Patty Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 I dont know where to start.I realize I have a problem.I take aspirin every single day for my headaches.I always wake up with headaches some days they are throbbing pain.I get those migraines that make me vomit sometimes.But my problem is I take to much aspirin.My doctor told me to go cold turkey one time while I was on vacation.I did then after I went back to it,I couldnt stop.I worry everyday that I could be damaging my liver but I dont know how to stop ,I mean cold turkey is just so hard cause I go through withdrawel and get them worse.Is there another way I could cut down on the pills I take instead of doing cold turkey.I rather cut down then go cold turkey.Cold Turkey is to hard.Any advice is appreceated,thanks. Patty Link to post Share on other sites
Just A Girl2 Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 First let me say, I'm obviously not a doctor. I'm not sure what age you are, or how many aspirin you take a day......but for people who overuse aspirin, the long term side effects in addition to liver damage, is also bleeding stomach ulcers. As far as I know, aspirin is not a type of medication that causes true withdrawal symptoms. It's not a physiologically addictive medication (meaning: your body actually craves more and more).....but with any medication (or food or whatever), a person can become "psychologically" dependant on it.......where they THINK they can't live without it. I've never heard of aspirin being effective for anyone who suffers from Migraine headaches. If you are waking up with headaches each day, you'd be better off going back to your doctor and working together to find out the cause of these constant headaches......because if you could get at the root cause and handle it from that point, then you obviously wouldn't NEED to take aspirin for them, right? Are you on any medications? Did I once read that you're on some type of anti-depressant? If so, which one? Lots of medications, including anti-depressants, CAN HAVE the potential side effect of "headaches".....so perhaps you need to talk with your doctor about whether any other meds your on, are the root cause of these headaches. For SOME PEOPLE, some of the anti-depressants can cause a "hangover effect"...making them feel groggy and foggy when they wake up in the morning....I would assume that it could also cause a bit of a headache, too. But really, you would be better off to discuss this all with your doctor....and get him to explain to you, the risks of long term use of aspirin, especially at a young age (I'm assuming you're under 25 yrs old?) (meaning....if you're taking them daily now, and keep on doing it for years to come). So what other meds are you on? Link to post Share on other sites
martini Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Originally posted by Patty I dont know where to start.I realize I have a problem.I take aspirin every single day for my headaches.I always wake up with headaches some days they are throbbing pain.I get those migraines that make me vomit sometimes.But my problem is I take to much aspirin.My doctor told me to go cold turkey one time while I was on vacation.I did then after I went back to it,I couldnt stop.I worry everyday that I could be damaging my liver but I dont know how to stop ,I mean cold turkey is just so hard cause I go through withdrawel and get them worse.Is there another way I could cut down on the pills I take instead of doing cold turkey.I rather cut down then go cold turkey.Cold Turkey is to hard.Any advice is appreceated,thanks. Patty Cold turkey IS too hard. I think you should go off them little by little. I had the same experience as you. My record is taking 18 Exedrins in one day. My norm was 10 pills a day. I was fine like this for a couple years, but I go to the point where I started getting knots in my stomach and nausea, so I had no choice but to stop taking so many pills. I'm now taking Advil instead of Exedrin now. And when I do take my Advil, I take two pills at a time instead of a whooping 5-6 at a time like I used to. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Patty Posted January 6, 2003 Author Share Posted January 6, 2003 Your right.I take amtitriptaline.And I take effexor for anxiety.I never realized it had side affects but that could be it.Use to take topamax but my doctor tapered me off that cause I was loosing to much weight. Plus the drug decreases your appetite.I had no appetite for anything when I was on that it was awful.And when I had my yearly exam The doctor said I was underweight.But now that Im off of it I gained 20 pounds.My doctor says its trial and error and tries different ones to see which ones work.But my headaches increased since then.Im thinking of also keeping a diary of the foods I eat.And when I get a bad headache I'll write down what I ate the day before.Then Ill cut down on whatever food gives me the worse headaches.Thanks for the advice. to answer your question,Im 30.yikes feel like Im old.lol Patty Link to post Share on other sites
Just A Girl2 Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Both Amitriptyline (aka Elavil) and Effexor can have 'headaches' as a possible side effect. Might be something you want to discuss with your doctor. Is your doctor a regular family doctor? If so, I wonder if there's any doctors in your area who have special training in dealing with people who suffer from Migraines......it's been my experience that general family practice docs are good for basics...like the flu and colds and things of that nature......but anything more and it's best to see someone who has specialized knowledge in that area. Not sure which "type" of doctor would be best to see, in regards to treatment for migraines....not sure if a "neurologist" would be a good start or not. Maybe Tony or someone reading this could point you to a website that might list doctors in the U.S. who specialize in the treatment of Migraines? Of course you likely know...NEVER adjust or change your medications/dosage, without first consulting your doctor...that's very important. Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 but aren't there commercials that talk about doctors recommending you take something like 80mg of aspirin daily to help prevent heart attacks (or something heart related). this is going to sound dumb, but what if you switched to baby aspirin, which has a pretty low dosage, if you think you can kind of "trick" your mind into thinking that you're still taking an aspirin a day. The only problems I can really think of are that they taste like candy and probably won't cure a headache ... Link to post Share on other sites
Ally Boo Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 If Asprin was that addictive, why would they give it to children? Just a thought... Link to post Share on other sites
Author Patty Posted January 6, 2003 Author Share Posted January 6, 2003 Excedrin is a habit forming aspirin.I read about this.And I know it is.Im always taking it.Any ways it has always been addicting for me.That was a good idea to switch to baby aspirin.Ill try that and start with that. So far I only took 1 excederin today.Thanks for all your help. Patty Link to post Share on other sites
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