told me that he often sees that when the atlas and axis are aligned, the rest of the vertabra fall in line, sort of like a train, if the engine goes left, the cars go left, if the engine goes straight the cars go straight. Goodman told me his father, who practiced for 40 years, never adjusted anything but the AO, said it wasn't necessary, because of the aforementioned reasons. The AO is the only adjustment I will ever get for my back. I wish you good luck on solving your issues.

Thanks, I appreciate it. There is definitely a neck component...it’s possible that I didn’t give chiro enough time to work or that I didn’t fully trust the dr making the adjustments. I would get really flush after the adjustment and then felt even more off after...

Since this is multi faceted though, I may need to find specialist in all areas and somehow find the right combo. Feels like the search for el dorado.

 

[Peatful]

Pretty sure that Peat would recommend progesterone.

 

[meatbag]

I've tried a lot of different therapies past 6 years following car accident(Tbone) which resulted in mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Daily symptoms since include
Tension headaches
head pressure
brain fog
sensitivity to light and sound
tight back/neck muscles
numb emotions w/outburst
insomnia
lack of stress tolerance
low exercise tolerance before worsening of symptoms(at same time exercise definitely helps overall mood)
low energy
post convergence insufficency(eye muscles struggle pulling in and tracking objects:20/20 vision though)
A couple of my blood test has shown low Testerone(total T 207, free T 6.4mg). I'm getting a STIM test done next week to assess pituitary function.

I tried ketogenic diet for 6 weeks but that lead to worsening of all my symptoms.

Obviously 6 years out, I've been on a host of medications and supplements, most of which were ineffective or made it worse for me. This lead to being reliant on Vicodin for pain relief(last 2 years) and Ambien for insomnia due to being in constant pain. I'm down to 1 50mg tramadol for pain and weening off my ambien over next 2 months.

I can't help but think there must be a physiologic reason why I have these tension headaches. I have trigger points in my neck that refer pain to my temples. I've done physical therapy, lidocaine injections, facet injections C4-C5 cartilage, Chiropractic adjustments, TMJ mouth device. Nothing works.

It could be that my hormones are the main source of all my complications. Will know more after next week but it could also just be one of many areas I need to address in order to get my life back.

I see aspririn recommended on here a lot. Most OTC does nothing for me though I've noticed maybe small improvement with tylenol-aspirin(320mg) combo. Amitryptaline worked year 1-3 after my car accident, but after I went through major sleep deprivation after my 2nd born, that medication made me more depressed and foggy to function when I tried to restart it.

Would appreciate any thoughts on diet or supplements. Thanks!

Sorry to hear about this man, sounds somewhat similar to my experiences. I really need to get my total T checked out... Here is what Ray had to say when I emailed him awhile back about post concussion problems;

"Pregnenolone and progesterone are the most important things for the after-effects of concussions. Pregnenolone, if it’s pure, doesn’t have any side effects, so it’s safe in large doses. 100 mg per day is usually an effective amount (I took 3000 to 4000 mg per day for a year, with no side effects). Progesterone is usually helpful in moderate, physiological amounts, maybe 20 to 30 mg per day (with food), but more would be o.k. if the effects seem better. The frontal lobes of the brain are involved in focussing attention and planning, and these hormones stabilize the major frontal lobe nerves. Vitamin D and calcium are essential for the protective effects of these hormones, so it would be good to have a vitamin D blood test. Many people, when they don’t get much direct sunlight exposure, need about 5000 i.u. of vitamin D3 per day to keep the blood level around the normal 50 ng/ml.

 

[Todayistomorrow]

Sorry to hear about this man, sounds somewhat similar to my experiences. I really need to get my total T checked out... Here is what Ray had to say when I emailed him awhile back about post concussion problems;

"Pregnenolone and progesterone are the most important things for the after-effects of concussions. Pregnenolone, if it’s pure, doesn’t have any side effects, so it’s safe in large doses. 100 mg per day is usually an effective amount (I took 3000 to 4000 mg per day for a year, with no side effects). Progesterone is usually helpful in moderate, physiological amounts, maybe 20 to 30 mg per day (with food), but more would be o.k. if the effects seem better. The frontal lobes of the brain are involved in focussing attention and planning, and these hormones stabilize the major frontal lobe nerves. Vitamin D and calcium are essential for the protective effects of these hormones, so it would be good to have a vitamin D blood test. Many people, when they don’t get much direct sunlight exposure, need about 5000 i.u. of vitamin D3 per day to keep the blood level around the normal 50 ng/ml.

thank you, I wasn't sure about doses for the pregnenolone and have heard other doctors mention this as well.

My attention, planning, and decision making is really bad. Amantadine helped a little with focus, but didn't completely get rid of the fog and positive effects wore off.

My vitamin D levels were 20, then I started doing 10,000 IU day, it got up to 100 and then cut back to 5,000 and now it's at 50. I didn't notice a difference at all likely due to so many other things bein off.

 

[Peatful]

Just read on functionalps.com
Niacinamide treats TBI
A 2008 study
Worth Googling

 

[meatbag]

I've tried a lot of different therapies past 6 years following car accident(Tbone) which resulted in mild Traumatic Brain Injury. Daily symptoms since include
Tension headaches
head pressure
brain fog
sensitivity to light and sound
tight back/neck muscles
numb emotions w/outburst
insomnia
lack of stress tolerance
low exercise tolerance before worsening of symptoms(at same time exercise definitely helps overall mood)
low energy
post convergence insufficency(eye muscles struggle pulling in and tracking objects:20/20 vision though)
A couple of my blood test has shown low Testerone(total T 207, free T 6.4mg). I'm getting a STIM test done next week to assess pituitary function.

I tried ketogenic diet for 6 weeks but that lead to worsening of all my symptoms.

Obviously 6 years out, I've been on a host of medications and supplements, most of which were ineffective or made it worse for me. This lead to being reliant on Vicodin for pain relief(last 2 years) and Ambien for insomnia due to being in constant pain. I'm down to 1 50mg tramadol for pain and weening off my ambien over next 2 months.

I can't help but think there must be a physiologic reason why I have these tension headaches. I have trigger points in my neck that refer pain to my temples. I've done physical therapy, lidocaine injections, facet injections C4-C5 cartilage, Chiropractic adjustments, TMJ mouth device. Nothing works.

It could be that my hormones are the main source of all my complications. Will know more after next week but it could also just be one of many areas I need to address in order to get my life back.

I see aspririn recommended on here a lot. Most OTC does nothing for me though I've noticed maybe small improvement with tylenol-aspirin(320mg) combo. Amitryptaline worked year 1-3 after my car accident, but after I went through major sleep deprivation after my 2nd born, that medication made me more depressed and foggy to function when I tried to restart it.

Would appreciate any thoughts on diet or supplements. Thanks!

Also check this out, I can say I've certianlly had some digestive issues since I had all my brain injuires and I notice that stuff I eat can easily effect my attention and thinking. Maybe carrot salad, trying to not eat difficult to digest foods, and some activated charcoal might be helpful:
The Brain Damage In Cases Of TBI May Be Partially Driven By Gut Bacteria

Just read on functionalps.com
Niacinamide treats TBI
A 2008 study
Worth Googling

I have seen some of the stuff about niacinamide as well and I do think it is helpful from experience also. Good call

"“Niacinamide is a nutrient that inhibits the release of fatty acids, and it also activates phagocytic activity and lowers phosphate. It protects against the development of scars in the spinal cord injuries, facilitates recovery from traumatic brain injury, and accelerates healing generally. While it generally supports immunity, it’s protective against autoimmunity. It can cause tumor cells to either mature or disintegrate, but it prolongs the replicate life o cultured cells, and protects against excitotoxicity."

"“The same better-late-than-never philosophy can be applied to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other degenerative nerve diseases. Aspirin protects against several kinds of toxicity, including excitotoxicity (glutamate), dopamine toxicity, and oxidative free radical toxicity. Since its effects on the mitochondria are similar to those of thyroid (T3), using both of them might improve brain energy production more than just thyroid. (By activating T3, aspirin can sometimes increase the temperature and pulse rate.) Magnesium, niacinamide, and other nerve protective substances work together.”

“Niacinamide, like progesterone, inhibits the production of nitric oxide, and also like progesterone, it improves recovery from brain injury (Hoane, et al., 2008).”
~Ray Peat, PhD Quotes on Therapeutic Effects of Niacinamide – Functional Performance Systems (FPS)

 

[Gone Peating]

OP what was the tmj mouth device you mentioned? Your symptoms sound just like the ones I had after being hit in the face.

I looked for years for a solution to fix my worsening symptoms. I stumbled upon a dentist who was able to prove I had tmj, that my joints had slipped out of their disks and thus there was nothing to prevent my upper and lower jaw bones from being in constant contact and causing a lot of pain by pinching the nerves that radiate into all of the muscles in the surrounding regions head neck jaw shoulders eyes arms.

Find a dentist who will do an xray and put a piece of equipment on you that monitors your bite to see if your joints really did pop out of their socket. Once they are out they can’t be put back in place. You need splint therapy to create enough room between the jaw bones to stop the impingement

 

[ecstatichamster]

Metergoline is helping my headaches. Reduces serotonin and prolactin. Seems to reduce severity and frequency.

 

[3littlestarrs]

Sorry to hear about this man, sounds somewhat similar to my experiences. I really need to get my total T checked out... Here is what Ray had to say when I emailed him awhile back about post concussion problems;

"Pregnenolone and progesterone are the most important things for the after-effects of concussions. Pregnenolone, if it’s pure, doesn’t have any side effects, so it’s safe in large doses. 100 mg per day is usually an effective amount (I took 3000 to 4000 mg per day for a year, with no side effects). Progesterone is usually helpful in moderate, physiological amounts, maybe 20 to 30 mg per day (with food), but more would be o.k. if the effects seem better. The frontal lobes of the brain are involved in focussing attention and planning, and these hormones stabilize the major frontal lobe nerves. Vitamin D and calcium are essential for the protective effects of these hormones, so it would be good to have a vitamin D blood test. Many people, when they don’t get much direct sunlight exposure, need about 5000 i.u. of vitamin D3 per day to keep the blood level around the normal 50 ng/ml.

Would the dosages be different for a woman for this very same situation? I too had multiple TBIs and still struggle (after 27 years) with these very symptoms. Barometric pressure being my biggest interference to date. I do notice though that hormones (serotonin and T) and massage therapy (vagus nerve stimulation) have always made things better but need help finding long-term, organic means. Mid-cycle hormones always made me feel better too (my entire SELF felt better)..wishing I could have those hormone levels every single day!? Thoughts?