Constant headache, pressure in temples ?

[sarah jayne]

Hi, im hoping someone can reassure me as im worried sick about this headache that ive had for 3 weeks. It started when i started taking citalopram so i thought it could be a reaction to that but ive had citalopram before and didnt have any side effects. My doctor thought it could just be a coincidence and that it could be sinusitis so ive been on antibiotics but they havent worked. The headache has been constant, its awful ! It started behind my eyes, it felt like they were going to pop out ( i had an eye test but it was fine ) and the pain was also at the top of my head, now it feels like theres pressure in my temples, its like someones pressing on really hard, it really hurts. What could this be ? Ive had headaches before but never for this long and never this bad......xx

[Veronica H]

:bighug1: You poor thing. Anxiety can cause this...the tight band of tension around the head, which you may be perpetuating by being very worried about it. I think you should return to the GP though and let him check you over again. As for the Citalopram, it could have different side effects the second time around, it did for me, so mention this again. Let us know how you get on.

Veronica

[randomworry]

yeah im sure its just anxiety - what do you use to for relief out of interest as i am in the same boat?

[leelee100]

It sounds like anxiety. a mixture of pressure an tension build up. Try not to worry. If youve been to the doctors and for an eye test you will have been checked over. if it was anything serious they would have told you. :)

[sarah jayne]

Thanks for your replies ! I hope it is just anxiety, i cant help being worried its something serious because im in so much pain. Ive tried allsorts for the pain, ibuprofen, paracetomol, 30/500 cocodamols, flu pluses and ive even tried lemsips but nothing works, ive also got that little stick that you rub on your head but that doesnt work either. Its awful.....x:huh:

[rjb2214]

At worst, its a migraine. A migraine will be a head on specifically the left hand or right hand side of your head. They are quite intense and can last from a few hours to days. Migraines can also move position (swap sides) or move to feel like a cold or burning sensation just above the forehead. Migraine will also feel like there is pressure behind your nose, and/or pressure behind the eye on the side that the migraine is. Migraine can cause all sorts of things - disorientation, tiredness, nausia, vomiting, visual disturbances (flashing lights or zig zag lines), stiff neck, back pain, drowsiness, muscle aches and sensitivity to light or sound.

Stress/Tension headache is what it probably is though, your scalp feels tight, or an intense pain right at the top of your head. Again this can move to anywhere in particular, round the back of your head by the backs of your ears, or all over. Stress/tension headaches though are not associated with nausea or vomitting. They're caused by stress/anxiety (usually something in particular), insomnia and depression

[rachyylou]

Hi :)

To me this sounds like something called Cluster Headaches. You get it because of stress and anxiety. It often occurs behind the eyes and feels like severe pressure before it becomes painful, the headaches also seem to linger in the front of the head or in the neck.

Just this evening I had my first experience of the pressure on the temples and slight ear ache, which led me to this post. Some sources online describe the Cluster Headaches as being more painful than migraines and even childbirth - which is why so many people worry that it's something much more serious. Then of course the worrying contributes to the anxiety and stress causing the aches in the first place.

My GP recommended taking 2 normal drugstore paracetamol four times a day for a week or so and occasionally one ibuprofen if it was particularly bad. Apparently this will break the cycle of headaches that keep coming and make it go away for good. I've yet to see if this works, and I was surprised because I thought that 8 paracetamol a day sounded like an awful lot so you should definitely see your doctor first.

I hope this helps x

[swgrl09]

For headaches that are related to tension it is better to take ibuprofin or naproxen sodium because they are anti-inflammatories. I know it sounds weird, but I recommend ice to everybody I know who gets headaches from this. Ice your neck and base of your skull for 10-15 minutes on, then an hour off. It does help after you do it a couple of times. For me, that is the only thing that takes an edge off - when I combine ibuprofin with icing.

My anxiety gives me headaches like this very very often and when they get bad, this is what I do. I have tried it all and sometimes the basics work the best. Also a good shoulder/neck/scalp massage doesn't hurt either. You can also alternate ice and heat.

Also if it is sinus related, as your doctor said it could be, you may have allergies and that is why the antibiotics did not kick it. They cause congestion in the sinuses in that area. This was the case with me this past summer. Never had allergies before that actually caused any symptoms, so they thought it was just sinus infection. I went through 2 rounds of antibiotics before a doc caught on that maybe it was not a bacterial infection.

[turnthelighton]

I know how you are feeling, Its been over three weeks for me and the doc says it is tension headaches. Its not there when I wake up but comes on during the morning and bam its there for the day. I have not really found any relief for them yet, taken over the counter meds but dont really help. Though I find when I go to the gym it helps as I must be relaxing my muscles. Hope you feel better soon x