Month: July 2006

Coping, Triggers

Hot

Kerrie Smyres

I have a couple strict rules for myself: 1) Don’t go to Whole Foods, Target or Trader Joe’s after 10 a.m. on Fridays. 2) Don’t run errands if the temperature is higher than 85 degrees. Not only did I break both rules on Friday, when the high was 95 degrees, I went to Whole Foods, Target and Trader Joe’s.

I was hot, my head hurt and I was grumpy. By the time I got home, I was really, really hot; really, really annoyed; and had a really, really bad headache that was probably triggered by the heat. So what did I do? I cleaned the house and worked on my computer (in the hottest room in the house). Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Once I descended into the blissful cool of the basement, I realized just how counterproductive it was to push myself. (OK, I’ve realized this a thousand times already, but it’s a revelation every time.) I had made myself feel worse than when I started and I had no energy for the rest of the day. The sofa in our musty unfinished basement became my friend and I watched baseball on my laptop. All the while stressed because I had to pack to go to my sister’s house the next day.

There’s really no point in continuing the story. I got hot and overdid it on Friday and again on Saturday. I would have done the same on Sunday, but Hart and I hung out in my sister’s air conditioned house while she and her family were at a pool party.

My sister apologized repeatedly for not entertaining us. We were actually perfectly happy — we got to lie around and didn’t think about the housework we weren’t doing because we were three hours from home. And it reminded me again of the lesson I should have learned by now. Don’t push it. It always backfires. Always.

Meds & Supplements, News & Research, Treatment

Serotonin Syndrome: Don’t Panic!

Kerrie Smyres

The FDA issued an alert yesterday about the possibility of serotonin syndrome when people on antidepressants use triptans. Yes, serotonin syndrome is potentially life-threatening. It is also rare under these conditions and is usually caused by high doses of meds.

“Serotonin syndrome can occur when medications are mixed; usually this would require a very high dose of an anti-depressant and injectable Imitrex.  Usual doses of SSRIs and oral or nasal triptans rarely cause the syndrome — there have only been a handful of cases reported,” said Dr. Christina Peterson, a headache specialist and founder of HEADQuarters Migraine Management and Migraine Survival, in an e-mail.

The February/March issue of the HEADQuarters newsletter describes serotonin syndrome, what causes it, its symptoms and who is at risk for it. The newsletter also lists the medications associated with serotonin syndrome.

If you check Google News for “serotonin syndrome,” you’ll find a long list of articles that will likely freak you out. Here’s the Associated Press release that most of the stories are based on. WebMD and the Mayo Clinic have stories that aren’t too alarmist. To really scare yourself, check out the FDA health advisory. It’s all the same information, it’s just presented differently.

If you think you may be at risk for serotonin syndrome, don’t just stop taking your antidepressants. Not only should you get your doctor’s input before making such a decision, you need to taper off antidepressants to avoid withdrawal symptoms (which can include nausea, dizziness, trouble sleeping, shaking or nervousness, sweating, trouble thinking and concentrating).

Community

Blog Stuff

Kerrie Smyres

I’ve added a search box to the blog. It may be more helpful to me than anyone else, but it’s there if you need it. Be sure to switch from the default web search to the blog search.

Also new is the complete archive list. It used to have only the last 10 months on it; now it’s back to June 2005, when I started the blog.

There’s also an Amazon search box at the bottom of the right-hand column. If you search for Amazon items in it and then buy something from Amazon, you’ll help pay for the cost of running this blog.

Coping, Meds & Supplements, Treatment

Tough Girl

Kerrie Smyres

Walking hunched up like a terrified rescue dog, I’m trying to ignore the pain reverberating in my head. It’s a day that I should be reading on the couch, but I have things to get done. They’re small, quiet activities, like packaging up some books I sold through Amazon and moving the basil plant I just bought outside. But this damn pain has me in its grip.

Finally I give in and make some tea. Caffeine might knock it down enough for me to put books in envelopes. The kettle on the stove, I’m struck with a brilliant idea — take some Advil. While no other painkiller or headache abortive does much for me, a small dose of an NSAID, like Advil or Aleve, often brings my headaches down a notch or two.

Yet I rarely take any meds. Whether this is a tough-girl complex or fear of rebound, I don’t know. It’s not like I need to prove to myself that I can handle the pain; that’s confirmed for me every single day. Nor do I have any history of rebound headaches.

I like to think that I save the drugs for when I’m on vacation or have plans with friends. Or when my head is so bad that all I can do is lie in bed and moan. Those aren’t the motivators either. I’m just conditioned to not take meds. Maybe it’s so I have something to be proud of.

Today I don’t have to pretend I’m tough. I take the Advil and drink the tea (and get bonus antioxidants!). I’m still waiting for relief. I may have gotten too far into the migraine for it to make a difference. It’s time to lose myself in a light, fluffy book.

I wrote this yesterday but wasn’t up to posting. After resting and reading for a couple hours, I did feel better. Probably just the course of the headache and not the painkillers or caffeine. In any case, I got the books ready to mail and the basil outside.