To want some sort of drug that will relax the muscles in my neck??

[Stugs]

I keep having headaches and migraines and the muscles in my neck and shoulders are permanently rock hard. If I try and rotate my head a lot I get dizzy and faint.

I had this before 10 years ago after whiplash and the physio couldn't treat me as I kept fainting when she tried to manipulate my neck. I had an MRI scan which showed the top of my spine was straight not curved? Which apparently puts more strain on the surrounding muscles.

Would valium help?? Is there anything over the counter that helps?

I find this massager very good

another vote for acupuncture here

The only thing I've found that feels as though it works temporarily is neurofen washed down with a very large glass of wine! I then feel all nice and floaty for a couple of hours and can move neck without it crunching. But I then get a hangover- another bloody headache!!!

That actually looks amazing 🤣

You could also acupuncture and a chiropractor

I've ordered one! Healthier than wine and nurofen!

I'm going to contact gp on monday and see what she she suggests.

Excellent! Honestly, both my mum and I swear by it. I’ve just used it and am now all drowsy and ready for bed 😴 the fact that it’s warming too is brilliant.

Yes, I get very cold around my neck and shoulders, always feel as though a cold draught is blowing on me - I honestly think I might have some sort of nerve damage tbh.

Excited! I'll report back

Second Alexander technique - haven't done it much myself but am friends with a couple of instructors and it's excellent bodybawareness training. Stay clear of chiro - quackery at best, dangerous in the worst case.

Personally I've found medication unhelpful for neck tension but what helps me immensely is some targeted work with dumbbells or other strength training props. Anything that strengthens the rotator cuff muscles is good,.as are triceps push-ups or reverse rowing type exercises.

I was reluctant to try Valium but found it released my neck spasm within 12 hours, after many months being incapacitated. I mentioned to a friend that it had worked almost instantly and that I’d a full strip of tablets left - she asked if she could buy them off me 👀😳

Ultimately I had surgery on the disc that was impacting on the nerves, with a really good outcome. I am wary of chiropractors because I don’t believe they have the clinical training and expertise (and insurance) to deal with such an important medical condition.

I’m another to say Botox, it is also used in the treatment of migraines also and it is given in shots at the base of the skull every few months as opposed to being on medication daily every day and having to wait for it to build up in your system before if gets to the optimal dosage in your body. Migraine specialists should be able to help or a neurologist and they can see to your migraines also

@Stugs I have the same but not had a neck MRI. Ive now had 3 rounds of medical botox for my migraines. It helps my neck and shoulders the most. Its not cheap though.

Round here you can get botox for this from a doctor - neck and shoulders and it breaks the cycle. It's about £600 but that is 8 trips to the osteopath, and I used to go weekly.

I found that cupping therapy (with the little glass dishes, lit tapers and red circles all over the treated area afterwards) helps when my shoulders and neck feel locked up. I appreciate it's only going to have a temporary effect, though.

It's not an opiate, it's a benzodiazepine. Much more addictive than opiates.

If you feel like the coldest doesn’t help, a thin merino neck buff might help day to day with it feeling better when warmer. If not a remedy, so I would do the other stuff mentioned, but might help a little.

Look at Facebook groups Elly Lindsay Acmt does a brilliant online 6 week course for head and neck issues and Curalistic see image below plus the Curable app for pain management.

Cranial osteopathy is a game changer for me but getting a good one is hard.
Rubbish isn't it.

Amitriptiline worked for me

I have chronic neck pain 12 years after a virus. I've tried all sorts over the years. Have you seen a pain specialist I've been refered twice first time was great was prescribed injection into neck to numb the nerves which helped lots but isn't a long-term solution. Tried Acupuncture but this didn't work. Lignocaine patches which helped numb the area before any treatment was ok at one point. Pregabalin was great but wasn't able to tolerate amitryptiline or gabapentin (think pain killers are trial and error). Also used tramadol for the worst days.
Recently been seeing a physio and even light touch made me vomit so am awaiting an mri before they continue. I'm at the point now where I think they'll be no relief.

For me it was all about prevention - saved me a fortune on acupuncture and osteopaths. I’m sure you’ve done most of these but I’ll list just in case

workstation ergonomically aligned (NEVER work from a laptop without a separate keyboard)
Never sleep on your front or with your arms underneath your head
no carrying heavy shoulder bags (you need a rucksack)
backrest if you drive a lot
regular movement (swimming and yoga is perfect although if you do downdog wrong it makes it worse)

Wow. Thank you so much. I'm really grateful for all your suggestions and sorry to hear so many of you have suffered with your necks!

I live in my buff! I have a footballers Nike neck snood thing which I wear for a good part of the day

Diazepam = Valium

I have a similar issue op and have an almost constant dose of 2mg diazepam (valium) and no addiction issues. I take it as and when it is too bad to cope.

Physio was useless but actually a good sports massage therapist is excellent and reduced me to no pain meds at all. Can highly recommend!

Methocarbamol is the best muscle relaxer I've used. No side effects, non-addictive, but for some reason GPs in this country don't like to prescribe it. If you have an American friend it's sold over the counter there as Robaxin. I always stock up when I'm there.