Chronic headache...what to do to decrease the pain and frequency?

[vinnievince]

Hi Everyone,
I have chronic tension headache from the anxiety... I have them all the time now since 2010...at first they occured only when I was out of the house but I start having them at home also in 2011 when I became homebound cause of the agoraphobia and now I have them all the time. I get up with a headache and go in the bed with a headache. They destroy the little bit of life I have.

I try several meds to treat them with no luck... Topamax that making all my body numb even after 6 months on it and not working to reduce the frequency of the headache, I try also the Gabapentin (Neurontin) with the same pins and needles effect and at was at the higher dose of 3600 mg day with no improve... I switch to the Lyrica who give to me extreme diziness... I also try some tryptan meds who almost kill me, had severe cardiovascular symptoms with them and it's not working on me, anyway can't deal with the side-effects of all of them... I also try natural products like mint oil or Tiger Balm without any improve...just burn my skin...

I had a Neurologist who told me it was more migraine than tension headache so she put me on a med call Sandomigran (Pizotifen) but again the side-effects was too much for me, anxiety being one of the side-effects... I argue with her about the type of headache I have since most of the time the pain is not throbbing or worse when I strain, sometimes I have migraine but I know when it's a migraine cause the pain is worse when I strain... but most of the time I have pain on the 2 sides of the head on the temples upper the ears with pain in the veins there and also pain behing the eyes (had eyes exam this year and they are fine)...also feel like all my face is overheating but when I touch it it's cold...same for my ears they seem to burn but they are cold...also have neck pain and pain behing the head (forehead)...sorry for my bad english, I do my best...

For now, I put a ice pad behing my neck every evening when I watch the TV and it's helping a little bit, sometimes I put the ice pad on the veins who hurt on my temples...but the pain is always there.

I try relaxation, deep breathing technic...nothing seem to help...

Of course I use a lot of Tylenol who was working at first but now it's not effective and limit the amount I take to avoid rebound headache... All the NSAID's mess up with my blood pressure so I avoid them... Ibuprofen was working in the past but now it's not an option...

So what to do with that problem? Something can help to reduce those tension headache? Some tricks or something that I don't try that you think can help me?

So far those headaches interact with my life, I can't watch the TV for too long, can't use my computer for more than 20 minutes a day...can't read books...

Anyway thanks for any kind of advises I can receive!!!

[turnthelighton]

I can relate to this, I have headaches for nearly 6 weeks. Have you tried peppermint tea? It seems to help me, though my headaches never go away.

[vinnievince]

Hi turnthelighton, of course I try peppermint tea without any improve... I continue to drink it 2 times a day because I like the taste... I use only 100% pure mint not spearmint blend...

6 weeks that's a long time for a headache no? I always have a headache, sometimes I can deal with the pain and watch the TV or do something else who ask for more cognitive abilities or physical... but most of the time the pain is too strong that I can't do anything else than sit on the couch with an ice pad behing my head, go in my bed and try to nap and return sit on the couch...who is boring as hell... mine are now chronic since at least the summer of 2010.. I can't remember the last time I was free of a headache or pain in the head... I find the situation a lot frustrating...

What is the cause of your headache? Do you try to cut your caffeine intake to see the difference? Do you avoid sugar, cheese and MSG?

To be honnest I stop drinking coffee or eating anything with caffeine inside (chocolate especially) since 2 years and I find out I had less headache with coffee than without it and had less anxiety also... now I try to drink one cup of coffee last week and had 3 hours of fast pulse rate and panic attacks... so I guess coffee is not good anymore for me...

I also try to reduce the sugar intake without much of success, feel the same, anxious even if I avoid sugar... I cut all the false sugar like Aspartame or Sucralose and see no difference... also I try to go on a no gluten diet for 2 months without improving for the headache or the digestive issues as well, also try the hypoglicemia diet (6 small meals a day) with no improve...

I only find out that when I eat cheese and peanut butter my headache increase, so I don't eat those 2 kind of foods...

Before I had only headache when I was out of the house in public space mostly because of the anxiety but I think that since my anxiety increase to a point of no return, even when i'm at home I have the headache... not seem to be related to my mood, I mean that I get up sometimes with no headache and feel great and after 20 minutes the headache start again for no reason... I can't say what trigger those headache now...

Anyway thanks for your advise ;-)

[swgrl09]

I always recommend accupuncture for headaches. I have very bad tension in my neck and shoulders and that worked for me. I had to go about 3 times before I felt noticeable affects, but after that it did wonders. After about 5 sessions, life got in the way and I did not have time to go anymore. The benefits lasted a few months though after I stopped going. Of course my tension is back, but I just haven't found time to get in there once a week.

If you are really suffering, I would suggest looking into it.

I also use ice, as you said you do too. It helps slightly but not 100%. Sometimes I alternate heat and ice. Also massages help. If it is too expensive to get one, sometimes in the US you can go to a massage therapy school and have a discounted massage from the students who need their clinical hours. It's just as good, but cheaper.

[turnthelighton]

Hi, 6 weeks is a long time and I have been to the doctors numerous times who say it is anxiety/tension. Today though it is more like a tight scalp on top and feel like dizzy on and off! Had my eyes tested and need new glasses, also my cbt starts next. Hoping one day they will just disappear :shrug:

[vinnievince]

I always recommend accupuncture for headaches. I have very bad tension in my neck and shoulders and that worked for me. I had to go about 3 times before I felt noticeable affects, but after that it did wonders. After about 5 sessions, life got in the way and I did not have time to go anymore. The benefits lasted a few months though after I stopped going. Of course my tension is back, but I just haven't found time to get in there once a week.

If you are really suffering, I would suggest looking into it.

I also use ice, as you said you do too. It helps slightly but not 100%. Sometimes I alternate heat and ice. Also massages help. If it is too expensive to get one, sometimes in the US you can go to a massage therapy school and have a discounted massage from the students who need their clinical hours. It's just as good, but cheaper.

Hi, I try it, had 10 sessions of 60 minutes with no improve... Also saw a Chiropractor with no improve... of course the chiro was much more expensive than the accupuncture...

I'm on a wating list for a complete MRI of my back and neck, will see if it's really pain from tension or just my anxiety...

I see my Family Doc in 3 weeks and will ask maybe for a cortisone injection in the neck, it's the only thing who reduce by 25% the pain... but the cortisone injection sometimes trigger anxiety and panic...so not sure what to do...

Massage are good... but don't really work for the pain... you feel good for 1-2 hours after the massage but the pain return fast... and it's expensive, don't live in the USA... Live in the Canada and no massage school here... disable from work so not a lot of money to put on alternative treatments...

Ice help only for the neck pain... but don't decrease the headache pain... I also do like you and put a hot pad once in a while... but I get used to the ice pad and it'S not working good like in the past for the neck pain...

Well, thanks for your answer ;-)

[vinnievince]

Hi, 6 weeks is a long time and I have been to the doctors numerous times who say it is anxiety/tension. Today though it is more like a tight scalp on top and feel like dizzy on and off! Had my eyes tested and need new glasses, also my cbt starts next. Hoping one day they will just disappear :shrug:

Yeah, head pain in anxiety tend to change sometimes and the pain you feel can be mild to severe or can also be numbness of the scalp of the head or the dizzy feeling as well... it can be throbbing pain or just a dull pain who is there all the time...

When I first start to have chronic headache, I had the funny numbness on the scalp of my head, after that I had the not so funny pins and needle effect everywhere on my head and since 1 year it's seem to be linked to sores neck muscles, the pain start in the forehead and go higher near the top of each ears and have pain there with dilated veins, I can feel my heart pulse rate their all the time, always stronger on the left side...

I assume it's tension headache and not migraine since the pain will worse when I have something very stressfull, when i'm in a situation of high tension who lead to panic and when I strain but return to the dull pain who is there all the time...even if some of those situations can be apply for migraine since the pain increase with straining, I know it's not pure migraine since I can stay outside under the sun and eat...with migraine I need to go in my bed in the dark and put ear plugs cause i'm sensitive to noise, even if i'm now all the time very sensitive to the noise and can't listen to music...who was perhaps they only thing in my life that I liked...anyways...

I hope the CBT will work for you... Is it the first CBT you will do?

Had done 3 CBT since 2 years with no improve... they are apparently effective against somatic anxiety symptoms but not for me... I think I done so many CBT that I can give it myself to someone else like a real Psychologist! lol

Well, that's funny how anxiety work... when you start to focus on a symptom you start worry about it all the time and the more you think about it and what it can be, and the more you go see differents Docs for tests and the higher you will have the symptoms and it will not stop increasing to the point of no return...that's my experience... I'm now stuck with chronic headache, digestive problems (probably IBS-D) and heart problems as well (tachycardia, low blood pressure or to high blood pressure, dizziness, fainting for no reason...).. all the tests I had are negative and I had a lot of them... those 3 problems take all the place in my life and now only worry about them and the more I worry and the more I feel them... funny cause I can't stop thinking about it... no wonder why I have 0 energy level, insomnia and so many panic attacks a day...

Still wait for the MRI of my neck and back...had x-ray who show some problems with vertebra near the neck but need a MRI to see it more clearly...

Well... keep faith, we don't die from the headache but it's suck cause we stop living because of those kind of symptoms... :)