Pre-op question about headaches and pain meds

I know there are other endo/adeno/fibroid sufferers on the board and wondered if any of you have any answers/ideas/suggestions. (I have all three plus bilateral occult inguinal hernias and who knows what else.) I am in constant pain (maybe one or two pain-free days per month) and take Naproxen, Lortab 7.5/500 and Mepergan Fortis (demerol) for pain. The combination depends on the type and severity of the pain and when I can get away with working from home, I use a heating pad and try to live without the narcotic meds as much as possible. The pain has been increasing in intensity, but I try to take as little as possible. Chronic pain sufferers know that if you wait too long, the meds do not help, so it is tricky waiting long enough to be certain you "have" to take something, but not waiting too long so that it won't work. I only take the Demerol when the pain is so bad I can't stand it.

Anyway, the last week or so, I have been getting headaches about an hour after taking the Lortab. I am on a constant dose of Naproxen (500 mg every 12 hours) and the Lortab has Tylenol in it, so you would think getting a headache is strange. And, since these are pain meds, how the heck do you get rid of a headache from taking them? I will be calling my doctor this week and will certainly ask him, but I wondered if anyone else experienced this and had any suggestions.

I will sure be for joy that this time next month all this will be behind me. Thanks for any help!

Hi Ready2go,
I have had what you would call a "medicine" headache before. That is what the doctor told me once. I get migraines and sometimes while I am taking medications to treat these, it sort of backfires. All the pain relievers can cause this, I am told. I asked my doctor what do I do about it then if medicine is giving me a headache and his smart answer was to not take any medication for a while and drink lots of water and see what happens. Anyway, this did not fly with me, but I guess its possible to get medicine headache. Just a thought. Hope all goes well for you. Hugs from me to you. Susan