Hello,
I keep getting really bad headaches. They're only on the left hemisphere, but they're severe. I've tried hydrocodone 10-325 and Butalbital but they don't make the headache go away. I'm seeing my Nephrologist tomorrow for a scheduled appointment. My last gfr was 14. It seems the headaches are related to my dropping kidney function. Is this common? What does your doctor do for this? It's becoming unbearable 😫
Dear sbrenn01,
Sorry to hear about your Headaches, my friend. As regards their cause, and possible connection to your Kidney Condition, I don't know BUT your Consultant will.
Your Consultant will have Blood Tests 'Done', along with any Scans (s)he feels are necessary, in order to determin which Treatments you require. I'm glad that you are Seeing Him/ Her, as this is what I would have suggested to you. Hopefully 'Everything' will be Fine and a Medication- or change in it- will help you Out Of Pain. Sending you Our
Very Best Wishes
AndrewT
Very grateful AndrewT for your reply. It's almost 2AM and I can't sleep. The meds I mentioned have always worked for my Crohn's disease and other headaches, so I'm stressing too because this has never happened before. I'm grateful to you and I'll report back after my appointment tomorrow. Much obliged, sir!
I sometimes get migraines and that sounds exactly like a migraine...one side, severe, and in my case when they are so bad I have to lie down in a dark room, sometimes I vomit. If this is new you definitely need to find out why. There are meds you can take if you are diagnosed with migraines. Stress can cause headaches too. I'd talk to your nephrologist and if needed get referred to a specialist in headaches.
Horsie63, I'm sorry that your migraines are so severe. I'm sure stress plays a part in my headaches. There's a lot going on with my health, and my out-of-spec bloodwork, CKD, Crohn's disease. Perhaps the stress of it all is taking its toll. If the headaches continue I'll definitely ask my Nephrologist to refer me out. Thanks for taking the time to write!
Sorry you’re experiencing these! I get migraines so I know how painful it is. Perhaps they are related to one of the conditions failing kidneys cause like anemia, high parathyroid hormone, increased blood pressure or electrolyte imbalance and can be relieved once addressed. Are you keeping hydrated? Have you started any new meds? Could allergies be the cause if you are living where spring foliage is blooming? Also, covid can cause painful lingering headaches and I did get some headaches after the vaccine. Hoping you find answers soon.
Thanks for your response. I have started a new medication: Imuran. The side-effects don't seem to include headaches. I do have trouble with electrolytes, specifically magnesium and potassium. I'm very anemic. I also take Humira for Crohn's disease. Yes, pollen is a problem here! Emotionally I'm a bit of a mess; I lost a friend last week and knowing dialysis is going to start soon is an unknown so that's frightening. I'm going to get a lumen in the upper chest to start ASAP. Then they'll do a vein mapping and place catheter in my arm. So there's a lot to think about; a lot going to happen. I really appreciate that you took the time to write. Knowing that a complete stranger cares enough to help is very uplifting! You're blessed.
Hi, to relay my personal experience, I had bad headaches before transplant. Sometimes it was due to blood pressure, some medications and sometimes stress or exercise induced or even heat exhaustion. After transplant, I developed migraines, including phantom smells (olfactory auras). My nephrologist referred me to a neurologist who specializes in headaches. He put me on a new drug Qulipta and that has been working very well. It’s prophylactic, blocking certain neurological sensors. And he also prescribed Relpax to treat migraines as needed.
I would suggest you ask your nephrologist about seeing a neurologist, get an MRI and ECG to rule out any major issues. And get a second opinion if possible. Good luck, headaches suck!
Thank you for the advice! I hope your health and quality of life have improved post-transplant. Be well!
The unknown can be very stressful and if you are already prone to anxiety it only makes it worse. I have a hyperthyroid issue and stress makes it so much worse so I learned to just let things go. As for dialysis, there is a book called Help! I need Dialysis. I found it on Amazon and downloaded it to my Kindle. It's a very easy read and helped a lot. There's a lot of good info on the Kidney.org site about Dialysis. Hope you get to feeling better.
Hi sbrenn01: I am stage 5 and had a problem with constant headache when I had hyperkalemia, that is potassium level too high. Now that I got that back down to normal, the headaches went away. I had to quit taking Losartan.
Hi,
Have you ever been diagnosed with migraines? They are one sided headaches and excruciatingly painful. I suffer with them 4 - 5 days per week.
There are many prevention meds and injections, as well as pills to take when a migraine headache begins.
Pain meds are contraindicated as they will cause re-bound migraines and make the pain even worse.
A neurologist will be able to help. I hope your Nephrologist will refer you, or your PCP
Best wishes, I was sick with a migraine last night.
It's not a good idea to take Hydrocodone for a headache, it's an opiate based drug and a common side effect of opiates is headache, so it can make it worse..
Help with interpreting results
Cannot shake anxiety and thoughts of dying since told. eGfr up and down along with creatinine
I feel like they are trying to kill me. 
