Get rid of Chronic Headaches
Several weeks ago, I experienced the worst pain that I could ever imagine. It was really the mother of all headaches, and lasted for over two and a half hours. Since I never really had any health issues worth mentioning, I brushed it off and attributed it to sleep deprivation from the night before – I’ve just started a new job, and the pressure to deliver had me stressed out and working long hours. A co-worker had some over the counter painkillers at hand (I can’t really remember what it was), and I took one. It worked, but it did take a long time for the pain to go away. I’ve already forgotten the incident when the same vicious headache struck again, two or three days later. I did get a bit concerned, but again it seemed to respond to painkillers, so I continued as nothing happened. But the headaches started occurring more and more frequently – even though I made a point of getting enough sleep, not drinking and staying hydrated, I had to use analgesics and painkillers almost every day. I started thinking that it must be caused by all the stress in the office, and I ended up asking for a sick leave, even though I just started working there. Naturally, my boss didn’t like that, and neither did I – but I had to do something to make the pain go away, since I really wasn’t any good to anyone in the present condition.
But even while resting at home with my family, the headaches just kept happening. I started to get seriously worried at that point, and I called my doctor and scheduled an appointment. After doing a thorough check-up to confirm that there was nothing physically wrong with me, he asked me to describe the exact circumstances under which the first headache happened. So I started to explain my work situation, the long hours, my constant lack of sleep and the elevated stress levels that I had to deal with every day. I also explained as best as I could how the headaches started, and how they just kept coming over and over again, especially during the day. After he learned all of this, he recommended some lab work and a CT scan, to eliminate the possibility of a brain tumor. Fortunately, all the tests came back clean, and the doctor concluded that my headaches were probably “tension headaches”. he explained that the reasons and causes for this painful condition were really not fully understood, but that some recent medical studies suggested that the condition is often connected to bad posture and the muscle tension in the shoulders, back and neck. He advised me to pay attention to my posture and try not to “slouch”, and that I might consider massages. Finally, he prescribed a muscle relaxant called Butalbital.
I’m happy to say that Butalbital really works. As soon as I feel a headache coming up, I take one pill, and before the headache has a chance to develop, I’m pain free and fully able to function – it often takes less than half an hour for Butalbital to start working.