a candid look at managing and living with headaches & migraines

• Home
• About

Archive for February, 2007

OTC Pain Meds & High Blood Pressure

Over-the-counter pain meds raise the risk of high blood pressure — for men as well as women. A recent study indicates that all painkillers are potential culprits, they include:

Acetaminophen: Anacin, Tylenol, Vanquish
Aspirin: Bayer, Bufferin
NSAIDs: Advil, Aleve, Motrin

This is yet more proof that over-the-counter does not mean safe. Some other problems with OTC painkillers are [...]

Grand Rounds at Musings of a Dinosaur

This week’s Grand Rounds is up at Musings of a Dinosaur.
Not familiar with this blog carnival? It’s a weekly glimpse into the medical blogosphere. You can find the Grand Rounds archives on Blogborygmi.

Serotonin Syndrome

Serotonin syndrome, a drug poisoning caused by excessive serotonin in the brain, has made the news again. This is a serious drug reaction that people who take SSRI antidepressants and/or triptans should be aware of. Despite the hype, rest assured that serotonin syndrome is rare in people with headache.
The most important step to prevent serotonin [...]

From the Archives: Caffeine & Headaches

This post is from September 29, 2006.

Caffeine is often cited as a headache trigger, but it can be an effective abortive too. Many headache medicines even contain caffeine. Some books say to avoid caffeine at all costs, others warn that you not go over two cups a day.
As with every other headache treatment, it seems, [...]

“Herbal Supplement 100% Effective Against Migraines”

A headline like this is sure to raise my eyebrows, even when the results are “clinically proven.” Especially then. Come on, no treatment, no matter what it is, is 100% effective.
After listing potential side effects of Western medication (which included vague complaints that are common in everyday life), Migra-Zen’s makers wrote, “Fortunately, consumers don’t have [...]

Medical Marijuana Group Suing US Government

Medical marijuana* activist group Americans for Safe Access is suing two federal health agencies for arguing that marijuana has no medical benefit. Activists maintain that these are “false and misleading” statements.
Decriminalization of marijuana is not the goal of the lawsuit. Instead, the ASA wants “to get a federal agency simply to acknowledge that pot can [...]

Tonight: Live Webcast on Women & Migraine

Why Do Women Get More Migraines Than Men? is the topic of tonight’s HealthTalk-hosted webcast. Headache specialists Christina Peterson and Dawn Marcus will discuss this sex disparity and treatments that are particularly helpful for women.
Listener questions will be answered, but you have to register in advance to submit a question (I have no idea how [...]

Grand Rounds at Pure Pedantry

This week’s Grand Rounds is up at Pure Pedantry.
Not familiar with this blog carnival? It’s a weekly glimpse into the medical blogosphere. You can find the Grand Rounds archives on Blogborygmi.

Feeling Loved

Some friends stayed with us this weekend while they were in town at a conference. C ditched the conference yesterday to cook for me. She did all the prep, cooking and clean up. Chicken pot pies, meatloaf, twice-baked potatoes, pasta sauce and chicken enchiladas are in our freezer, waiting to be heated up when we [...]

Your Headache Stories: Laura’s Success

Seroquel has proven a successful headache preventive for Laura of Headaches and Movies. After a year of being totally incapacitated, she is fully functional — working, moving out of her parents’ house and going out with her “awesome roommate.”
As always, everyone’s body is different. What works for one person may not work for others. Even [...]