As sekio explained, you aren't experiencing pain (or pulsating) in the amygdala itself because there aren't pain receptors there. The amygdala and limbic system in general are believed to be involved in migraines - both causing symptoms from migraines that affect limbic activity and limbic (over)activity contributing to causing migraines as well as influencing whether an acute condition becomes chronic.
Abstract
A tremendous gap still exists between the disciplines of psychiatry and neurology, viewed as the study of the mind, and the brain, respectively. While functional neuroimaging has served to blur this separation, many still consider the two mutually exclusive entities. But the study of migraine and limbic pain offers convincing evidence of Viktor Frankl's dichotomous model of the individual yet dependent spheres of psyche and soma. Chronic headache, though biomedical, wrestles with emotional issues, pharmacologic response, and other behavioral occurrences and conditions that confound the headache scientist. Similarly, research has shown that a vulnerable limbic system will perhaps amplify pain after years of sensitization caused by emotional trauma, loss, or abuse. These developments point to the need for a new model that embraces the approach of "one brain, multiple manifestations." Only with a transformed understanding of the integrated psyche and soma can neuroscientists expect to truly understand human pathologies.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18227776
Based on reading your past posts as well as the tag you applied to this one, I know you use amphetamines. Sekio brought up jaw-clenching (bruxism) which is one of the most common side effects associated with stimulant use and can absolutely cause headaches, especially in the temporomandibular joint.
One of the most common somatic manifestations of stress as well as a common side effect of amphetamines (essentially because of the noradrenergic activity which resembles that produced from the fight-or-flight response stress causes) is pronounced muscular tension and one of the most common physical locations where this manifests is the cervical region as .:Holy::Toast:. was discussing. Either bruxism-induced headaches and/or headaches from the peripheral, noradrenergic effects of amphetamines (potentially exacerbated by stress) seem more likely in what I know of this context.
There is some evidence that amphetamines actually can be beneficial in the treatment of migraines as suggested
here further evincing that what you're experiencing may not be a migraine or other factors may be contributing to the pain caused by migraines.
Lastly, as 'medicine cabinet' brought up, codeine is not a very effective treatment if this is a migraine and triptans are vastly superior. If this is wholly or in-part caused by amphetamine side effects (bruxism and/or muscle tension), codeine still isn't a very effective treatment and something to relax the muscle and/or counter the noradrenergic activity of the amphetamines would be better. Actually, not taking the amphetamines would be even better!
This is advanced stuff so i need to give more details. This is why I don't believe amphetamines are the cause:
- I have experienced migraines before starting amphetamine treatment
- I have experienced bruxism since I was a child
- Migraines keep occuring despite 2 months+ of amphetamine breaks I have occasionally taken in the past 7 years.
- At the peak of the migraine, a 20mg dex IR dose causes a debilitating pain for the first 50 minutes, followed by a complete and permanent pain relief
- 2mg nicotine caused an increase in pain on 5 occasions during the migraine with mathematical precision.
- Any activity or substance increasing extracellular dopamine increases pain, eg. watching my favorite show, eating favorite food etc.
- Trying to masturbate during the migraine increased the pain so sharply it made me throw up on the ground.
Extracellular dopamine is the aggravating effect, I have all the above proof to back it up. Normal nicotine effects are only restored 3-4 days after the migraine, slight headaches have reproducibly been observed when administering nicotine 1-2 days after the migraine, leading to believe that the cells were still irritated even after 72 hours.
People always told me that light is an aggravating effect but I swear that I have no proof to back it up. If light alone is an aggravating effect, how come that when I watch my favorite show on TV during a migraine, the pain goes up, and when I switch the channel to some boring show, pain stays still? If light alone causes pain it shouldn't matter what type of light goes into the eyes...
What I am 100% sure is:
- Pain occurs in the meninges above the Rolando fissure, jaw section.
- An increase in extracellular dopamine during the migraine causes an increase in pain. (the fast acting action of nicotine proves this with mathematical precision)
- Triptans relieve the migraine but nearly get me into serotonin syndrome suggesting that low levels of serotonin is not what triggers the migraine.
- Codeine lately is slightly inefficient, partly due to the increase in extracellular dopamine action, I believe.
- Metamizole is the most efficient medication so far. The pain just stops when I take it.
Like cane, there's some heavy swinging dicks in neurology on this site, so I hope someone will give me clues on how to fix this. Taking a benzo at night for jaw clenching occured to me before but...I'll be a bag of pills.
and hello migraine..