Headaches every day for 6 months but unsure if Migraine or not....

[Irishguy1989]

I’m hoping someone can relate or recognize!

Everyday for the past 6 months I either wake up with a headache behind my right eye/right temple or it comes on during the day. It’s like a pulsating pain where I can still go on with my day most of the time but it’s really hampering my quality of life. I don’t feel sick generally or have visual issues. Its just a pain that is virtually always there. I do seem to get a blocked nose and can feel very tired during and after the headache also.

I generally treat it with paracetamol (tylenol) and sometimes ibuprofen. At the beginning I was taking these painkillers most days (sometimes with no improvement to the pain) but have since slowed this down to 1-3 times per week as I am aware of medication overuse headaches.

My doctor sent me for an MRI (all fine), CT (sinus are fine except for a deviated septum which he said is not linked), prescribed me propranolol (10-20 mg each day) but they make my mouth extremely dry and i feel woozy. The propranolol give some reduction but not much. I did try Sumatran but I did feel that it made me feel worse rather than better. I take magnesium 100-200 mg (L-threonate and glycinate) once per day but sometimes i wonder if these make it worse. I don’t smoke or drink alcohol or caffeine.

I’m currently waiting for a neurologist but the headaches started around the time that I stopped using pregabalin (for anxiety) and while I’m not sure if there is a link i do wonder. I’m quite an anxious person but I don’t have too many stressors in my life right now. Any advice of what you think these headaches actually are would be helpful!

[Cat00]

Anxiety and headaches go hand in hand both are signs of brain excitability and both feed each other in a never ending cycle. Other than reduce stressors and anything that overstimulates you you are best hanging on for the neurologist. Some people have headache/migraine everyday its called hemicrania continua but equally I've had migraine that lasted a couple months and then settled down again. I'm glad you are aware of medication overuse or rebound headaches bc that is always a concern in these situations.

I hope you get an appointment soon I know how draining it is!

[BitBrokenBrain]

I’m surprised that the deviated septum was not linked at all. My father and a good friend of mine both had chronic headaches that went away after surgery for theirs. For my dad, he’s also had issues with sleep apnea in the past and had several sleep studies done. That aside- is there anything environmental that could be adding to this for you? Do you have allergies to dust, detergents or perfumes or have exposure to second hand smoke? All of those things plague me, which can be super frustrating (and painful) when everything else I’m doing, with a clean diet, exercise and lifestyle are built around keeping me headache free. Magnesium didn’t help me at all; i know it’s widely used, but if a magnesium deficiency isn’t causing a person’s migraines, it’s not always going to be effective. Anxiety can definitely trigger a migraine for me (stress is a huge trigger for me), and certain medications that have been tried to treat my migraine disorder actually made it worse, including one that is primarily meant for treating depression (even at a very low dose). Not sure if any of this helps, but I know little bits of info can sometimes lead to new ideas. Wish you the best in getting answers and being pain free!

[meggiemog]

Best to see what your neurologist says. However, I am on propranolol 80mg slow release - I take it at night and can honestly say it has been great for me. I don't know if your dose is high enough? The other thing that crossed my mind is if you are waking up with headaches - what is your hydration like? Dehydration is not kind to your head! I hope you can get sorted out soon - although I ended up seeing a private neurologist as the waiting list was miles long .......

[Irishguy1989 in reply to meggiemog]

Thanks for the message. Glad to hear propranolol helps you. The 10-20 mg give me a dry mouth and fatigue so id be nervous to try the higher dose. How are you finding it?

[meggiemog in reply to Irishguy1989]

It does help me, but I already had issues with a dry mouth before I started taking it. It's just like anything, one man's poison is another man's cure! There are other options there, if you don't hear about an appointment I would be trying to see GP again to see if they can suggest another medication.

[babs1234]

Hi. I’ve had this for 8 years. Headache specialist diagnosed Hemicrania Continua. I’ve tried everything even a daith piercing. They’re not as intense or as frequent as they were but still approx 15 days/nights a month and obviously loose a hell of a lot of sleep due to them. I’m having to keep a headache diary and my next step is Botox. Due to the current situation I can’t see that being anytime soon. Google HC and see if your symptoms matchX