5HTP

[seawarrior]

A chiropractor, whose treatment didn't help me) suggested that I might try 5HTP, available from health supplement stores (e.g. Healthspan online). I have to be careful not to combine it with sumatriptan which I usually take for my headaches but so far the results are promising. I take 100mg just after lunch and I've dramatically decreased the number of headaches I get. So often these improvements are short-lived (e.g. on prescribed medication) so I'll have to wait and see what happens, but I'll report back in a month or two.

[Cally01]

Good luck 😆 keep us updated 😆

[babs1234]

I was taking 5Htp and my headache specialist told me to stop taking it and stop the CO Q10 too 🤔

[Frodo in reply to babs1234]

Did the specialist give you a reason?

[babs1234 in reply to Frodo]

Just that he didn't think they would be of any benefit, Frodo x

[seawarrior in reply to babs1234]

Was the 5 HTP working? How many other preventatives were you taking? Perhaps your specialist wanted to isolate whatever it was that might have been successful. When we take several preventatives, we can never be sure what it causing our improvement - if there is improvement. If, of course, there's no improvement, then you might as well stop taking the medication.

[babs1234 in reply to seawarrior]

Yes ..taking far too many. B12, B2, Vit K, magnesium, multi vit, Vit D, glucosamine, 5HTP and COQ10. He said the latter 2 to stop as he didn't think they were of any benefit. Just had the nerve block injection, can take up to a couple of weeks to see if that benefits so here's hoping...and no none of it really helps though I can say they aren't as severe as they used to be ...not sure what's helping

[seawarrior in reply to babs1234]

I'm not taking any other preventatives as I've already tried most of them. I'm just using 5HTP and it seems to be working. I still get headaches but far, far fewer and when I do get a headache, if I catch it soon enough, I knock it on the head (not my head!! LOL!) with two Solpadeine Max soluble tables and repeat that after four or five hours. That seems to do the trick.

[babs1234]

So glad you've found your cure. I think it's trial and error. I can't take any anti inflammatory as I've had an ulcer. Did you try the magnesium and B2. At the moment while I'm under this specialist I'm not allowed even paracetamol😩 But at least I've found someone who seems interested in what I have to say

[seawarrior in reply to babs1234]

I can't take anti-inflammatories either because I'm on Warfarin. I've tried magnesium and Vit B2 together with Coe Q10. No luck.

As you say, it's a case of trial and error but I believe the fewer things we take, the better then we just have to try one treatment at a time otherwise we don't know what's working when we have success.

Why can't you take paracetamol? Maybe you've been taking too much of it and it's causing rebound headaches?

[babs1234 in reply to seawarrior]

He said it's because he wants a true reading on the progress of my treatment. No painkillers whatsoever. I wasn't even allowed night nurse whe I was really bad with that fluey bug. Had to go through detox. He said the only time I can take a paracetamol is if I have an operation😫

[seawarrior in reply to babs1234]

The doctor at the National Migraine Clinic took me off all medication for a while (a week), too. He thought I was getting rebound headaches, I think. It didn't help. I got the same number of headaches but they just lasted much longer. It was horrible. Soon after, I was back to square one.

[babs1234 in reply to seawarrior]

I was advised that it took 3 weeks to fully detox ..the first week was absolute hell then gradually I did start to feel better now I would say I'm better off all meds than I was when I was on them. I don't take any Tristan's or preventatives now. Still get almost daily headaches but not as severe

[seawarrior in reply to babs1234]

I was over-medicating only on sumatriptan and the consultant told me that I could break that cycle if I came of the medication for one week but after one week, there was no change at all. The rather insensitive doctor I saw said, "Well at least you're not getting any more headaches!" Not very helpful.