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Chronic Headaches

1K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  exiled_expatriate 
#1 ·
I've had these on and off for the past 4 years or so. I get them for a few months at a time, during which I wake up with a headache that gets progressively worse until bedtime. I used to tolerate it medication free but now that I have an office job and have to stare at a computer for a good chunk of the day, I'm popping paracetamol like there's no tomorrow.

I'm fed up and I don't think taking painkillers every day is good for me.

Has anyone else suffered from these? Any tips of what I can do? I drink plenty, eat lots of fruit and veg. Husband and I have decided to go for a walk each evening after dinner, I'm hoping the fresh air might help a little.
 
#2 ·
Make sure you're getting enough magnesium.
 
#5 ·
Sorry to hear you are dealing with this pain. I sucks


If you do go to a Dr about the headaches, I would recommend going to a headache specialist/clinic. There are hundreds of types of headaches and reasons behind them. Working with a Dr who specializes in that field will prevent you from getting a headache from dealing with Dr's who spent a whole hour about headaches in med school. BTDT
 
#6 ·
B2/Riboflavin 200mg twice daily, Coenzyme Q-10 100mg three times daily, and Magnesium 200mg twice daily can often be useful in headache prevention (not just as needed). Other ideas to try include Feverfew and Butterbur. Folks often overlook the benefit of yoga, pilates and other meditative/breathing techniques for relief but they can be very useful. Good luck to you!
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Barilko View Post

Why ask strangers on the internet about something that could be a serious health problem?

You need a medical professional.
I agree with this. I think you should go to the dr and find out what's going on - it could be something serious, or equally something really easy to solve. I'd write down all the info about how long you've been getting for them, what the pain feels like and where it is, etc, so you are clear and don't forget anything.

Hope you feel better soon
 
#9 ·
"I'm popping paracetamol like there's no tomorrow.

I'm fed up and I don't think taking painkillers every day is good for me.

Has anyone else suffered from these? Any tips of what I can do? I drink plenty, eat lots of fruit and veg. Husband and I have decided to go for a walk each evening after dinner, I'm hoping the fresh air might help a little."

Paracetamol (acetaminophen) can cause liver damage. Make sure you take no more than 1 gram per day, and that you do not use any alcohol at all. Also read the ingredient on all meds you are taking, to make sure you are not taking more acetaminophen in the form of a combo of ingredients pill, that does not have paracetamol or actaminophen listed in big print. Some susceptible people will get liver damage even at the recommended dose. I would try and spend a good few days without it, as often as possible.

That said, it didn't help my head pain at all, which I had since age 19. I don't have any suggestions for self-treatment, otherwise than pay attention to what things seem to instigate them, if any, and avoid those. Although this may be close to impossible, if the instigator is separated from the result, by more than an hour or 2.

Similarly-feeling head pain may have different causes and many different ways of being relieved, if it can be relieved.

Headaches are are occasionally easy for physicians to "solve," but an easy to solve headache is the unusual exception. Most are rather challenging to deal with.
 
#10 ·
You definitely need to see a doctor. That could be really serious. I don't want to scare you, but headaches that severe are nowhere near normal, and could be a sign of a neurological condition or trauma of some kind. Please see a doctor immediately. Preferably a specialist.
 
#11 ·
I agree with midwestbeth. Don't bother with a family physician, make an appointment not with just anyone who says they are a headache specialist, but with a multi-discipline pain management clinic run by a major hospital in a big city.

xamorphia writes
Quote:
You definitely need to see a doctor. That could be really serious. I don't want to scare you, but headaches that severe are nowhere near normal, and could be a sign of a neurological condition or trauma of some kind. Please see a doctor immediately. Preferably a specialist.
Of course chronic pain of any kind is always serious in that it interferes with your ability to function, and compete. While it is possibly due to a condition which is life or limb threatening, and possibley a sign of a neurological condition that is diagnosible with scientific tests, most likely it is not. Most likely you will get a diagnosis of a neurological conditon based solely on your reported symptoms - not scientific, but the best they can do. For example there is no practical way to diagnose migraines with any test, but migraines are usually considered to be a neurological condition (and are thus treated by a neurologist) even though there is not enough scientific evidence to support this view. The idea that they are neurological is based on an educated guess. Some practitioners still argue that they are mainly due to blood vessel disfunction.

If your doctor says your condition is considered painful but not serious, he is using a contradiction in terms. Pain itself is serious, and many doctors believe it should be treated, even in the absense of scientifically diagnosible condition, just like they believe depression should be treated, or severe obsessive-compulsive conditions should be treated.
 
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