Occipital Nerve Block
Has anyone ever had an Occipital Nerve Block done on them to treat Migraines? I have those w/the intense stabbing behind the one eye w/the visual distubances and pain also on that same side of the head, the LH side. I was seriously considering that treatment and my doctor is holding off on that waiting to see how this round of new medication combination was going to work before we'd consider that route as, of course, the insurance would not cover it as they didn't cover the cose of the Botox injections I had done a couple of years ago.
Julie - Fortunately these blocks can help some Migraineurs eliminate one trigger for their Migraines. It also may be a good treatment if you have a comorbid condition such as Occipital Neuralgia.
No, I'm afraid it doesn't work on everyone, or we'd all be doing it. However, it is quick and fairly easy to do, and might be worth the try at some point. If it doesn't work, you can always continue trialing other treatments, as even a failure still teaches us something we didn't already know...
However, trialing any medicine takes months after each change. It is likely your doctor wants to be sure that you are appropriately trialing the current medication combo you are on. Changing something at this point would only confuse things... something to consider...Thank you for the fast reply. I know it's impossible to say I've tried everything because I know I haven't. After having these things for 25 years. The past 2 1/2 years they've become Intractible and I do not abuse my rescue meds because I don't want to get caught up in that rebound migraine cycle. It's bad enough as it is, why put gas on the fire. The Botox didn't work well, but I only tried it one time also. Such a complicated disease and so many medicine combinations it just makes a sick persons head spin even more! If only they could come up with a solution. It's just so exhausting. Thank you for your input Ellen. I will ride the course I'm on and wait and see what the Doc suggests next.
I had an occipital nerve block in April this year. Unfortunately it didn't help me at all, but the neurologist warned me that there was only a 50% chance it would work. I have recently tried Botox as an alternative.
Hi vickywemyss,
Thank you for letting us know about your treatment experience with an occipital nerve block. I'm sorry it wasn't successful for you.
I'll be keeping my finger crossed that Botox works. It seems to be very effective for chronic migraine and I'd like to share this information on it in this link; https://migraine.com/blog/the-first-week-chronic-migraine-and-botox-diary/.
Do come back and let us know how it is going.
Nancy
