Random Headaches After Sessions

[esheg4ever23]

So yesterday we had a session with watermelon starbuzz, and today we had 2 sessions, one watermelon and one blackberry starbuzz. Don't know if that matters, but whatever. We used natural coals all the time. After ever session I got a very strong headache that lasted around 4 hours. This never used to happen to me. And I wasn't smoking on an empty stomach. What can be the problem? My friend said he felt a slight headache too.

[pingywon]

could be the flavors - but sounds more like a nicotine headache then anything......


take a break - and some advil

do you smoke cigs? Edited June 29, 2008 by pingywon

[esheg4ever23]

could be the flavors - but sounds more like a nicotine headache then anything......


take a break - and some advil

do you smoke cigs?

Could be. I had to drive to CVS just to get advil because my friend had none at his house, which pissed me off. I don't smoke cigs. Edited June 29, 2008 by esheg4ever23

[Codename067]

Probably the nicotine rush

You will eventually not even feel it.

[liquidglass]

Could be nicotine like pingy said

Or there are various other things.

- Lack of oxygen to your brain, so you might have not been breathing as much fresh air as usual, especially if there is some sort of pollution already in the air

- What kind of coals were they? Because I get headaches sometimes with naturals or quicklights, but with the naturals I think it's when they aren't "lit" enough or I'm somehow getting straight smoke from them without it going through the shisha (too loosely packed)

- Sleep can also be a factor


But remember this, take pain medication with a caffeinated drink (like soda) and it will increase the effect without it becoming a dangerous level like alchy would do.

[Johnny_D]

Water and food is the best advice basically.

Most people will snack and drink during a session... Even when I'm drinking the vino I always have a pint of ice water on hand to drink between....

As other's have said, it's most likely a nicotine headache as one of the effects of nicotine is to restrict the blood vessels which could lead to a headache.

JD

[Dom]

that's called "hoookah head." it sucks. no headache medacine can cure hookah head. the only thing that works is like prescription pain pills. and for me, the only thing that seemed to ease the pain was a nice, hot shower. but then afterwards, it came back.

like liquidglass said, the coals may not be lit all the way. i had a problem with naturals and it was that i did not let them get lit all the way through. they were glowing red on the outside, but in the middle i guess, they weren't ready. when i heat up my exoticas, i flip them over halfway through so i get a more thorough heating. also, the japanese easy lights i used at Fumari hookah lounge gave me a headache, and i didn't even smoke that much. they aren't the Canairy goldens because those don't give me headaches. and i always keep myself hydrated and eat before/during a smoke.

[esheg4ever23]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if it could have been the coals, they were natural Starlight coals heated for about 10 minutes a stick. But I guess I have to just cut down for a while, instead of like 10-12 bowls a week I'll do 5 or something. Oh, @Dom, the Advil really did help, and it kicked in fast.

[hookah hippie]

possibly you were deprived of oxygen for too long make sure to inhale air as well as smoke

[Dom]

Oh, @Dom, the Advil really did help, and it kicked in fast.

good for you, man! i wish that it worked for me. not sure which ones i have tried, but i'll be sure to try Advil by itself next time i get hookah head and see how it helps.
thanks

[esheg4ever23]

Oh, @Dom, the Advil really did help, and it kicked in fast.

good for you, man! i wish that it worked for me. not sure which ones i have tried, but i'll be sure to try Advil by itself next time i get hookah head and see how it helps.
thanks

Mine were Advil liquid-filled capsules or something. Took one, laid down for 30 minutes, it was gone. Edited June 29, 2008 by esheg4ever23

[SimplexCoda]

holy crap 10-12 bowls a week. thats a lot.

[liquidglass]

Oh, @Dom, the Advil really did help, and it kicked in fast.

good for you, man! i wish that it worked for me. not sure which ones i have tried, but i'll be sure to try Advil by itself next time i get hookah head and see how it helps.
thanks

Mine were Advil liquid-filled capsules or something. Took one, laid down for 30 minutes, it was gone.

REST always helps. I usually take ibprofin (sp?)- always take meds as soon as you feel the possibility of a headache coming on. Usually if you feel the headache coming it's unavoidable so go ahead and take meds and smoke. I mean you're getting a headache, might as well not stop.

But no matter the meds I take or anything as soon as I can get my eyes closed and lay down i start feeling better. (probably because at a resting state your body intakes more oxygen)

[Dom]

REST always helps. I usually take ibprofin (sp?)- always take meds as soon as you feel the possibility of a headache coming on. Usually if you feel the headache coming it's unavoidable so go ahead and take meds and smoke. I mean you're getting a headache, might as well not stop.

But no matter the meds I take or anything as soon as I can get my eyes closed and lay down i start feeling better. (probably because at a resting state your body intakes more oxygen)

lol @ "might as well not stop"

that's true. once you start to feel a headache coming on, it's too late and ceasing to smoke does not help at all.

about the nap: when i would get hookah head, i'd try to sleep through it, but by the time i started to try to sleep, it was too late and i could not sleep no matter how hard i tried. it sucked. lol. it's important to try to take a nap as soon as you start to feel a headache.

[ilikemyusername]

WATER make sure you're hydrated more than anything, food is nice, it helps but water is your best friend, even if you only chug a couple of glasses a half hour before the session, being dehydrated and smoking is not a good deal.
also, you may want to simply take an ibuprophen (advil) before even smoking, best to nip it in the butt.

[esheg4ever23]

holy crap 10-12 bowls a week. thats a lot.

We do at least one session a day and some days if we feel like it a 2nd one.

EDIT: 69th post. Edited June 29, 2008 by esheg4ever23

[r1v3th3ad]

My headaches always came from either empty stomach/lack of hydration or too much coal, maybe not lit fully w/CO poisoning...I usually have to sleep those ones off though. That only happens with naturals too...learned to leave them on the stove for at least 10mins

[kajon]

I never smoked cigs or any form of tobacco, and I i never get headaches. I have only had two headaches. 1) I placed an unlit coal on top of the lit one. I took a few hits and felt like throwing up. 2) I got mine from taking too many hits without taking a break for oxygen. As other have said you need to take a little break in between hits to get oxygen back in you.

[Apets22]

I know this is an old thread, so sorry about the bump.

But from experience (I use to get headaches all the time) take two excedrine migranes. Always takes care of it. Theres also some caffine in them so they tend to really help that yucky sleepy feeling I get with the headache.

Ive tried tylenol aleve and CVS brand Acetometephine. Nothing else takes care of them.

[MR Bubble]

Maybe this can help. I ordered some "Natural coals" and they turned out to be the NOUR "Finger" coals. So many people call these things "Natural."

"What the hell," I thought and went for it. Smoked great. However, I got a massive, furry-tongued headrush, and a mind-splitting headache right afterward. I tried again a couple days later and the same thing happened. Nobody on the forum could help me out.

A year later, I saw "natural coals" on a site. They were described as "Natural olive wood coals," so I decided to try them. I can't remember the brand, but it was a silver-grey bag that said "Olive coals." they were like the fingers, but you could snap them apart into thumb-sized chunks. When I lit them, they gave off a pungent smell of olive oil. I thought I found something good. Smoke was great, but the massive, furry-tongued buzz and mind-splitting headache came on. My heartbeat went through the roof, blood pressure was like a pressure cooker and I thought MRS Bubble was going to have to call 911. The next day I had to call in with a migraine. Flippin great...

The bag had "Bilal Olive Press Works," or something like that on it. Olive press..... Hmm... I did some research and found a grilling article discussing the different coals out there. This Journalist took a tour of an olive press company in Jordan or Syria. I can't remember because it was a few years ago. Anyway, while the actual technique is a guarded secret of these companies, the basic process calls for a massive collection of olive pits (residual from oil processing, pitting for olive exports, etc...) to be ground, packed in metal tubes and cooked to create coal. This explains the "finger" shape. And being that these aren't actually wood from the tree, it's understandable how they may effect some people. I'm just one of those folks. Something to do with being some cellulose byproduct, or waste. Think of it as the hotdog of the olive industry (for those of you familiar with The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

So, the question comes back at you: Exactly what type of "Natural" coals are these? If they looked like a black tree branch, then I'm out of line here. But if they were a finger type, you may want to keep your distance in the future.

MR Bubble

[lp640man]

trust me its the coaaaaaaaaaals....................

try some coconaras....

I used to get headakes off some crap coals .. some coals if not 100% heated will give you headaches...

If you've tried cocos an still get headaches ..then dunno what to tell u...

[Apets22]

If I smoke an excessive amount, 3+ hours straight, even with cocos Ill get a headache, its just too much nicotine in my system.

The best thing to do is drink a bottle of water every set of coals, the nicotine constricts your blood vessels, the water alleviates that to a point. And if you do feel a headache coming on pop some pills and set the hose down for 15 minutes.

But the headaches were always muchhhhhhhhhh worse with quicklights.

[Chiefin]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not sure if it could have been the coals, they were natural Starlight coals heated for about 10 minutes a stick. But I guess I have to just cut down for a while, instead of like 10-12 bowls a week I'll do 5 or something. Oh, @Dom, the Advil really did help, and it kicked in fast.

Actually you shold do more bowls and build up that tolerance. I haven't gotten a headache in months. Drink lots of water during sessions too.

[digitalhifi]

^^^

So, the question comes back at you: Exactly what type of "Natural" coals are these? If they looked like a black tree branch, then I'm out of line here. But if they were a finger type, you may want to keep your distance in the future.

MR Bubble

Holy crap...that's what I've been looking for. 6 months ago I bought some Exotica finger coals, only to find I got a splitting 2 day headache after smoking. I thought it was the Starbuzz that I also had just purchased. I switched back and forth between the Exotica and QL and sometimes got headaches and sometimes not. I really didn't begin to correlate the headaches to the use of finger coals until a few weeks ago after getting some Stargate finger coals. I guess I need to order some actual NATURAL coals. Now I sit here with a headache, staring at the 2 huge bags of Stargate coals, and I ask myself, "Is it worth it tonight?"

[Dylank0010]

Idk if it has anything to do with headaches or maybe just a coincidence but I've noticed that drawing off some of the smaller diameter hoses gives me a headache after a while. feels like your temples are caving in and is generally aweful.