Anyone else afflicted by headaches?

[yaxomoxay]

Let’s start a support group
Is anyone else here affected by vicious headaches? What are your remedies? And what are the underlying causes?

I usually get a pounding pain on my right temple, sometimes extending to the eyes. At times it goes from my neck up. It usually happens when the weather changes, or if I eat disorderly. As a remedy, the only one I could find is Excedrin.

 

[Tinmania]

Perhaps you are having sinus headaches. I would suggest trying benadryl with ibuprofen. What also works would be something that contains pseudoephedrine--yes the stuff that can be used to make meth. It really helps to dilate blood vessels and can usually still be found at the pharmacy counter.



Mike

 

[A.Goldberg]

I get 1 migraine a year routinely. Generally I just take some ibuprofen and sleep it off.

There’s a ton of migraine drugs out there that are quite effective- from psuedophredrine to things like Imitrex (triptan drugs) and Fiorcet (butalbital compounds) and so on. The problem with these drugs with people with frequent migranes is they tend to cause rebound migranes once they wear off (a problem seldom mentioned and which makes the condition worse), and their use is generally limited. NSAIDs (ie ibuprofen) and acetominophen do not carry the rebound risk.

The best option is to meet with a neurologist to assess your situation and options. Ruling out underlying conditions is vital, as is determining triggers and making lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, sleep, checking side effects of other meds, etc).
[doublepost=1511976713][/doublepost]Also worth noting, contemporary migraine pathophysiology theory has moved away from vascular dysregulation (though it still may be a factor). The leading theory involves activation trigeminovascular system, which is a bit complex but suffice it to say it’s more neural dysregulation.

 

[TheTruth101]

Let’s start a support group
Is anyone else here affected by vicious headaches? What are your remedies? And what are the underlying causes?

I usually get a pounding pain on my right temple, sometimes extending to the eyes. At times it goes from my neck up. It usually happens when the weather changes, or if I eat disorderly. As a remedy, the only one I could find is Excedrin.

Yes, yours is sinus. Forget about taking any medicine, you need to do cardio and for real. Get some roller blades and do 20 miles every weekend. That is how I got rid of mine. The worst thing you can do to your body is to sit in front of a computer all day.

Regarding the headaches I had, it was just changing my eye prescription. Actually I stopped using my contacts and regular lenses for about 2 weeks now and even I see blurry at a distance I am just fine.

 

[yaxomoxay]

@TheTruth101 and @Tinmania may I ask why you point at sinus migraines?

(TheTruth101, yep I do need to do more cardio)

 

[heehee]

I had migraines everyday for a full month 2.5 years ago. It was caused by neck/shoulder strain. My physio fixed it and I don’t get migraines anymore.

I do get headaches time to time. It’s usually caused by neck/shoulder strain due to too much exercise or stress, or dehydration.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I used to get a ferocious migraine once every 12-15 months; it would last around three days and was extraordinarily debilitating - once it had started, nothing would stop it, and it was excruciating.

However, over time, I learned to identify some triggers, and I also realised that the headaches usually only happened when a number of triggers occurred simultaneously.

As @heehee points out, stress and dehydration were two very specific triggers, as was irregular eating (often at times of stress), and insufficient rest.

Sinus issues undoubtedly also contributed - I used to suffer from really serious sinus problems.

Menstrual issues - but only in conjunction with one or two of he other triggers may also have been an occasional contributory factor.

Moreover, five years ago, I had two impacted wisdom teeth removed by a dental surgeon, - this was a procedure I had postponed for years - and I have not had a really dreadful migraine headache since then.

 

[JamesMike]

Fortunately I have never had a headache of any kind. I hope it stays that way.

 

[hawkeye_a]

I get headaches/migraines off-n-on (every few months). I have found the primary driver to be lack of sleep, with secondary drivers being changing season, changing diet (every few months I try to give up coffee and cut down on sugar, which i suspect contribute to the changing sleep patterns) and neck/trapezius strain.

My remedy is simple... panadol(sort of like asprin) and sleep.

 

[BenTrovato]

I find it strange that recently I have heard more people complaining of headaches. I was at a party last week and one of my friends mentioned he had a headache. No one made anything of it but since I had three family members who never get headaches recently get headaches I pressed on. My friend was more than happy to open up that he had been experiencing painful headaches for the past few weeks. This conversation brought a few people around and someone else came forward describing how bad their headaches have been.

Is it just a coincidence? Wondering if others have started noticing this as well.

 

[Tinmania]

@TheTruth101 and @Tinmania may I ask why you point at sinus migraines?

You mentioned it happened with weather changes, which is usually associated with barometric pressure changes. That can trigger sinus/migraine headaches.


Mike

 

[Scepticalscribe]

You mentioned it happened with weather changes, which is usually associated with barometric pressure changes. That can trigger sinus/migraine headaches.


Mike

Yes, this is true.

I sometimes got terrible sinus tension headaches shortly before a major depression (as signalled by the barometer) occurred; once the depression was well underway, the headache eased a little and disappeared entirely when the depression did.

 

[jkcerda]

Let’s start a support group
Is anyone else here affected by vicious headaches? What are your remedies? And what are the underlying causes?

I usually get a pounding pain on my right temple, sometimes extending to the eyes. At times it goes from my neck up. It usually happens when the weather changes, or if I eat disorderly. As a remedy, the only one I could find is Excedrin.

I was getting headaches 2-3 days a week at work, I stopped drinking soda & coffee and they suddenly went away. got blood test just in case there was something there and it all came up good. now I tend to drink water with lemon in it everywhere I go and at every meal, starting to get cold so coffee made an appearance the last 2 days

 

[LizKat]

Main times I've had headaches is when I was drinking a lot of coffee on the job and abruptly laid off it on a Saturday morning. Then by Sunday midday I'd have a pretty bad caffeine withdrawal headache. I knew coffee was the answer.... Problem is then I'd make a pot of coffee, drink most of it and still be awake at 3 am wondering how the heck I'd stagger into work on three hours of sleep.

Eventually I realized the trick was cut way way down on the coffee to begin with, d'oh.

Past that I just don't get headaches. If I feel the slightest twinge I think I have a brain tumor. The twinges turn out so far to be from changes in the weather, i.e. drop in barometric pressure..
[doublepost=1512102725][/doublepost]

Is it just a coincidence? Wondering if others have started noticing this as well.

Not to politicize the thread, but... well I'll just leave it there. I get angry, not headaches lol.

 

[hawkeye_a]

@LizKat it's eerie how similar your situation with coffee is to mine. Coffee is the most addictive thing ive experienced.

 

[0388631]

Headaches for me are usually caused by lack of water for days at a time. Once I realize it, it takes a few days for the headaches to go away. Sometimes it's forgetting a vitamin pill or two. My drinking of fluids has been mostly black or green tea for a while now and I'm paying for it with a headache. Without being disgusting, your urine may be clear, but it doesn't mean you're getting enough water. I don't consider tea to be water. It's an altered drink. Clear water is the only water. And the only water that should go towards your daily intake.

I was getting headaches 2-3 days a week at work, I stopped drinking soda & coffee and they suddenly went away. got blood test just in case there was something there and it all came up good. now I tend to drink water with lemon in it everywhere I go and at every meal, starting to get cold so coffee made an appearance the last 2 days

Caffeine and other compounds in coffee are a vasoconstrictor and diuretic. It goes without saying that it would trigger a headache. Coincidentally, to much vasodilation can lead to headaches. This is why coffee or caffeine, really, is sometimes used in place of medication when you've got a bad headache. If all your other fluids are in check, the caffeine eases the headache. Soda won't do much unless it's got sugar in it and you consume a lot. Or if it's caffeine inside it, which is negligible compared to coffee. Not getting enough water is going to be the cause most of the time. You run your business in a warehouse, right? You're likely getting dehydrated without having to sweat.
[doublepost=1512115521][/doublepost]

Not to politicize the thread, but... well I'll just leave it there. I get angry, not headaches lol.

I don't even get angry. I'm more shocked that I'm reading the articles right. A couple weeks ago he said something and I thought I misread the quote until I reread it later. I'm so past the angry/shocked phase of this. I'm at the "How can someone be that stupid?" phase.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Headaches for me are usually caused by lack of water for days at a time. Once I realize it, it takes a few days for the headaches to go away.

Yes I have found that hydration - once I got into the habit of drinking at least two litres of actual water a day (in addition to my coffee, smoothies, occasional tea and alcohol intake) - helps considerably with headaches.

In my first post in this thread, I mentioned hydration but neglected to discuss it in any detail.

 

[hawkeye_a]

I'm pretty sure caffeine(specifically coffee) contributes to dehydration as well.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm pretty sure caffeine(specifically coffee) contributes to dehydration as well.

Oh, I'm sure it does too, but, if you ensure that you manage to stay sufficiently hydrated (as in try to make certain that you drink plenty of water, at least two litres a day) this should not be a problem.

 

[Ingster]

I get headaches every other day, I have migraines once per week and they can be debilitating.

I have had them for 23 years and they have gotten worse over the past 5 years, I am starting prophylaxis treatment for the headaches and migraines and i've been given migraine buster medications to stop the migraines but they themselves have horrid side effects, but i am able to go into work within 1 hour of starting with one which is a miracle, so now i'm down to 1 headache every week and 1 migraine every 2-3 weeks which can be treated within 1 hour, hopefully soon once the medication level is tweaked correctly I'll be able to be migraine and headache free, we'll see!

On the trialling stuff, i've cut out caffeine, sugar, meat, dairy etc and none have helped

 

[Tarek]

Ever since I moved to Liverpool I've been getting headaches every now and then because the cold weather affects my sinus. A nice joint always fixes it for me, but of course I don't recommend that for people who don't smoke up and because it's probably not the best way to go about it.

 

[Huntn]

I was getting headaches 2-3 days a week at work, I stopped drinking soda & coffee and they suddenly went away. got blood test just in case there was something there and it all came up good. now I tend to drink water with lemon in it everywhere I go and at every meal, starting to get cold so coffee made an appearance the last 2 days

We’re they mild headaches? Depending how consistently you consume caffeine, it could be withdrawal events, but for myself they are generally mild, but can be amplified if you are dehydrated.

 

[jkcerda]

We’re they mild headaches? Depending how consistently you consume caffeine, it could be withdrawal events, but for myself they are generally mild, but can be amplified if you are dehydrated.

They were mild but they pretty much ended when I stopped coffee & soda

 

[Huntn]

They were mild but they pretty much ended when I stopped coffee & soda

I rarely have these headaches, but it’s based on a consistent intake of caffeine. I won’t argue that that it’s better to be consuming caffeine, but it does serve a purpose for me and they consider coffee an antioxidant, so there’s my rationalization.