Posted by IsoM on December 29, 2002, at 0:51:30
In reply to ECT and headaches, posted by Chloe on December 28, 2002, at 10:09:40
Hi Chloe, I've lost track of you. Would you mind emailing me at isomorphix at hotmail dot com & then I'll answer from my regular email addy.
You say your head pounds when you bend over or sneeze. Has your blood pressure been checked at all? I have normal/low bp but when I have headaches for any reason, my head pounds terribly when I bend over or move quickly. I start to black out easier too. I never completely black out but everything goes grey & the head pain shoots right up. I think my bp drops a bit more with headaches due to constriction of the blood vessels.
It's hard to know where a migraine headache ends & a tension headache takes over. Pain feeds sore tense muscles & the sore muscles feed further headaches.
You might want to ask the ECT techs or doctor if they've changed any of the pre-ECT meds that they give you. It's possible that the muscle relaxants are different. I know that some doctors would also give a small dose of haliperidol just before or after a treatment. I honestly can't say what its purpose is for. And for what little I know, it's even possible that the dose of muscle relaxant isn't quite enough & the rigidity of the tighten muscles during the ECT is enough to give you a long lasting headache. All just some ideas.
I am *very* glad you're feeling better though! It may be a good idea to press the issue about your borderline low thyroid readings. I know with me it wouldn't be good enough. I would feel sluggish, tired, & my mood would be much lower. A lot depends on what one's level would be if you were completely well.
poster:IsoM
thread:133484
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021223/msgs/133612.html