EMERGENCY MEDICINES

Category: Diseases of The Nervous System

If anemia is the cause, give tonics such as iron and
arsenic. If the patient feels faint and nauseated, a small cup of strong
hot coffee gives relief, sometimes. Antipyrin, given early in doses of two
and one-half grains often relieves. Take another dose in one-half hour if
necessary. But such remedies are hard on the heart.

TREATMENT. Preventive in Sick Headache. The patient is often aware of the
causes that bring on an attack. Such causes should be avoided. A great
many people who are afflicted with this trouble are not only careless in
their eating, eating anything and everything and at all times--at meal
time and between meals--but also careless in their habits of life.
Patients should avoid excitement, like card parties, etc., staying up
late, or reading exciting books. The meals should be regular, no food
taken that is hard to digest. Pies, cakes, puddings, gravies, ham, pork,
sausage, and fried foods must be avoided. Rich, greasy foods will not do
for such persons to eat. Strong tea and coffee are bad. Plenty of water
should be taken between meals. At meals it is better to take no water
unless it is hot water. Every morning on arising it is well to drink a
large quantity of either cold or hot water. This washes out the stomach,
bowels and kidneys, and stimulates them to better perform their functions.
The bowels must be kept regular, one or more passages a day and at a
regular hour. Sometimes, especially in younger persons, the eyes are at
fault and may need glasses. Frequently it is caused by overwork in school
in young girls, especially during their menstrual periods. Social duties
cause them in many women, and then strong tea or coffee, or headache
powders, or tablets, are taken to keep up or to stop the pain, making the
patient more liable to the attacks in the future; and then still more tea,
coffee, and headache remedies are taken until the patient is a slave to
the remedies taken to help her. A great many of these headaches can be
helped by simple measures, and the time between the attacks, in about all
cases, made longer if the patient will but work with the physician, not
only at the time of the attack, but in the interval. The clothing should
be comfortable. The feet should always be kept dry. This applies
especially to neuralgia. In fact the above measures of prevention and care
apply to all kinds of headaches and neuralgias. Prevention is worth more
than the cure.

MOTHERS' REMEDIES. 1. Sick Headache, Hop Tea Will Relieve. "Hop tea is
very good if a good strong decoction is made. A wineglassful may be taken
every half hour or hour until relieved." This is very easily prepared, as
the hops may be purchased at any drug store.

2. Sick Headache, a Favorite Remedy for. "Aconite liniment or aconite
rubbed on the forehead will relieve the pain in the head almost instantly.
One drop of the tincture of nux vomica in a teaspoonful of water every
five or ten minutes will quickly relieve." Nux vomica is good only when
the headache comes from constipation and stomach trouble and too high
living.

3. Sick Headache, Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia for. "For a nervous
headache there is nothing better for immediate relief than fifteen or
twenty drops of the aromatic spirits of ammonia." This relieves the pain
and quiets the nerves and stimulates the heart.

4. Sick Headache, Camphor Application for. "A very simple but effective
remedy is a cloth wet with spirits of camphor and sprinkled with black
pepper applied to the head gives almost instant relief."

5. Headache, Soda and Peppermint for. "One teaspoonful (level) of soda in
two-thirds glass of hot water, add five or eight drops of oil of
peppermint and a little sugar. Drink quite warm. This has been often tried
and proven to be a success." The soda will relieve any gas in the stomach
and the peppermint aids digestion and relieves sickness of the stomach.

6. Sick Headache, Lemon Good for. "One lemon before breakfast will help
to keep off sick headache. Have never found a remedy to cure sick
headaches. A sack of hot salt will always help the pain." The lemon will
help to tone up the stomach and the salt applied to the head will help the
pain by relieving the congestion. It is always well to take a good
cathartic after a spell of sick headache.

PHYSICIANS' TREATMENT for Sick Headache.

1. Antipyrine 25 grains
Citrate of Caffeine 10 grains
Bromide of Potash 25 grains

Mix and make into five powders. One powder as needed. (You might take
second one in three hours.) This is not good when it is bilious sick
headache. In fact, it would make it worse. It is good for sick headache
and neuralgia due to eye or nerve strain, but then the first remedy,
antipyrine, can be left out. It is not needed. I would then put twice as
much of the bromide of potash, fifty grains, and take a powder every two
hours until better.

2. Citrate of Caffeine 1/2 dram (30 grains)
Phenacetine 60 grains
Bicarbonate of soda 60 grains
Aromatic powder 12 grains

Mix and make twelve powders. Take one every three hours. This is good.
Sometimes it is depressing on the heart for some people, due to the
phenacetine. Acetanilid can be substituted in same dose.

(The homeopathic treatment is very successful in relieving spells of sick
headache. See chapter on Homeopathy.)

3. Sodium Phosphate, taken every morning, about one-half to one
teaspoonful in hot water. It is good for the bowels and liver.

4. Prescription for the Liver and Bowels in Sick Headache.

Sulphate of soda 30 grains
Salicylate of soda 10 grains
Sulphate of Magnesia 1 grain
Benzoate of Lithia 5 grains
Tincture of Nux Vomica 3 minims
Distilled water 4 ounces

This mixture should be made up in large quantity and placed in a siphon by
one of the concerns which charge soda water, and from one-quarter to
one-half a glass of this water, at ordinary temperature, is to be taken
every morning at least one-half an hour before breakfast; enough being
taken to insure an adequate bowel movement during the forenoon. This ought
to be a good combination to use regularly.

5. Dr. Hare gives the following recommendations. Probably no single source
of pain compares in its frequency to headache, chiefly because it is
essentially a symptom of diseases or functional disturbances.

It may come from constipation or eye strain, from brain disease, anemia,
uremia, too much blood in the head, etc. In many cases a mild laxative to
thoroughly empty the bowels is necessary. Sometimes the urine will be
deficient in solids and liquids, so that the effete and poisonous material
are retained in the blood, which produce headache. For such cases if the
urine is acid, the frequent use of Vichy water, to which is added a little
bicarbonate of potassium, about five grains to a drink, as a diuretic will
prove of great service. If the urine is alkaline (and this you can tell by
using a red litmus paper which will turn blue if it is alkaline) ten grain
doses of benzoate of ammonium three (3) times a day are often useful.

Next: NERVE TUMORS (Neuroma)
Previous: First Thing to do in Sick Headache

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