Migraine

Does anyone use muscle relaxants as part of their preventive regimen? I've been told stress is my primary trigger and I've also been told by physical therapists that I show signs of extreme tension in the neck, shoulders, and upper back.

Since this is the case, if I take a muscle relaxant, could it possibly help alleviate a headache from arising and/or a headache triggering a migraine?

Yes, I may seem like I'm grasping at straws here, but I have to get well or lose my job (and my health insurance) very quickly (FMLA not an option). Thanks for sharing any of your experiences!

Bella,

I guess you could say that Zanaflex is part of my preventive regimen for two reasons...

• I take it at night for a sleep disorder, and messed up sleep is a Migraine trigger for me.
  
• If I don't nip a tension-type headache in the bud, it can trigger a Migraine. When I notice a TTH starting in my neck and shoulders, I take some Zanafles, and grab my TENS unit.

Without the Zanaflex, I'd definitely have more Migraines.

quote:

Originally posted by Teri Robert:
Bella,

I guess you could say that Zanaflex is part of my preventive regimen for two reasons...

• I take it at night for a sleep disorder, and messed up sleep is a Migraine trigger for me.
  
• If I don't nip a tension-type headache in the bud, it can trigger a Migraine. When I notice a TTH starting in my neck and shoulders, I take some Zanafles, and grab my TENS unit.

Without the Zanaflex, I'd definitely have more Migraines.

I'm with you on the TTH trigger. Uggggh. Skelaxin is now a good friend to me... Unfortunately, the muscle spasms are still continuing 3 months post- accident. The increase in migraines since the muscle spasms started is so dramatic that friends have noticed that I've started begging off from things due to migraines again. (In fact... just did so on dinner plans- I'm not driving ANYWHERE tonight!)

I take Flexeril, a muscle relaxer. I also go to massage therapy and get Botox. Dr. Botox injects the muscles in my temples, in the back of my head, down my neck and into my shoulders. He injects the muscles that spasm chronically, and the Botox paralyzes them and stops the spasm. Those spasms can get into my head and trigger either a tension-type headache or a migraine. The result is the same -- my head hurts!

I've tried other muscle relaxers, but Flexeril has done the best for me, without making me sleepy.

Gretchen -- gretp

At my neuro visit next week one point, among others, I'm definitely going to discuss is an area that's been neglected from the start. My family doctor knows, but hasn't paid much attention to it and my migraine specialist has had a tendency to dismiss the idea..yet I can truly tell that the "stress" and tension I carry in my upper body seem to be likely triggers for some migraines.

I look forward to having my neuro exam the "rocks" (i.e. spasms) in my neck, shoulders, and upper back muscles, discuss the impact of this on migraines, as well as discussing a TENS unit.

My neck and upper back hurt so much on occasion that sometimes I don't even notice it because I'm suffering with a bad migraine...does that make any sense?

Last night the upper back/neck area was very uncomfortable and I could tell I absolutely could benefit from a massage. I'm going to schedule one for the first time and see what happens. They'll probably be shocked how tense I am in that area. I'll let you know how it goes.

quote:

Originally posted by goodqueenbess:
Last night the upper back/neck area was very uncomfortable and I could tell I absolutely could benefit from a massage. I'm going to schedule one for the first time and see what happens. They'll probably be shocked how tense I am in that area. I'll let you know how it goes.

You'll probably notice how different it feels to not carry around that pound of uncomfortable muscle tension almost immediately after the massage... and start to look forward to the next massage.

Find someone that you're comfortable with- massage therapists aren't a generic thing like the massage chair at brookstone...

Enjoy it! Hope it's wonderful... and feel free to speak up if something doesn't feel good, or if you REALLY like the pressure, or want more of any one thing... it's ALL about YOU!

No...but I do use Soma for fibro pain, and as a prescribed sleep aid, since it's the only thing we've found that'll help me sleep.

Way back after my thyroidectomy, when I was having spasms in my shoulders and neck, which were in turn triggering severe tension/migraine combos, is when I first was prescribed Soma. Sometimes it helped the spasms, and other times they were so locked in and intense that nothing was going to touch them until they were ready to let go. If the Soma helped, though, it would help ease up the tension part of the combo headache, but it never did (or has) touched a migraine for me. Some people might have better luck there than I did, though. I never got much chance to nip the spasms and tension early enough, though, because the spasms came from trying to talk around a then deadened vocal chord. Every time I tried to talk, it would trigger the tension in an instant. The good thing is that since I got out from under the spasms (and got my vocal chord working again), I haven't had a tension headache since.

Somebody that has more general tension headaches that morph into migraine that also has more "warning" time to try and squash the tension and in doing so, the migraine, might well have luck. I don't think I'd ever try it as a preventative, because it can make me very groggy and lethargic sometimes. It's not easy to function on muscle relaxants if they decide to really kick in.

Thanks for the info, Dragondrool. I think a muscle relaxant may be helpful for me to take at night. I'll have to ask my doctor if one at night might be helpful as part of my program, just as a trial. A massage and/or more physical therapy sounds good, though, too!