Narcotics tip
Here’s a quick tip for those of you using some form of narcotic for pain relief. This would include codeine, an "opiate agonist" which is a component of Tylenol #1. Narcotics can relax the muscles, and perhaps help you sleep, which could be good for someone with a headache. But there’s a slight problem for some people – narcotics can make you itchy! There’s nothing worse than trying to get to sleep when you have an itch here and an itch there.
One way to improve the situation is to simply take your pills just before you go to sleep. Now I do say this with precautions – first, remember that with migraine it’s usually best to catch the headache in the early stages. For some people, if you wait until bedtime it may be too late to do much good. Also, remember that overall narcotics are generally a poor long term solution. If you find you’re taking them more than a couple of times a month, keep looking for a better solution.
For more on getting to sleep in general, check out the October 2004 issue of HeadWay, the free newsletter from Relieve-Migraine-Headache.com.
17 November 2011 @ 10:06 pm
There’s another problem with narcotics for migraine. Use of narcotics and barbiturates can lead to chronification of migraine – episodic migraine transforming to chronic migraine. Take a look at http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/news-280002-5.html.
17 November 2011 @ 10:55 pm
Unfortunately, for some of us narcotics and fioricet type meds are the only solution. And yes, I do itch. I found moisturizer and a
Anti-itch cream combination to work really well. I rebound on s.
17 November 2011 @ 10:36 pm
I knew I wasn’t crazy! I started noticing my Tramadol / Ultram (a narcotic-like pain reliever) causing me to itch. Thanks for sharing.
17 November 2011 @ 10:57 pm
I meant I rebound on all triptans, not s