Steroids
Question:
Hi Mac! Yes, I’ve been on dexamethasone and prednisone to try to break my headaches and both made me have ferocious nightmares (mostly having to do with my own demise…yikes) and I made lots of baked goods and gained lots o’ weight…and through it all, I had a headache. I also got very angry at everyone and threw small items and even yelled at my cats (sacralige). Unfortunately, I kept taking them as long as the doc prescibed them (about 3 weeks at a time). I should’ve stopped taking them in the first few days when I felt the effects, because the side effects were not worth it (for example, I’m still dealing with the weight gain side effect 4 months later and my internal temperature seems to have risen permanantly). On the other hand, I know corticosteroids have worked very well for alot of people. IMO, your body will tell you if they are working or not in a short period of time. If so, great!!!…if not, wean off of them with a docs supervision. They are just too powerful to play with. Good luck! ~ Miki ..the early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese…
Response:
Hi everybody. I haven’t posted for a couple of months. My new granddaughter has keep me busy. I was wondering if anyone has taken a steroid named Dexamethasone to break a HA chain? I trying it right now without any luck yet. All it’s done so far is to give nightmares. I like to hear pros and Johnny Mac
Response:
Hi everybody. I haven’t posted for a couple of months. My new granddaughter has keep me busy. I was wondering if anyone has taken a steroid named Dexamethasone to break a HA chain? I trying it right now without any luck yet. All it’s done so far is to give nightmares. I like to hear pros and Johnny Mac
makes me eat like a horse and gives me terrible insomnia but is good for breaking up a very stubborn migraine IMHO…it takes a few days though. If you are using alot of pain meds and you are in analgesic rebound then it doesn’t work…or so my Nuero said. ICQ# 22182494 Jan ;*) "If we never experience pain, how then will we ever recognize joy?" Jan ;*) "Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; speak accordingly" Ben Franklin
Response:
Dennis: It could well be the Wellbutrin making you feel so bad, it really did a number on me, nasty drug! As for how steroids work towards headaches, one of our medical people would be better qualified to answer that but since they havent <grin I was told by my neuro that it reduced swelling and inflammation and promoted healing. I have had very good luck with breaking a protracted migraine that responded to nothing with one dose of 3 ten mg. Prednisone, for example. Other times, when I was totally blocked in the sinuses and nostrils and had a prolonged headache, my doc has had me do a full course of 5 days like this : 4/2; 4/2,4, 4,2, 2 then stop. That was four in the am and 2 in the pm on that 4/2 for the first two days. Anyway the theory, I am told by my neuro, is that there is likely some swelling and/or inflammation of certain blood vessels and/or nerves and the steroid alleviates this. I still hope one of our medically or scientifically oriented readers steps in and explains this better. Jane "It is in the shelter of each other that people live…." (Irish proverb)
Response:
Dennis, This is sort of how I ended up on the steroid merry-go-round a year ago…got an allergy shot, and lo and behold my HA went away. It was pretty short-lived, maybe like a week and a half. I don’t really understand the "why" of steroids, and how they make a person feel better but they are *very* serious meds, and not a good long term HA solution. Sorry you’re still having trouble from the Wellbutrin, hopefully it will be all out of your system very soon! Judy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Several people have used steroids recently and gotten relief from CDH. A little over a week ago, I got a shot of steroids from my allergy doc, and my daily headaches have been much better. Unfortunately, I still feel terrible. I’m nervous and depressed. I think that this is from a med I reacted badly to (Wellbutrin) that’s still in my system. I’m having to take Xanax to cope, which I don’t like at all. However, if a steroid helps your headache, how does it do it? Does that mean that allergies are involved? My impression is that it doesn’t. I’d appreciate any info. Dennis — For more information about this service, send e-mail to: </PRE</HTML
Response:
Several people have used steroids recently and gotten relief from CDH. A little over a week ago, I got a shot of steroids from my allergy doc, and my daily headaches have been much better. Unfortunately, I still feel terrible. I’m nervous and depressed. I think that this is from a med I reacted badly to (Wellbutrin) that’s still in my system. I’m having to take Xanax to cope, which I don’t like at all. However, if a steroid helps your headache, how does it do it? Does that mean that allergies are involved? My impression is that it doesn’t. I’d appreciate any info. Dennis — For more information about this service, send e-mail to:
Response:
I hurt my neck a little over a week ago. I was put on a 6 day course of sterods. I don’t remember the exact name but it is a packet where the first day you take 6 then next 5, etc. I noticed that while I was taking these I got no migraines. I was also taking Vicodin at night. I was having problems with rebound migraine with this (taken for knee surgery). While I was taking the steroids, no problem. The day after I finished the steroids rebound back. Has anyone had this experience? Should I persue taking steroids for migraine releive? I get 2 – 3 a week. No preventative medicine has been successful. I have taken and given up as useless. I take Fiorcet for pain and that is all. Any ideas, suggestions?
Response:
I hurt my neck a little over a week ago. I was put on a 6 day course of sterods.
I know that some forms of steroid have an anti-inflammatory effect. And anti-inflammatories are what work for me in both preventing and relieving headaches. You might want to pursue that angle, since there are many meds that aren’t as "heavy" as prednisone (such as NSAIDS) that might really work for you. — University of California – Library Automation http://www.dla.ucop.edu/~kec
Response:
Sandy, you wrote that you were considering pursuing steroids to help your migraines — I would be very surprised if any physician would Rx steroids for migraine prevention (I SAID MIGRAINE, NOT CLUSTER). While steroids might give you good prevention, it would guarantee you numerous other problems, most notably osteoporosis. Marnette
Response:
writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I hurt my neck a little over a week ago. I was put on a 6 day course of sterods. I don’t remember the exact name but it is a packet where the first day you take 6 then next 5, etc. I noticed that while I was taking these I got no migraines. I was also taking Vicodin at night. I was having problems with rebound migraine with this (taken for knee surgery). While I was taking the steroids, no problem. The day after I finished the steroids rebound back. Has anyone had this experience? Should I persue taking steroids for migraine releive? I get 2 – 3 a week. No preventative medicine has been successful. I have taken and given up as useless. I take Fiorcet for pain and that is all. Any ideas, suggestions?
Sounds like prednisone. It does come in packs as you described. It has helped my clusters over the years, in large enough doses. The problem is that you can not stay on it for long periods of time. Hence the pack you had with the built in dosage drop. If you got relief even at the lowest dose, it may be worth your while to discuss this success with your doctor. Some folks with other medical problems have been put on prednisone, in low doses, for extended periods of time. It’s my experience though that it’s mostly prescribed to try and break a cycle, and not for long term. If your thinking long term, you’re probably better off with a different preventative. As Susan stated, it is very easy to run into rebound problems with steroids. I ended up in the hospital once due to prednisone rebound. Best of luck Bob
Response:
I hurt my neck a little over a week ago. I was put on a 6 day course of sterods. I don’t remember the exact name but it is a packet where the first day you take 6 then next 5, etc. I noticed that while I was taking these I got no migraines. I was also taking Vicodin at night. I was having problems with rebound migraine with this (taken for knee surgery). While I was taking the steroids, no problem. The day after I finished the steroids rebound back. Has anyone had this experience? Should I persue taking steroids for migraine releive? I get 2 – 3 a week. No preventative medicine has been successful. I have taken and given up as useless. I take Fiorcet for pain and that is all. Any ideas, suggestions?
If it were me, I would avoid the steroids. I took them once for another disease and my headaches were sheer hell when I had to stop taking them. They didn’t have any beneficial effect on my headaches when I was taking them. They also suppress your immune system. YMMV Susan not Jerry
