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Suggest Treatment For Severe Migraine Attacks
Question: I feel the sensation of something moving in my head, I've been having extremely bad migraines every day for the last 2 weeks and find little relief in medicines used to treat my migraine.
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
The fact that you have had daily headache for two weeks is worrying as it goes beyond a simple migraine attack which lasts for up to 72 hours.
Imitrex and compazine are suitable drugs for treating typical migraine attacks. The fact they are not working confirms it not being a usual migraine attack.
One possibility is medication overuse headache, a type of headaches which appears in people who use a lot of pain killers, the same use causes headache. You do not mention how long have you been suffering from migraine and how many painkillers have you taken so I can't judge that, but you should know it is a possibility if you've been taking painkillers for about 15 or more days in the last 3 months. If that is the case then temporary interruption of the treatment is part of the management, but it should be done under the supervision of a physician preferably a headache specialist.
If medication overuse has not been an issue for you, another possibility is a whole new condition not related to previous migraine, like a stroke, tumor etc. I do not mean to scare you that is usually associated with other signs like weakness or numbness of the limbs on one side, confusion and behavior changes, balance and coordination issues so not that likely. However if your migraine was controlled in the past and this is a new different type of headache brain imaging is indicated to exclude brain lesions.
Other causes like anxiety and depression at times may also play a role, so if that is the case they should be addressed as well. Sensation of something moving in the head often is a subjective feeling of psychological origin.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
The fact that you have had daily headache for two weeks is worrying as it goes beyond a simple migraine attack which lasts for up to 72 hours.
Imitrex and compazine are suitable drugs for treating typical migraine attacks. The fact they are not working confirms it not being a usual migraine attack.
One possibility is medication overuse headache, a type of headaches which appears in people who use a lot of pain killers, the same use causes headache. You do not mention how long have you been suffering from migraine and how many painkillers have you taken so I can't judge that, but you should know it is a possibility if you've been taking painkillers for about 15 or more days in the last 3 months. If that is the case then temporary interruption of the treatment is part of the management, but it should be done under the supervision of a physician preferably a headache specialist.
If medication overuse has not been an issue for you, another possibility is a whole new condition not related to previous migraine, like a stroke, tumor etc. I do not mean to scare you that is usually associated with other signs like weakness or numbness of the limbs on one side, confusion and behavior changes, balance and coordination issues so not that likely. However if your migraine was controlled in the past and this is a new different type of headache brain imaging is indicated to exclude brain lesions.
Other causes like anxiety and depression at times may also play a role, so if that is the case they should be addressed as well. Sensation of something moving in the head often is a subjective feeling of psychological origin.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I had gone in to have imaging done, a CT scan, and it came back that I have a severe sinus infection. Should I be worried about this or is this something that will clear up with the augmentin? I mean, the fact that it took imaging to discover this was going on is concerning in itself. I'd been with my doctor the entire time and he said that all my symptoms were from a migraine headache. I was concerned about a stroke as a real possibility because my left eye has been droopy and it is a very recent occurrence. I'm extremely relieved it wasn't something more serious tho! And I had stopped taking ibuprofen, which I use as needed for my chronic back pain in my pain management routine along with a hot bath, just after all this started. Thank you for your quick response last time!
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your feedback. It's nice to know what happens to our patients once we have answered.
Now sinus infection is not a worrying condition. It does justify the persistent headache. Usually it would have nasal congestion and discharge as well which you didn't mention, perhaps that's why the other doctor (as well as me for that matter) didn't consider it and imaging was needed, nothing alarming about that.
It is pretty common and doesn't represent any major threat. Usually it does resolve over a couple of weeks with use of nasal decongestants and in persistent cases antibiotics as well. The Augmentin you have been given is a widely used first choice antibiotic for sinusitis, so I agree with its use. You can continue Ibuprofen as needed for the pain in the meanwhile.
I hope you'll feel better soon.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your feedback. It's nice to know what happens to our patients once we have answered.
Now sinus infection is not a worrying condition. It does justify the persistent headache. Usually it would have nasal congestion and discharge as well which you didn't mention, perhaps that's why the other doctor (as well as me for that matter) didn't consider it and imaging was needed, nothing alarming about that.
It is pretty common and doesn't represent any major threat. Usually it does resolve over a couple of weeks with use of nasal decongestants and in persistent cases antibiotics as well. The Augmentin you have been given is a widely used first choice antibiotic for sinusitis, so I agree with its use. You can continue Ibuprofen as needed for the pain in the meanwhile.
I hope you'll feel better soon.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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