Post ictal headache magical mystery cure.

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kirsten, you may consider a sulfur product called MSM. I like the pure form called OptiMSM made by distillation. Begin slowly as too much can actually cause headache. Sulfur raises glutathione (makes it work) which decreases inflammation. It's probably best to take 3-4 half teaspoon doses per day and used long term it may have lots of benefits.
http://www.vitacost.com/source-naturals-msm-powder

Niacinamide (vitamin B3) in the right dose (not too much!) is very calming and also has anti-seizure aspects, known to prevent migraine. Twice daily with food, 500 mg or 250 mg should be very safe:
http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-niacinamide-vitamin-b-3

Caffeine may be protective of the brain because is shuts down the blood-brain barrier (makes it less permeable), but is a tough habit to break if one wants to allow good things into their brain. It fits into adenosine receptors, blocking adenosine from opening the blood-brain barrier. That's why coffee is promoted in MS and Alzheimer's, I believe to protect the brain from toxins and aldehydes of gut origin.
 
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kirsten, you may consider a sulfur product called MSM. I like the pure form called OptiMSM made by distillation. Begin slowly as too much can actually cause headache. Sulfur raises glutathione (makes it work) which decreases inflammation. It's probably best to take 3-4 half teaspoon doses per day and used long term it may have lots of benefits.
http://www.vitacost.com/source-naturals-msm-powder
Thanks for the suggestions. You might not be aware that the FDA has issued warnings for those kind of claims about MSM, and has declared them illegal. Here is an example of one such letter: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2013/ucm364664.htm
 
Nobody has said it is definitely toxic, only that it shouldn't be marketed as a medical treatment because it hasn't been proven safe and effective as a medication. We don't yet know whether or not it has detrimental effects or whether it has positive effects, although the functional medicine crowd will continue to say differently. The FDA doesn't send laypeople cease and desist orders without reason, and that, along with the rest of the (lack of) evidence, is enough for me. In any case, though, sulfur deficiency would only happen to those who don't have adequate protein intake. If there's too much sulfur in the body we don't yet know the consequences because it hasn't been studied. Not so long ago, the functional medicine crowd touted ma huang and ginseng as safe and effective. The medical community didn't. Those are examples of just how much damage can be done with a combination of certainty and lack of evidence.

Niacin is converted by the body into niacinamide when enough niacin has been absorbed. They are both vitamin B3, close enough for me.

Your studies are of mice. Are you aware of the reasons why we don't rely on animal experiments for medical efficacy? For instance, these studies of mice say there was reduced seizure activity, whereas human trials show increased seizure activity. There's a vast difference between primate and human brains--including but not limited to a lack of prefrontal cortex. Another difference is the human brain's ability to send messages long distances from lobe to lobe--something unique to us. Primates are our closest ancestors. Mice are far, far more physiologically different in terms of their neurology.

I think I've done a fair job of describing my issues with relating information and medical advice with certainty when the evidence isn't there in your other thread. I'll leave it at that.
 
Another thing to consider is a glucosamine sulfate supplement to lower histamine. This wouldn't address the potential underlying metabolic disorder/dysbiosis causing seizure the way OptiMSM and niacinamide would, but may be good headache relief (and may reduce gut inflammation). It works by stimulating heparin increase which makes more DAO enzyme to process excess histamine. I don't have any experience with it as I do OptiMSM and niacinamide, but it seems good and safe.
https://www.rejuvenation-science.com/n_glucosamine-migraine.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2512987
https://www.facebook.com/notes/dr-h...enzyme-as-a-possible-catalyst-of/393473148721
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10985908
http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2008/10/migraine-heparin-glucosamine.html

By the way, I strongly suggest researching sulfur deficiency more closely as it's pandemic and gaining lots of attention. One reason is that when we cook foods, we deactivate important sulfur compounds. Another is how our imbalanced microbiome interacts with sulfur.
 
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kirsten, I hope you are feeling better. I found I had to experiment -- headaches that were a med side effect responded best to acetaminophen. Other headaches responded better to ibuprofen. If all else fails, I lie down in a dark room, feet elevated pillows blocking out light, and just focus on my breathing to distract me (if possible) from any head pain.
 
Thanks, Nakamova. I've found the same--I had been taking the 'recommended dose' of ibuprofen, with paracetamol, which wasn't doing the trick. Then my doctor told me to pick up the ibuprofen dose, which again wasn't doing the trick. Then people here suggested I have a strong cup of coffee with my dose, and it worked amazingly well.
 
Thanks, Nakamova. I've found the same--I had been taking the 'recommended dose' of ibuprofen, with paracetamol, which wasn't doing the trick. Then my doctor told me to pick up the ibuprofen dose, which again wasn't doing the trick. Then people here suggested I have a strong cup of coffee with my dose, and it worked amazingly well.

I keep caffine pills on hand for times when I need the caffine but am to sick to tolerate a cup of coffee. Frequently if I'm ill I just can't stand the taste of coffee.
 
I keep caffine pills on hand for times when I need the caffine but am to sick to tolerate a cup of coffee. Frequently if I'm ill I just can't stand the taste of coffee.
Too true. I am getting sick and tired of coffee.
 
For what it's worth, I was able to quit my three-cup morning coffee habit several months ago. What made it bearable in the initial weeks was OptiMSM as it wakes you up. I believe the mechanism is how it raises blood pH which lowers brain pH (inverse relationship). The brain halts seizure by raising acid (lowering brain pH).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673408/

People are inhaling CO2 to avert seizure using a machine or even breathing in a paper bag. Not surprisingly, inhaling CO2 is also known to relieve headache!
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20050927/snorting-carbon-dioxide-may-relieve-migraines

This begs the question: what causes CO2 deficiency? I believe it's a gut-brain phenomenon where microbes interfere with the Krebs cycle and also use CO2 to make other things.
 
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Keith, raising carbon dioxide levels is also a pretty effective way to induce seizures in a lot of epilepsy patients. They use hyperventilation during EEGs to trigger seizures when trying to narrow in on the seizure focus.
For me, it's always been the best way to induce a seizure.
 
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kirsten, hyperventilation is about lowering, not raising CO2. It's the lowering of CO2 which induces seizure and headache. Thanks for the education about inducing seizure via hyperventilation.

You may want to invest in a CO2 inhaler while trying to determine why you may be low in CO2.

Here's an interesting connection regarding use of niacinamide. It raises NAD which is what drives the Krebs cycle to give the body energy. In the process, CO2 is produced. CO2 makes people sleepy. This has been my explanation for why niacinamide is so calming. Please note: niacinamde and MSM are both natural components of the body. They're already in you.
 
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I understand. I'm not low in C02, though. Hyperventilation simply brings on seizures with me.

As I've said before, I prefer to stay away from functional medicine. I'm more of a straightforward sort of person and I'm very distrustful of the alternative health industry given my mother's current circumstances.
 
Again, you're very wise to be cautious. Personally, I don't really trust any health industry. I've been reading more about glucosamine and there's plenty of controversy about it, especially in people who have gut dysbiosis where it can increase insulin resistance, even cause diabetes. Of the 4 "magical mystery" cures I've suggested, put glucosamine last on the list. My heart goes out to you and your mom.

Please do research OptiMSM, niacinamide and CO2 further. If you want links, please yell.
 
These post-ictal headaches are really getting to me these days. They take a good 16 hours to go away and they are so painful I can't do much but lie there wishing they'd go away. For the moment, I take ibuprofen and paracetamol but they don't really do too much to help. I can't take codeine and I can't take post-op painkillers, so I'm hunting for something that will help. I guess as far as meds go I only have the option of anti-inflammatories but I was hoping some of you would have some suggestions for super-powerful NSAIDS or some sort of magical way to get rid of them.

This is a bit of an old thread, but wanted to reactivate it. I have nocturnal seizures. Since a big medication change 2 months ago, my post-seizure headaches have been worse and much longer-lasting. I know they are not migraines, as I had 6-8 weeks of migraines before my seizures started 4 years ago. They are the head pressure, head tingling type of headache that sound similar to what many others have. Tylenol and ibuprofen help briefly. I've tried heat, cold, upper body and neck stretches but those didn't work. Lying down in the day can help somewhat, but if I fall asleep there is at least a 50% chance I'll have a seizure again so I avoid this unless I'm completely exhausted. I've tried going outside for a walk to get fresh air, and that doesn't help.
But what has helped lately is jogging on a treadmill. I run regularly anyway so it's not like I'm doing something my body isn't used to. I do know that cardio exercise is supposedly good for those with epilepsy, so maybe it is tied to that somehow. So once I'm over the initial post-seizure effects, I make myself get on the treadmill. Not a hard run; just enough that my heart rate goes up and my breathing gets deeper. Any explanations for why cardio exercise helps with the post-seizure headache? Has anyone else found this?
 
Hey Masterjen! This is such a great thread to bring up. and yes. I have found great bennies from cardio. the endorphins make one feel so muc better and take care of my head aches. I just started taking keppra again to go with my lamectal (only keppra at night with the lamectal. And i often wake with killer headaches and they are not, technically, migrains. i had those in the past too. And after a whole slew of recent seizures (the last nocturnal i only know about because my girlfriend was here and got up to help me.Evidently i got up and started wandering around and falling over in the house. I advise staying away from NSAIDS especially for regular use. ( i had an 'anatomy & physiology class where we learned how toxic the effects of those are)
Well thats my experience. I use too much caffeine cause i love coffee and that helps morning headaches.
 
Hi, Janus! I'm glad to know you get relief from cardio also. You may well be correct, that it is the endorphins that are helping the headache, and not the cardio per se. Thanks for the tip about the NSAIDS - I'll stick with tylenol if needed.
I hope the night dose of Keppra helps with the nocturnal seizures.
 
I've had a headache every day since my accident in April last year. I honestly can't remember what it feels like to not have one. There were always days that were worse than others. Nothing ever worked for them. I tried Tylenol, ibuprofen, and Excedrin migraine. My neurologist had me on propranolol, but I had to stop it cause it didn't work and it was making me too tired. Or at least that's what I thought at the time. Now that I know I've also been having seizures, I can tell the headache from those apart from my daily headaches. I don't even bother taking anything anymore. I just get up and get on with my day. I'm not sure I'd know how to act without one.
 
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