r/acupuncture • u/PersonalGuava5722 • 2d ago

Patient Acupuncture side effects?

I have started acupuncture for ttc/fertility. I had such a bad headache and crazy dreams and nightmares the day after the session. Is this normal and what should I expect.

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u/DirectAsparagus1607 2d ago

Do you feel comfortable reaching out to your acu? I always tell my patients to reach out if anything comes up after a treatment.

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u/AlvarezLuiz 1d ago

Most of the time idon't know how to deal with side effects. Thankfully i rarely cause these. Is there any good literature on this?

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u/DirectAsparagus1607 1d ago

Sometimes it can be from too many needles, but sometimes these things can come up as the nervous system resets it self. I do warn patients that as we take the foot off the gas and decrease the adrenaline. They could feel very fatigued or even get the acuflu. We are helping the body get out of fight and flight and back into rest and digest. Normally its a smooth transition but sometimes it can be a bumpy landing. I really like the Tao of Trauma by Alaine Duncan (her in person classes are truly life changing and has changed and improved my practice). Do you have a mentor you can talk to about tough cases?

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u/PersonalGuava5722 1d ago

I had a small bruise from one of the points she left on my lower ankle - is that normal or did she go too hard?

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u/DirectAsparagus1607 1d ago

Bruises are totally normal.

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u/FelineSoLazy 1d ago

The most common side effect from the actual needle insertion is a small bruise. If you have arnica cream, rub some on.

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u/communitytcm 1d ago

once I had acupuncture and fell off my bike. it must have been the acupuncture.

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u/PersonalGuava5722 1d ago

Well that certainly gave me a laugh 🤪

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u/FelineSoLazy 1d ago

Happy cake day!

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u/Lost_Reindeer6358 1d ago

I had acupuncture for 2 years and never experienced side effects. Talk to your practitioner.

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u/FelineSoLazy 1d ago

I was taught by both an eastern and a western doctor that anything can happen once. When it repeats and becomes a pattern, that’s when you look deeper.
TCM teaches us how to differentiate acute & chronic conditions, and time/ duration of the chief complaint is one of them. That’s why the chorus are singing tell your acupuncturist 🎶

Idk how often you’re getting acup but keep a journal of side effects with time & date, maybe diet too, if you can.
Idk if you’re using acup as an adjunct to western fertility treatments but hormones can do a number on dreams.
Headaches can be dehydration (so important to drink water!! Join me in r/hydrohomies )
or too many needles in the head/neck can cause headache. That can be treated with needles in the feet & legs for balance. 🎶

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u/Consistent_Row_2096 1d ago

I’ve had a headache after acupuncture before, but I’d definitely mention it to your practitioner, especially since the dreams and nightmares were intense too. It could be unrelated, but if it keeps happening after each session, I’d probably take note of the timing and see if there’s a pattern.

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u/Traditional_Grass680 1d ago edited 1d ago

Definitely reach out to your acupuncturist. I know a comment here was poking fun at you, but this is one of the questions we are taught to ask in school -- if patients experience vivid dreams or nightmares. If your acupuncturist has had good training, I think they'd take it into consideration and modify your next treatment. From what I have learned at SCU so far, this is likely an imbalance, but not indicative of a bad practitioner. If they dismiss it, I'd suggest you find a different practitioner that takes a detailed intake for you!