Naproxen Sodium/aleve And Bad Pots Symptoms

[mkoven]

I was woken up early this morning by a terrible migraine-- triggered, I'm guessing by hormones and a huge dose of msg in some Vietnamese soup I ate last night. I've never made the msg connection before, but that's the only thing I can think of to have triggered a headache THIS BAD.

Anyway, I took 2 aleve, and 4o minutes later felt very faint, tired, sleepy etc. My heart rate is suddenly lower than normal-- upper 40s, low 50s. It feels like it's really pushed the pots/ncs into overdrive. Anyone else have this? Unfortunately, aleve is one of those longer-acting drugs, so I may have to put up with this till tonight. And it didn't even get rid of my headache.

should I be concerned about these side effects and call a doc (which on the weekend means er), or just make sure they get no worse and wait for them to wear off? i'd rather do the latter.

[Mrs. Burschman]

Migraines suck!

I wish I knew what to tell you. I take migratine (not sure if that's a brand name or what -- it's a combo of acetominaphen and a vasoconstrictor and a muscle relaxant). That works better for me than the newer (and much more expensive) triptans.

I've had migraines triggered by getting really angry, bright lights and (the biggest one) changing my sleep schedule. I nearly always get one on every vacation because of that one! I've never noticed one caused by food, but I know that is a big trigger for some people.

Do you have an ask-a-nurse phone line at your local hospital? I've used those before, and the nurse on call has helped me decide if my problem is something I need to worry about or not. I'd try that.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

Amy

[doctorguest]

Have you ever taken Aleve before or was it the first time? If you have taken Aleve before and didn't experience similar side effects then unlikely that you would experience these side effects now. If this was your first time taking Aleve, then it's more possible that Aleve had these side effects on you, although I've never heard that it decreases heart rate. On the other hand, MSG is one of the most common and most known triggers of migraine, along with red wine and dark chocolate.

[mkoven]

I had taken aleve before-- but pretty infrequently and usually just one pill. I do remember feeling rather woozy a couple of other times after one. It really did feel like the aleve yesterday, as it was so sudden in onset, about 40 minutes after I took it. And it wore off about five or so hours later. I really seem to have a knack for weird drug sensitivities.

On the msg front, I've never made that connection before. and I did note as I was eating the soup how tangy/salty/tasty it was--though it came from a real "hole-in-the-wall" restaurant. My other big triggers seem to be premenstrual and skipping my morning coffee. It's strange, because there definitely feels like there's a neck component to my headaches, so one doctor told me that they weren't migraines, as my neck and shoulder muscles are impressively tight. But the fact that my headaches come with nausea, can be super-intense, are one-sided, worsened by movement, made another doc say migraine. and another said they could be both. I don't get auras and am only a little sensitive to sound, not light. the other feature is that lying down makes them MUCH worse, as it puts too much pressure on my neck and head. I have to sit in my recliner, partially reclined, with a cervical collar on.

the weird thing is that I never got headaches until a couple years ago. It feels like part of this overall weird transformation in my formerly healthy, stable body.

At any rate, I think I need to have a serious conversation with one of my docs about headache meds. I don't feel comfortable with taking any more aleve--plus it didn't even do much for the headache.

[doctorguest]

It does sound like Aleve may have caused these side effects for you. Have you tried Motrin (ibuprofen) instead? Motrin used to be a miracle drug for my headaches, but I've taken so much of it that it no longer works for me like it did.

It sounds like you have "regular" migraines, which can be associated with pain in the neck and shoulders, as well as spasms in the paracervical muscles. Luckily, we have much better treatment for migraines than we have for POTS, although both can be very disabling when they're not under control.

[mkoven]

Thanks, doctorguest, for your input. I really appreciate it.

So ibuprofen and naproxen are different enough that you think I'd be okay? If so, I think I'll probably be better off trying one, rather than two first...

(I'm not in the habit of taking nsaids, as I've been doing prolotherapy for my joints, and nsaids interrupt the whole process. That said, my prolotherapy doc said I should be okay if I take them a week or more before or after a treatment.)

If I do get a prescription for an abortive migraine med, it would be great if I could be in or near a doctor's office the first time I take it, in case I have some weirdo reaction. Don't know if that's customary.

[smiles]

Get a load of this one! My cardiologist just put me on 500 mgs. of Naproxen twice a day because is has recently been shown to have salt retaining properties. It is supposed to help my body retain fluids and thus keep my BP more stable. Ever heard of that one?! Smiles