head and face pressure and blood pressure

[Welsh.Baz]

It could well be sinus problems, coupled with anxiety, which my mum has so I know the signs well.

If you are that worried about the docs, just pop to the pharmacy and get some sinutabs or sudafed, just try it for a day or so, just to see if it helps with this, if it doesn't then you can pretty much rule it out yourself, without the need to put yourself through going to the docs

[angieuk]

Thank you for your replies. Nice to talk to people who understand. When I tell people I am terrified of having my blood pressure taken theycant understand it and make stupid comments.
I had to go to the dentist today and had two teeth out. It took half an hour of digging and yanking to get one of them out as it had broken in the gum. I wasnt in the least bit stressed and it was a piece of cake compared to having my blood pressure done.
I have been googling about blood pressure meds and the side effects look horrendous. Does everyone get them. I once took beta blockers for migraine and they made me feel dreadful.
Angie.x

[tim73]

Beta blockers should be fine. Loads of people take them, even for things like exam stress, coping with presentations, meetings, etc. One of the most commonly prescribed drugs I think.

They're pretty harmless and side effects are very rare I think. About the only thing you might find is you get a bit sleepy, but depends how much you take. All they do is suppress the adrenalin feed to the body which is what your body overdoes when you go into anxiety mode. It's the Fight&Flight response. The body is reacting to a threat that doesn't exist so BBs can help tell the body to stop it.

They're highly recommended now for reducing risks of heart problems.

Surprised you felt bad with them though. Maybe it's the variety. I've got Propranolol on a repeat prescription which I just take whenever I feel I need to and they're fine for me.

The worst thing however is to look up side effects of drugs. They really can be scary! But the risk factor is very often extremely low, it's just they have to list them. Many of the side effects reported are not conclusively proven or may be related to other illnesses the patient has.

But BBs are nothing to worry about. Now SSRIs (anti-depressants) on the other hand worry me, which is why I keep refusing them!

[TomSK]

Tension can affect the muscles around the forehead, giving a feeling of pressure, but the culprite of my head and face pressure was sinusitus which i was worried sick about, thinking it was a brain tumour or something as i had pressure above both my eyes, in my temples and round the sides and back of my head. My anxiety started here and spiralled out of control leading to a vicous circle of me giving myself new symptoms to worry about as your mind affects your body. After two solid weeks of heart pounding and racing 24-7 and i got chest pains and i was worried about blood pressure etc but the chest pains were from anxiety and the pulsing in my head and temples wasn't high blood pressure, just effects of palpatations from anxiety.
You also have sinuses at the top of your nose on either side and lower down near your cheeks on either side which, when blocked (which is common after allergy or bad cold), they give sinus headaches and feelings of pressure around the cheeks, nose, eyes and forehead. The infection from sinusitus can cause glands to come up giving extra twinges, aches and pains.

Hope this helps.

[tim73]

Good point about the blood pressure. I've had all kinds of tension symptoms including a head pressure feeling, tight and burning arms, and I kept thinking my blood pressure must be high. I mean it feels like it.

But, check my BP at home. Perfectly normal.

It's just muscle tension in my experience.

One thing I've found though is just trying to relax your body won't shift it immediately if you've been tense for a long time. You need a long term fix. Maybe a change in routine to something more relaxing. Better sleep. Take time off work (but don't get into the trap of avoiding work, just take a break, go on holiday). Go for walks, etc.

I'm not out of the woods yet, but the head pressure has gone. I've still got very tense arms that causes aches that I now know are muscle aches (and not something more serious), and I'm working towards relieving all this tension that's probably built up over the past few years!

[angieuk]

I am sure the problem is definately a lot of muscle tension going on. For me coming off benzos after 36 years has definately left me with lots of residual problems including muscle tension. Its also meant thta I have no coping strategies for dealing with stress as I have always used tablets. I am now scared to take anything.
Have got a doctors appt today. Angiex