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Suggest Treatment For Persistent Headache With Sleeplessness, Neck Pain And Weight Loss
Brief Answer:
More information needed
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
It would be helpful though to have some more details on your condition. Is there any prior history of headache apart from these last three weeks, if yes what medication has been tried?
Also it is necessary to know whether you have had any head imaging during your stay in the hospital (or even in the past for that matter), or other tests such as lumbar puncture, blood tests etc.
If you have been suffering from headaches from only 3 weeks and it has been persistent all this time, I believe at least head imaging to be imperative as it wouldn’t fit well in the criteria for migraine or other type of non-threatening headaches and causes such as brain tumor, vasculitis, infections, have to be excluded. Since you seem to live in the United Kingdom, a developed country with an advanced health system, I would be surprised if that wasn’t the case. So please look at your discharge papers for more info, perhaps you can upload them in reports section if you are unable to understand everything.
Judging from only the present info and the medication you have been given it seems that your doctors think yours is a case of primary headache (primary meaning with no identifiable cause) like migrainous headache. The medication scheme chosen is appropriate for that purpose, but it might takes a few weeks for improvement to be seen, so if you’ve just started it some more time is needed to evaluate efficacy. If it does provide no benefit in time, there are other options for migraine treatment like antiepileptics, antihypertensives.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
More information needed
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
It would be helpful though to have some more details on your condition. Is there any prior history of headache apart from these last three weeks, if yes what medication has been tried?
Also it is necessary to know whether you have had any head imaging during your stay in the hospital (or even in the past for that matter), or other tests such as lumbar puncture, blood tests etc.
If you have been suffering from headaches from only 3 weeks and it has been persistent all this time, I believe at least head imaging to be imperative as it wouldn’t fit well in the criteria for migraine or other type of non-threatening headaches and causes such as brain tumor, vasculitis, infections, have to be excluded. Since you seem to live in the United Kingdom, a developed country with an advanced health system, I would be surprised if that wasn’t the case. So please look at your discharge papers for more info, perhaps you can upload them in reports section if you are unable to understand everything.
Judging from only the present info and the medication you have been given it seems that your doctors think yours is a case of primary headache (primary meaning with no identifiable cause) like migrainous headache. The medication scheme chosen is appropriate for that purpose, but it might takes a few weeks for improvement to be seen, so if you’ve just started it some more time is needed to evaluate efficacy. If it does provide no benefit in time, there are other options for migraine treatment like antiepileptics, antihypertensives.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
ct scan 17 years ago showed a benign tumour on brain stem. symptoms then resolved with steroids and painkillers. mri this time showed tumour still there and now some kind of anomaly on left side of brain. what it is seems unclear. lumber puncture clear. blood results clear
this is first time in five years the headache has returned. first time some left sided weakness and hearing problems. none of that this time. headache much more severe though
this is first time in five years the headache has returned. first time some left sided weakness and hearing problems. none of that this time. headache much more severe though
Brief Answer:
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for that additional information.
I confess it remains a little difficult to make an evaluation of the imaging findings with no more info than an abnormality being found, it could mean many things. I hope you were discharged because it was definitely excluded for it to be the cause of your headache, as opposed to its nature not being clear and observation and follow-up was all that could be done (because in the latter case persisting symptoms might mean the process is evolving).
So for now I will have to trust your doctors and say it is a primary headache (primary meaning its cause can not be identified), a complicated type of migraine. In that case I have to say I agree with the treatment which has been prescribed to you. The only addition which I would make is adding an antiemetic for the vomiting, steroids could also have been tried while you were at the hospital as well. If the current regimen remains not effective after at least 2 weeks course a switch from amitryptiline to valproic acid might be considered.
I sincerely hope you get better soon.
Read below
Detailed Answer:
Thank you for that additional information.
I confess it remains a little difficult to make an evaluation of the imaging findings with no more info than an abnormality being found, it could mean many things. I hope you were discharged because it was definitely excluded for it to be the cause of your headache, as opposed to its nature not being clear and observation and follow-up was all that could be done (because in the latter case persisting symptoms might mean the process is evolving).
So for now I will have to trust your doctors and say it is a primary headache (primary meaning its cause can not be identified), a complicated type of migraine. In that case I have to say I agree with the treatment which has been prescribed to you. The only addition which I would make is adding an antiemetic for the vomiting, steroids could also have been tried while you were at the hospital as well. If the current regimen remains not effective after at least 2 weeks course a switch from amitryptiline to valproic acid might be considered.
I sincerely hope you get better soon.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
thank you so much for your opinion. discharge was because they did not have old notes from royal free and were unsure what abnormality was so were reluctant to make diagnosis plus iv medication had reduced headache somewhat. Although this still persists will wait and see if clears within next week. Extreme tiredness also persisting although now sleeping well
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Some tiredness is to be expected as long as it's not of an increasing curbe.
I hope you will feel better soon with the current regimen.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
Some tiredness is to be expected as long as it's not of an increasing curbe.
I hope you will feel better soon with the current regimen.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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