I tried a lot of different things for my headaches. I tried a number of different medications to prevent the headaches, with limited success. Initially, I was given topomax. I began loosing sensation in my hands. In my profession, that wasn’t going to work. Next up was Verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, most often used for lowering blood pressure. I am finally off of that, too. My blood pressure is usually low, so I had a number of issues being on a medication that further reduced my blood pressure. Light headedness is not fun! I have also tried Depakote (traditionally a seizure medication) and Savella (a fibromyalgia medication).
I take a number of supplements. Sometimes I wonder how much they help. I take vitamins B2, B12 and D3. I also take magnesium citrate, calcium, a multivitamin, a fish oil and probiotic.
I also have several options for rescue medications.
I have also gone thru a course of physical therapy at PTOSI. I have had GREAT results from PT. I am thrilled with how well I responded. I hope to be able to sustain the level of improvement.
Most recently, I underwent testing for food sensitivities. I have known for a while some specific triggers, but wanted to isolate more. My results were interesting to say the least. The type of testing I had done, shows items as either red, yellow or green. Green items are non-reactive and considered safe to eat. Yellow foods are moderately reactive and must be avoided for at least 3 months. Red foods are highly reactive and must be avoided for at least 6 months. Moderately and severely reactive foods can be reintroduced after the avoidance period as a challenge. This means that I can try them and see how I react.
My yellow foods are: whey, cottage cheese, cayenne pepper, pineapple, zucchini, spinach, onion, buckwheat, millet, rice, crab, turkey, chicken, beef, eggs, lentils, green peas, pistachios, cola nut and hops. I also tested moderately sensitive to food additives sorbic acid and tyramine.
My red foods are: wheat, barley, mint and tea.
As of now, I am avoiding all of these foods.