Fioricet with Codeine for headaches - Opinions?

[Dedpuhl]

They were all negative. All tests indicate I should be perfectly healthy, etc.

I've never had an angiogram but I will ask the neuro about this on Friday.

 

[Gibsons]

You're right to be worried about the Fioricet. Barbituates are addictive and easy to OD with.

Good luck with the neurologist.

 

[eits]

To answer some of the other peeps, I've been to a chiro and they didn't help. I've been to a voodoo doctor for Acupuncture and that didn't help.

I've been given so many different prescriptions for headaches that I've honestly lost track. I'd have to look back at my prescription files to see. IIRC, only one was a muscle relaxer. The rest were geared towards migraines and complex headaches. I would say that the meds are causing continual withdrawals, but I did nothing for the headaches for months and still felt the same.

This 29-day stint with Fioricet is my first time using something with a narcotic. I'm going to a neurologist (DO) on Friday to get a 100th opinion on what to do...

where do you live? i'll try and find a good one. sometime i find that people often go to just any chiropractor without doing any research (and why would they without knowing they should?).

also, do you happen, by chance, to have any x-rays or anything that you might be able to scan and email me?

 

[BoomerD]

Even though I'm generally a supporter of the Chiropractic black arts, chiropractic never helped my headaches much. I believe it's more-or-less limited to headaches that are caused by neck pain/alignment issues and such. (I'm sure eits will correct me on this)

 

[eits]

Even though I'm generally a supporter of the Chiropractic black arts, chiropractic never helped my headaches much. I believe it's more-or-less limited to headaches that are caused by neck pain/alignment issues and such. (I'm sure eits will correct me on this)

there is such a thing as being too messed up to treat chiropractically. some people have too much degeneration or too much distortion to feel relief. for example, certain people with large angles of scoliosis will never get relief by chiropractic care... they need harrington rods. there's just a limit to what chiropractic can do.

that's why i asked for x-rays of the op and asked where the op lived so i could see whether chiropractic is a potential option (from a good, competent, skilled chiropractor in the op's area).

i'm on the fence about pliablemoose's suggestion to inquire about an angio. i guess it can't hurt, but the fact that it's been a constant problem for 11 years leads me to believe that it's kind pointless to get the angio (if it comes back negative, they'll prescribe pills for pain... if it comes back positive for narrow arteries, they'll still prescribe pills for pain). if a ct and mri came back negative, then the chances of the angio coming back positive for something treatable without long-term medication use is slim, in my opinion.

 

[shortylickens]

I never thought codeine was so hot.
Percocet for the MFW!

 

[Dedpuhl]

I don't have any of my records. All that is with my GP and hospital.

I'll go with the neurologist one more time and see what she says. If it's another dead end, I'll see about going to a chiro.

 

[eits]

I don't have any of my records. All that is with my GP and hospital.

I'll go with the neurologist one more time and see what she says. If it's another dead end, I'll see about going to a chiro.

fair enough. good plan.

 

[Pliablemoose]

They were all negative. All tests indicate I should be perfectly healthy, etc.

I've never had an angiogram but I will ask the neuro about this on Friday.

If the other imaging tests were negative, really the only other thing that a cerebral angiogram would do is identify if you have a vasospasm issue, by injecting drugs to induce a spasm. (narrowed arteries would likely have already been picked up with an MRI/CT with contrast)

Dunno what to tell you, although I would suggest staying away from the chiropractors, their ultimate goal is to get you to make a standing appointment with them for "adjustments"

Seeing as how there aren't any joints inside your head other than the spine & jaw, I think they're marketing snake oil for headaches.

I'll readily admit some conditions are treatable by a visit to a chiropractor, however, IMHO, headaches are really stretching it...

I caught a lecture from a neurologist some time ago and his comment on headaches was that you need to find out the cause and fix it asap because it'll just get worse, same for chronic pain, in my experience.

The problem with chronic pain is that a feedback loop for pain is screwed up and being stimulated all the time, think of a small creek that turns into a river as more and more water begins to run through it, your nervous system starts to trigger continuously after a time, and honestly, it may be too late to fix it.

Were you a family member I'd strongly suggest:

-keep the neurologist appt, follow their advice
-if neurologist is not helpful, start learning about chronic pain
-find a support group
-consider short term antidepressants
-learn to meditate (find a book or group to help with this)

Since this is ATOT, I think the problem may also be solved by posting pics of your mother if she's near my age and hot

 

[Zebo]

Opeth? I think I see your problem.


Seriously dude, run 7 miles a day you'll never have another headaahe again. I have not had one in 10 years or been sick. Used to have both problems.. I down multi vitamins packs, emegenC, and supplements 3x a day tho.

 

[Zebo]

If the other imaging tests were negative, really the only other thing that a cerebral angiogram would do is identify if you have a vasospasm issue, by injecting drugs to induce a spasm. (narrowed arteries would likely have already been picked up with an MRI/CT with contrast)

Dunno what to tell you, although I would suggest staying away from the chiropractors, their ultimate goal is to get you to make a standing appointment with them for "adjustments"

Seeing as how there aren't any joints inside your head other than the spine & jaw, I think they're marketing snake oil for headaches.

I'll readily admit some conditions are treatable by a visit to a chiropractor, however, IMHO, headaches are really stretching it...

I caught a lecture from a neurologist some time ago and his comment on headaches was that you need to find out the cause and fix it asap because it'll just get worse, same for chronic pain, in my experience.

The problem with chronic pain is that a feedback loop for pain is screwed up and being stimulated all the time, think of a small creek that turns into a river as more and more water begins to run through it, your nervous system starts to trigger continuously after a time, and honestly, it may be too late to fix it.

Were you a family member I'd strongly suggest:

-keep the neurologist appt, follow their advice
-if neurologist is not helpful, start learning about chronic pain
-find a support group
-consider short term antidepressants
-learn to meditate (find a book or group to help with this)

Since this is ATOT, I think the problem may also be solved by posting pics of your mother if she's near my age and hot

blah blah blah.. Physician heal thyself. People underestimate the effects of modern sedentary lifestyle which is to blame for almost everything. Lack of sleep, depression, headaches etc etc etc body was not made to live life we do and is reacting.

 

[KaOTiK]

Without going into a long thing about everything I went through I'll keep it short. I had sharp head pain that wasn't the normal headache or migraine pain for around 6 months. The pain was on the high end of the scale and never eased off. As you know or should know pain killers are bad for headaches due to the high chance of rebound headaches that are worst then the initial one. So I went through a ton of treatments and we finally found one that worked.

The stuff is called Dihydroergotamine, DHE for short. My neurologist first gave me a script for it in pill form (has to be made at special pharmacy as it is imported from Europe and the capsules are filled by hand so no Walgreens or other normal place will have it). The pills helped a lot, bringing the pain down from say around 8 out of 10 down to 4-5.

After doing some reading and research as best I could. I found that this DHE comes in a IV forum as well and is more potent. So after talks with the Dr he agreed and we setup for having a home nurse come and administer the IV of DHE (twice a day if I remember correctly possibly 3).

I can not recall without getting my paperwork for the whole ordeal how long the IV treatment went on but I want to say it it was for 3 days but I may be wrong.

Anyways, when the treatment was done the pain was gone. It has been almost 6 months since I had it.

If you want to know more you can PM me, I understand what you are going through though from what it sounds like mine was much more intense and painful and it made it so I couldn't do any normal day to day activities for the 6 months it went on.

 

[Zebo]

I'm almost 40 and think it's hilarious and sad walking into friends bathrooms and seeing 40 pill bottles lining sink,whining about this issue or that, back issues with guts hanging out,,,their parents dying at 65 while my dad is 72 and runs everyday and still gets in bar fights if he wants and wins. Better watch going to doctors they'll mess you up invariably repeat customer when you can fix it on your own. I go if bones are sticking out of leg thats about it.

 

[ShawnD1]

I didn't read the thread but I did a search for "dentist" and didn't find anything.

OP, have you seen a dentist about this? Fucked up teeth can cause chronic headaches. Impacted teeth in particular are bad for causing headaches and migraines.

Another one that can cause chronic pain is when people clench or grind their teeth without realizing it. Has your dentist ever said anything about strange wear patterns on your teeth?

I’ve had a constant, dull headache for about 11 years now. I would describe the intensity as 5 out of 10. It bothers me and it has a moderate impact on my ability to function “normally.” In the morning, the feeling is slightly worse (6); however, it tapers off once I start getting ready for work. I’ve been to several docs, including 2 neurologists, and they have no idea what the problem is. I’ve had CAT scans and MRIs. Everything seems normal.

Worse in the morning because you were clenching your teeth while you were asleep? Then you stop clenching when you are awake.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

blah blah blah.. Physician heal thyself. People underestimate the effects of modern sedentary lifestyle which is to blame for almost everything. Lack of sleep, depression, headaches etc etc etc body was not made to live life we do and is reacting.

So what did moose say which is incorrect? Not a damn thing. Contrary to the implication not everything is due to inactivity, although our suicidal society puts stresses on us from which there is no release all too often.

Well, unless he's going to relocate to a place where siestas are common then he has to deal. Besides, what's really going on? I've no idea.



OP, my professional training tells me that you cannot rely on this medication for more than short term relief to act as a bridge between now and some other therapy.

Fioricet and Fioricet with codeine cause rebound headaches. It's intended to be used for acute headaches. Since you have a chronic condition the temptation will be to take it on a continual basis. If you do you will (not might) come to the point that it becomes ineffective but worse, when you stop it you'll want to shoot yourself like never before. Then you'll take the drug just to keep that from happening and you are trapped. That's a bad thing.

There are other treatment modalities than medications like these, but you need to find a clinic with experts not just in neurology but with the various aspects of diagnosing and treating headaches. As moose said anti-depressants are helpful at times. Sometimes gabapentin. Other times accupuncture or accupressure are superior. Treatment is entirely patient specific.

 

[ShawnD1]

OP, have you seen a doctor specializing in the spine? Not a chiropractor, but an actual medical doctor? They are called orthopedic doctors.

You've already been to an unlicensed bone cruncher, and that's cool, but it's time to step it up to a real medical doctor who crunches bones. They cost a lot more but it might be worth a shot! My cousin swears by them since one fixed his chronic back pain simply by moving some bone in his neck.

 

[Zebo]

Sure not everything you fall off a horse and break ribs it's not inactiiviny. You're born diabetics not inactivity. But 99% of the drugs behind your counter is. Heart medicines, sleeping piills, anti depressants, pain killers etc can all be remedied or been prevented in the first place with a strenous daily aerobic. That's hard it's murder sometimes when it's snow on the ground or 105 degrees so people cop out and wreck themselves over time and come see you.. OP try running HRM @ 75% MHR for 1 hour a day and get back to me. I guarantee no more headaches. You're talking to someone who used to take 16 asprins a day. Edit: I also had some weird jaw pain that went away too.

 

[Pliablemoose]

blah blah blah.. Physician heal thyself. People underestimate the effects of modern sedentary lifestyle which is to blame for almost everything. Lack of sleep, depression, headaches etc etc etc body was not made to live life we do and is reacting.

Next time I work with a baby that has metastatic cancer & is dying I'll refer them to you, deal?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Sure not everything you fall off a horse and break ribs it's not inactiiviny. You're born diabetics not inactivity. But 99% of the drugs behind your counter is. Heart medicines, sleeping piills, anti depressants, pain killers etc can all be remedied or been prevented in the first place with a strenous daily aerobic. That's hard it's murder sometimes when it's snow on the ground or 105 degrees so people cop out and wreck themselves over time and come see you.. OP try running HRM @ 75% MHR for 1 hour a day and get back to me. I guarantee no more headaches. You're talking to someone who used to take 16 asprins a day.

There is nothing wrong with increasing physical activity in most cases. Now what if his headaches are due to elevated intracranial pressure? Is exercise beneficial or contraindicated? How do you know? Why does he have it to begin with? Tumor? Anatomical defect?

You have to know what is causing a problem before you decide how to "fix" it.

The saying is " When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail".

 

[Zebo]

Next time I work with a baby that has metastatic cancer & is dying I'll refer them to you, deal?

If he had cancer my advice would be different and modern marvels of medicine can take over. He has inactivity disease tho screwing up all body systems. See it everyday at my age. People say 'good genetics' I wanna say no fucktards I work for it and it pisses me off to see you walk around track with a water biottle thinking you are doing something while I'm dying. But I don't in RL.

 

[Pliablemoose]

If he had cancer my advice would be different and modern marvels of medicine can take over. He has inactivity disease tho screwing up all body systems. See it everyday at my age. People say 'good genetics' I wanna say no fucktards I work for it and it pisses me off to see you walk around track with a water biottle thinking you are doing something while I'm dying. But I don't in RL.

Glad you have it all sorted out...

 

[Zebo]

There is nothing wrong with increasing physical activity in most cases. Now what if his headaches are due to elevated intracranial pressure? Is exercise beneficial or contraindicated? How do you know? Why does he have it to begin with? Tumor? Anatomical defect?

You have to know what is causing a problem before you decide how to "fix" it.

The saying is " When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail".

He's already been tested for anomalies I thought? Doctor said GTG. Of course you're right if he has a defect just like you don;'t run with a broken leg.

Well most of the time. I had this done a few months ago as a tune up on an old fracrure as pain was unbearable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKeJd0j2J4E

 

[cherrytwist]

I've had headaches nearly every day since my teens. Sinus headaches, stress headaches, and migraines with visual auras (remember having these as a child.)

I pretty much eat advil and tylenol on a daily basis, alternating the two. I get rebound headaches as a result, but without those are much less severe than when I don't take meds. I cannot take aspirin due to another health issue and have been to several physicians, neurologists, pain treatment facility, etc.

Unfortunately, it does affect my quality of life, but it's something I've chosen to deal with as I am currently. Other meds would likely upset the balance of the meds I'm taking (all nine of them).

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

He's already been tested for anomalies I thought? Doctor said GTG. Of course you're right if he has a defect just like you don;'t run with a broken leg.

He seems to have had a lot of consultations, however it's not certain that he's had a proper evaluation. Three things which can be absolute nightmares to diagnose correctly are certain skin conditions, food allergies and headaches.

You might be completely correct that exercise may benefit, especially if it's due in large part to chronic stress, which is entirely possible. What Moose was suggesting is that a study be done to make sure there is no structural defect in the circulatory system that is causing the problem. Not to creep the OP out, but a slow growing tumor may put pressure on tissue and increase the pressure within the skull. If that's the case there might be something waiting to pop. That's really really bad. Exercise in this case could kill him since the nature of it increases blood pressure for the short term. Perversely perhaps this increases cardiovascular health in the long run, but if you are a runner, you may have heard of Jim Fixx. The OP doesn't want to wind up like him.

You aren't automatically wrong about increasing activity being beneficial, but we don't have a complete patient history here. There's a lot which we don't know and so "first do no harm" applies.

 

[Zebo]

Definity check it throughly if not done so - hate to give wrong impression that I'm anti doctor or medicine all I'm saying is we rely on it too much rather than keeping our bodies fit in many cases. Often Treating symptoms rather than cause and side effects they bring. In sum we agree.

Interesting you mentioned food allergies. I went through barium enemas,giardia testing etc and about $15,000 later my friend not doctor said have you tried not drinking milk.. sure enough.