Headaches

[Telsey]

Does anyone have constant head pains and headache pressure that intensity goes up and down but headache pressure remains. I also have temporal pain on both sides now, and pain back of head and jaw pain at times .I had been off prednisone for over 18 months. I just finished dose of 50mg. for five days in February. I suffered glaucoma and cataracts from taking predisone. They were both caused by prednisone. I take sumatriptan ( immitrex) for headaches but can’t take it everyday. I can only take 15 days out of a month. Can anyone recommend something even homeopathic? Thanks

[Kendrew]

Hi Telsey. It's very difficult to advise you because there's so little information about you on your profile. You say you've been off pred for over 18mths but just finished a dose of 50mg for 5dys! Was this for suspected return of GCA? If so, I'm pretty sure a 5dy course would definitely not be long enough to sort it. I have persistently experienced head pain whilst tapering down off pred but repeatedly been fully checked for GCA and so far in my case the discomfort has proven to be caused by other issues.

Unfortunately, your symptoms definitely raise alarm bells for me and I would definitely go and see your GP/specialist ASAP to eliminate the re-emergence of GCA.

Pred can throw up few or many side effects and we just have to deal with each of them as & when they occur..... although your head discomfort may have been 'normal' for you, the emergence of additional symptoms (temporal pain & jaw pain particularly) strongly suggest something is changing and may indicate GCA.

I'm sure others with more knowledge will be along to advise you further but I strongly urge you to get yourself seen ASAP.

GCA is a medical emergency with particular risk to your sight.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

As Kendrew says sounds very much like GCA, but info bit sketchy. But if it, is needs addressing as a matter of urgency.

Does the sumatriptan ( immitrex) help the headaches? Did the 50mg of steroids help…and what is the proposed way forward If they did?

If it is GCA then your sight is at risk, and no homeopathic medication will help that, steroids are the only way. Sorry if that sounds brutal, but having been there….

Please seek medical attention asap, and keep us informed.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If you already have cataracts then not taking pred for GCA will make no difference to the cataracts and you risk total, irreversible loss of vision from GCA - cataracts can be removed very successfully nowadays. Have you really developed full-blown glaucoma or did you just have raised occular pressures due to the pred? If it was raised pressure, that can be managed with eye drops but also a different technique in the cataract operation.

What you describe is very suspicious in the context of GCA - and ignoring it could lead to far worse visual problems than you already have.

[Telsey in reply to PMRpro]

Hello. I was diagnosed in 2018 GCA then later PMR.I continue to take eye drops every evening. I had narrow angle glaucoma.I had both cataracts done. Then a month or two later the right one again. I am not ignoring I talked to neurologist twice and gone for eye check up again . I see ophthalmologist February 16 again. I have had laser as well. I had posterior sub capsular cataracts and YAG DD and YAG OS