occipital nerve block

By calhoun102 Monday, July 14, 2008

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I just had the occipital nerve block treatment done today. I was wondering if anyone else has had this treatment and what their outcome has been. I haven't really noticed much of anything today, but I was told that it can take several days to fully kick in. Currently I have 6 prescriptions. Inderal (just started), Zonegran, Xanax, Ambien, and Maxalt. I also have Imitrex, but I really try to not take it because I have pretty every side effect possible. Hopefully the nerve block will work for a while.

Comments (11) | Add comment

Jamie

7/14/08 10:44pm

Occipital nerve blocks are absolute wonders. I get about 2-3 weeks of solid relief. However, I also have other neck issues, so the fact that my pain is totally relieved for several days is not surprising- blocking the nerves and trigger points makes my neck and head much happier.

I think this (Like everything else) is a "Your mileage may vary"- meaning you may have a different experience than anyone else, or may follow someone else's exactly. Some members here have had great success with nerve blocks, and rely on them as a part of their treatment regimen. Others have found little relief from the treatment. I hope you fall into the first group! Good luck!

Jamie

ShllyRae

7/14/08 11:53pm

be careful with the inderal - it can have some odd side effects. It made me feel like one side of my body was tingling or uncomfortable - it also gave me horible anxiety. Neither my neuro who prescribed it or the PDR/web listed or knew about these. Luckily a friend of a friend told me!

Nancy Harris Bonk, Health Guide

7/21/08 4:27pm

Hello, and welcome to MyMigraineConnection.com!

As Jamie said, it may take a bit for the block to take full effect. What did the doctor say? Some people really have great luck with them, and have pain free weeks, while others only benefit from a few pain free days.

Try not to get discouraged with your new medications because some can take up to three months for our bodies to adjust to them and see a reduction in our Migraine frequency and severity. What happens is people stop using their Migraine preventive medication after a few weeks because they are still having Migraines, crossing it off the list, and moving on to the next one. It takes time to find the right treatment plan which is not fun, but well worth it in the end.

Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.

We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. To get to the forum, just look for the orange box marked "Manage" and click on the Migraine Forums link. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.

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Welcome again,

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Chasity

10/14/08 12:37am

I actually get the nerve block every 3 months. My neurologist introduced it to me about 1 year ago because I was having problems with the all the side effects of all the other migraine meds I've tried over the last 7 years. Along with the nerve block I started using Topamax about 5 months ago and it is getting better. I am also on quite a few other meds, Ambien, Buspar, Adivan, Zanaflex, and my everyday thyroid medicine. Just hang in there.

Jeri

12/ 4/08 10:13am

I had something done like that I don't know if your Doc uses the same, but I had lidocane along with steriods injected into my neck and occipital area, it didn't work for me and the proceedure I had done twice with no results, the first time and I'm surprised I went back for a second but I guess I am desperate like everyone else, they numbed my breathing and I went into resperatory arrest and as I black out I thought oh crap, and ended up in the hospital with a breathing tube, so just be carefull about the occipital area I am saying.

Laura Stack

1/15/09 5:49am

I would be real careful with the ambien and xanax. They will do more harm than good if you take them too much. I finally got off of ativan and am very glad I did. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

sam

4/19/09 3:00pm

I had my second occipital nerve block last week, the first one was done last July so lasted roughly 8 months. My first one took up to two weeks to start working properly, but when it did I had a much better 8 months. I also take 200mg daily of Topiramite which I have to have. My neurosurgeon has now said that he isn't prepared to do any more nerve blocks if this one wear's off as he feels that we should try another treatment? This worries me as the nerve block does work for me but obviously it is only short term, which is his concern. But when you are ill short term relief which I am getting is great. Hope yours works as well as mine has done in the past.

Tracie D.

8/26/09 1:30pm

I had this procedure two days ago. The procedure itself was not bad but afterward I had the worse pain I have had since my brain surgery 2 years ago. And I still have my headache plus the additional pain from the procedure. However, I feel I am the exception. Alot of people have really benefited from this procedure.

dl33rock

6/ 1/10 10:27pm

Hello,

I'm sorry to hear that your headaches have gotten worse since the Occipital nerve block.

Before, I only had head pain in the left back area of my head. Five minutes after I got the occipital nerve block, I had severe "ice-pick" like attacks in random areas of my head (not just in the original location). Although the severity has decreased, my headaches are still there. However, I've noticed that there are specific areas of my head where they are painful when I press down on it. I realized that these sensitive areas are where I get my headache attacks.

Are your headaches still bad from the nerve block? I noticed that you got it done in August 2009. I'm hoping that they've improved since then. I'm also hoping that my head pain will improve. I'm thinking that my neurologist did something wrong procedurally when administering the nerve block.

If you can update me on your current condition, I would greatly appreciate it. There aren't many people out there whose condition has worsened as a result of the nerve block. Thank you.

daniel lee

Tracie

7/ 3/10 11:00am

Hi,

The good new is.....the pain from the nerve block is gone. I still have my original headaches but they have started me on Ryzolt ER and at least I get 3-4 hours a day of relief from the headaches. Needless to say, I will not be getting anymore nerve blocks.

Lori

10/14/09 5:56pm

I just had my first occipital nerve block yesterday afternoon. I woke up with a bad headache and a sore/tender neck. The Neurologist told me it would take effect in 2-3 days if it was going to work.

The only difference with my headaches is that I have had a constant one for over a month (since the end of August 2009) so i wouldnt call it a migraine (as the dr's keep calling it.. ive had plenty of migraines) so much as a stubborn headache. Im not sure if the procedure was right for me- especially with all of the pain iam having with it today. I keep telling myself that by Friday i will feel better.

lets hope im right!

Iam currently taking topomax and have been since i started seeing my neuro a month ago. it has not helped at all but the dr insists i stay on it and just keeps increasing the dose. I asked what the next steps would be if the nerve block did not help and he said he would try a new med.

I dont know whats in store. Iam 25 and not looking forward to a life of migraine meds/headache meds (as im sure no one else is either!!)

I will try to re port Friday and let you know how i feel then.

My fingers are crossed!!

Lori

occipital nerve block

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