# New here and looking for guidance **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Tags:** internal-jugular-vei\ **Created:** [May 16, 2024, 3:05pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/new-here-and-looking-for-guidance/16172 "2024-05-16T15:05:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 7
**Author:** ![Isaiah\_40\_31](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.livingwitheagle.org/isaiah_40_31/32/3054_2.png) [@Isaiah\_40\_31](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/Isaiah_40_31)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 11:23pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/new-here-and-looking-for-guidance/16172/7 "2024-05-17T23:23:39Z")
Options for helping reduce pain are icing your neck - 15-20 on & at least 40-45 min. off. Gel ice packs work well because they easily conform to the shape of the neck. Use a thin towel or cloth between your skin & the ice pack even if the ice pack is covered. Getting an Rx for a nerve pain medication can be helpful. The ones mentioned most often here are gabapentin, amitriptyline, & carbamazepine. Nerve pain meds are anti-seizure or anti-depressant medications. They can take a couple of weeks to start working plus, doctors usually start patients on lower dosage to help reduce side effects. As I understand it, the main side effects are drowsiness & feeling tired so taking them at night can help with sleep. A muscle relaxant such as Flexeril has also been helpful for some of our members so that would be an option, too, but I don’t think you can take both a nerve pain med & muscle relaxant. Not sure though so worth asking your doctor about that. If you do have IJV compression, sleeping with your head elevated at night can help reduce symptoms from that. Here’s a good post that @Jules wrote that may help you identify other symptoms that can be related to ES: > [@ES Information: Background, Anatomy, Styloid Length, Angulation, Classic and Vascular](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/es-information-background-anatomy-styloid-length-angulation-classic-and-vascular/1391): > > Eagle Syndrome Information: Background- Including Anatomy, Classic or Vascular?, Length Vs Angulation: Disclaimer: These answers to common questions were put together for new members to gain a head start in finding information about Eagle Syndrome; to give you confidence to discuss issues with your medical team and to encourage you to research issues further for yourselves. It was compiled by a volunteer Moderator, who does not claim to be a medical professional, merely an informed observer and… --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/new-here-and-looking-for-guidance/16172)._