How often do you take pain medications including aspirin and NSAIDS? Are you sufficiently hydrated or do have trouble staying properly hydrated? Most women need 96-100 ounces of water daily unless you have congestive heart failure, kidney dysfunction or something else that requires limiting of fluid intake? Do you take magnesium glycinate? Is your body temp usually too hot, too cold or normal?

I take 400 mg of mag glycinate at bedtime. I also stay very hydrated and use electrolyte replacement products without sugar or stevia or flavors. You probably could use an electrolyte lab panel. If you take any kind of pain meds more than twice a week and your headaches are frequent, long lasting and of varying types, it most likely is an issue with rebound headaches. I’d love to continue this conversation with you and look forward to your answers to my questions. I’ve had headaches of all kinds for SIXTY years and am currently doing everything I can to stay hydrated, reduce my stress and the evil stress chemicals stored in my fat cells and brain tissue, eliminating as much intentional sugar as I can tolerate (which I define as candy or cookies or ice cream etc.) and my new acupuncturist says there is hope for chronic inflammation and pain. I’ve taken pain meds all my life and things have continued to get less manageable and I’m exhausted. Also, dairy can be an issue for most humans. Cows have 4 stomachs and can digest almost anything. We have only one and dairy intake increases inflammation in the body in the form of headaches, joint pain, fatigue and GI problems.

My migraines change from the left side to the right side. They migrate. And there is no rhyme or reason for it. At none that I've figured out.

Wow. You have been misled and misinformed. I’m glad you had the sense of distrust with that nurse. I’m even more glad to hear that you have access to her notes and advise you to print them or download them for future needs. If you feel comfortable about confronting this person with those notes, AND your husband was present and paid attention, I would not hesitate to challenge them and then move on, probably to yet another doctor.

Most of the time, medical people have decided they know everything about your headaches and management before you even talk to them. They have been taught to be biased because of the ridiculous “opioid crisis” that Purdue Pharmaceuticals created by creating and then giving away or selling OxyContin in larger and larger doses while lying about the addiction issues to unwitting people with genuine pain issues, most of whom got addicted and many of them died. If you have Hulu or Netflix there are a couple of different docudramas about Purdue and OxyContin. Don’t ever even consider taking it. The FDA has also cracked down on good doctors prescribing safe and reasonable medications to people who do genuinely need them. It is appalling and people suffer needlessly.

In a someone with migraines, all head pain of any type can present on either or both sides. Cluster headaches often make people attempt to take their own lives, they’re so painful and sudden and really, no pain meds help them. My dad apparently had ocular and/or ophthalomogic headaches but he was so secretive about it, he died without ever telling anyone much as he sneaked off to see the eye doctor or whomever. It’s crazy.

I cannot take NASIDs as they cause kidney issues for me. I stay very hydrated during the day drinking a lot of water, also have a few Pepsis, but not enough for the caffeine to dehydrate me. I have taken magnesium glycinate in the past with few results. I have cluster migraines along with ocular migraines and I do take Firocet almost daily. Number of meds taken ranges from 4 to none per day. I use to get a break from the migraines but in the last few years they have increased in days The type of headache does not really vary. The ocular migraine is usually followed by cluster migraine that lasts for days. Usually have a 2-3 day reprieve, then it hits again. I have given up the pepsi and sweets for a time but there was no difference. I have tried Acupuncture, bio feedback, IV steroids, several blood pressure meds and anti-seizure meds. I avoid stress whenever possible as in the past migraine would hit after the stress decreased (Neurologist said this was normal). I really trusted my Neurologist – he moved to one end of the country and we moved to the other. He told me that if the headache was on one side, throbbing it was likely not a rebound headache. There is not a Neurologist near where we are and there is only a Nurse Practioner that is suppose to know migraines. She did not even know that cluster migraines awake you at night because of the severe pain – she said the pain was due to the migraine med leaving my system. I felt defensive at our first meeting as she instantly talked about rebound headaches before she even listened to what I said. I read her note after the visit and it was like I was not there. She stated things I said that I did not and things she told me to do which she never did. My husband was at the visit with me so I could ask if I missed something. I as under the impression that rebound heads felt more like a tension headache and often involved the entire head.