Thursday the 4th of Feb. i will be getting an echocardiogram of my heart due to a constant headache i have had since the 4th of Jan. I have had a catscan, MRI, lumbar puncture, and numerous blood tests but still no answers or diagnosis of my headache. I have stopped taking prednisone and methotrexate to see if this headache will subside and it has not! Does anyone have any suggestions as to why i have this headache or what an echocardiagram can detect?
I really sympathise as I've had very bad headaches with Methotrexate, Leflunomide (Arava), and now Azathioprine (Imuran). I'm also on prednisolone. My consultant says (trying to be helpful!) that a few patients just react badly to DMARDs, and my reaction seems to be really horrible headache, even if they aren't listed as major side effects. With the Azathioprine I've been slowly increasing the dose 25mg per month (starting at 25mg) in an attempt to minimise the reactions. This weekend I get to base level - hooray! (100mg). The first week on each higher dose is really horrible, day and night, with headaches and nausea but it does ease off to manageable levels by week 3.
For the pain, either headache or RA joint pain, I'm managing with 30/500 codeine and paracetemol. I take the Azathioprine with supper, so the worst of the headache is overnight, and I also have 10mg of Amitriptyline to help get me off to sleep.
It's a fine balance when the side effect of the DMARD is as painful as the RA, but this is my fifth DMARD and I want to give it a real chance of working.
Good luck with your tests, but if they are inconclusive, go back to your hospital doctor and ask for a review of how and when you take your medications. Good luck!
Carrie, I understand the numbing effect headaches have on everyday life. I have suffered from different kinds of headaches all my life, so now with the RA it has brought on a whole new set of pains. Have you tried a chiropractor? Call and discuss your medical plight with several of them and see which one comes up with the best line of treatment for you. Stress can cause nausiating headaches caused by your back and neck being "out of alignment". My chiro can detect and relieve 90% of my headaches with just a simpe adjustment. Don't suffer alone..seek and ask of all kinds of dr's , natural and sceintific. There are people who can help.
Chiropractic can be a terrific help for many people, but when you have RA, you have to be very, very careful about it. RA makes your joints more delicate and chiropractic adjustments can have catastrophic impact. Before you decide to try this, talk to your rheumatologist, as well as your chiropractor about whether it is the right choice for you.
do you have RA in your jaws and/or shoulders? you may be experiencing a sort of preferred pain from shoulder problems and jaw issues can contribute to this, as well. I'm assuming you've tried the usual, like massage, heat treatments, etc. Does anything give you any relief at all? You may want to check out our migraine site - I'm not saying you have migraines, but there could be information on the site that may sound familiar to you, which could help you to ask questions of your doctor.
I'm a little behind on checking out site alerts, so by now, you've had the echo. Haveyou had any results yet?
i had the echo and it was good! I have RA in my shoulders and in my armpits (so it feels). I've tried massage alot and it helps muscles only. I am now off all medications and i'm 3 weeks off enbrel cuz my Dr thinks i have a rare cardiovascular side effect from it and he has only seen this in one other patient and doesn't know how to treat it. So by stopping the enbrel he hopes it goes away. i can no longer take ibuprophen or hydrocodone for they give me a headache and i don't know why. I go to a neurologist on friday the 19th. i am feeling a little better but my RA pain is back and i'm stiff up to my neck and now what can they give me? its scary.
That sounds awful - I'm so sorry you're going through such a rough time. Your doctor didn't tell you why he referred you to a neurologist? Forgive me for sounding opinionated, but I think it's perhaps time that your doctor is reminded that you're not just a case, but the person actually in charge of your medical care. Check out my post on self advocacy - it may help you take back some control.
Good luck! Keep me posted on what happens, please?
I finally got an answer! With no family history of migraines but i have been diagnosed with chronic migraines caused from the drug methotrexate. I have been prescribed a prevention pill that i tier up slowly and a pill to take when i get a migraine (the onset). so far it is helping but i am only allowed 2 pills in 24 hours and i have a new migraine as soon as the pill wears off. thankful to have some relief at last though! can't wait for the prevention pills to help! hopefully i can get back to my own job and off this light duty and sick days without pay. he said my story is not exactly like that of a migraine but mostly so. i go back at the end of april with my dairy i am keeping of my headaches and what helps and how many i have and how much relief i get. so far 3 days and 6 pills in; i have had a good 8 hours a day without a headache!!!!!!!!! halleluja! Now off to the Rheumatologist to treat my RA that is back now that i am no longer on medication. I am so terrified to take anything...isn't there a magic pill without side effects and that won't make me sick! lol This is insane!
wow! I'm so glad to hear that you finally have a diagnosis - I get migraines and can't imagine what it's been like living with a constant case of them. Being off meth won't make them go away at all? No wonder you're leery of starting RA meds again!
Our Migraine site has loads of info and support. I hope yours will behave.
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Hi,
I don't have any idea what they might find from doing the echo.
But I wanted to mention that prednisone gave me a headache that never went away. After getting off the prednisone, it took almost a month for the headache to finally fully subside.
Ish