EMERGENCY MEDICINES

Categories: 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 br ng 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.