Chronic Tension Headaches..

[GinaG3]

Does anybody suffer with these? I have suffered for years now with tension headaches coming for 4 months at a time, consistent band of pressure and horrible pain right around my head, complete with the fact my whole face feels like its about to explode. I'm 2 days in to an episode now and just cannot do it this time, I cannot sit there waiting for it to stop as it will quite literally be permanent for the next number of weeks. I take paracetamol which does nothing as my doctor has already told me my headaches seem to be immune from the help of analgesics. I'm still breastfeeding so didn't want to take ibuprofen especially, but did anyway and have been for 2 days now, it just is not helping at all. They are getting worse and worse by the hour. Does anybody have any advice before I literally pull all my hair out and keel over? I'm beginning to be unable to function and feeling hugely sick and dizzy plus with a active toddler this is not fair to either of us. Have had physio before, also unhelpful. Any other suffers please bombard me with ideas, this computer is not helping so I'm going to relax, will check for ideas soon!!!!

[supergolden88]

Are you sure they are tension headaches and not migraines? Have you noticed any pattern to them (do they come when you are premenstrual, stressed etc.) You may be able to determine a "trigger" and try to avoid it.

I used to get migraines every month and they were connected with the Pill - I stopped taking it and they stopped. Although I have had lots of tension headaches/migraines during my current pregnancy especially the first few months. Definitely a hormonal connection there.

Another thing that causes tension headaches for me is teeth grinding at night so perhaps check with your dentist. I find I do it a lot when stressed and sometimes wake up because my head hurts so much!

Sorry I cant help except to sympathise. THere is something called a migrastick (from Health Shop on Lordship Lane) which helped with my headaches and it's purely essential oils. Better than paracetamol in my case

Good luck

[jollybaby]

Have you ever been referred to a neurologist or have you only been seeing your GP? If you haven't seen a neurologist yet it may be worth asking for a referral as they will be able assess whether these are true tension headaches or something else - ie migraine or cluster headaches. (Although most good GPs should be able to do this too ). It's important because there are other types of medication that can be helpful with migraine and cluster headaches - both for prevention and treatment. Hope you feel better soon.

http://www.kch.nhs.uk/services/neurosciences/neurology/headache-services/

[candj]

Hi Gina,

I feel for you as I suffered from really bad tension headaches after the birth of my second child. I attributed it to the position of breastfeeding and the way I held my head/looked down at my daughter (if that makes sense). The pain would start in my neck and shoulders and go straight up the back of my head and into my temples into a raging headache.

My GP sent me to an osteopath which worked a bit, but didn't really cure me. A migraine suffering friend told me about the over the counter Boots own brand of tension headache pills and it really did the trick as far as pain relief. I believe it was a combination of both paracetemol and a muscle relaxant.

Also when breastfeeding just make sure your little one is supported on pillows so that you are not straining your neck, shoulder or arm muscles too much. Also have your own back supported so that you're not in an odd position on the sofa/chair. For me I think the build up of tense muscles in that area resulted in my headaches. Also my second daughter was much heavier and I bf her longer which is why I think I didn't get them first time around.

Hope that helps and good luck.

[GinaG3]

Thanks for all your advice very useful, whilst its hurting to try reading it all I got there in the end.

Definitely tension headaches, not clusters or migraines. Funny how people keep mentioning pregnancy and breastfeeding. I had suffered for some years before getting pregnant but pregnancy definitely made the episodes more drawn out and painful. I have been breastfeeding for coming on 2 years now and do think possibly this has made my posture a lot worse than it already was. I would suspect mine is linked to stress as I have various problems in my life right now that are stressing me out a lot. I have also recently started using the pill for medical rather than contraceptive use but this isn't the cause just may have made this episode worse. Oh boy, its difficult. Doctors have seen me repeatedly over the last few years but cannot offer any advice or medication other than analgesics, I may soon as to be referred to a neurologist though as I have been thinking about this recently (my doctor is beginning to think I'm crazy anyway as I have a number of referrals pending right now - I'm falling apart it would seem).

Have been offered acupuncture on the NHS before, has anyone tried this for headaches? I dread the thought of acupuncture needles after stabbing one under my knee cap when I was little whilst my mum had pregnancy acupuncture. That would probably make me very tense, so I think may not help.

Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated.

[Saffron]

Have you tried using a TENS machine?

[kristymac1]

Hiya, I really sympathise - I've suffered for many many years with migraines, tension and cluster headaches and have tried lots of different medications and therapies. Acupunture had a limited effect, I also saw a chiropractor which also helped temporarily. I'm afraid the only thing which has made them manageable is a series of medication which is changed regularly as that too ends up having limited effect after a period of time. I did have other health problems, which the headaches were a sympton and now seemingly a legacy of, but I would definitely see a neurologist, although some of the more heavy duty medication may not suit you whilst still breastfeeding (beta-blockers, triptans etc).

Good luck, I really do feel for you. x

[beansprout]

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT GOING TO A CHIROPRACTER?

[apenn]

Can also sympathise and ditto on the advice to see a neurologist. My experience is with cluster headaches, so I don't know if this will also work with tension headaches, but I often find that sometimes just nipping it in the bud and breaking the cycle of pain before it starts to progress is what's needed. If you're breastfeeding this may not be a good solution for your, but have you tried any serious prescription pain killers?

-A

[GinaG3]

I haven't tried anything other than paracetamol and ibuprofen although we have already established at the doctors that these heads are resistant to these types of analgesic and have been for years. I'm unsure what I could take prescription wise. I cannot take codeine as it makes me really delusional and sick and I am still very reluctant to give up breastfeeding which in turn means I am limited to what I can take.

Can anybody tell me what seeing a neurologist would involve (do they give you scans and stuff?), out of interest? Now I know they wont cut my head open to dig around or anything although I would love for the pain station to be demolished!!

My aunt swears by Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) whereby you tap away the pain at certain points on your body, I'm a bit sceptical with these natural methods so as of yet haven't managed to follow the instructional videos on youtube although some research apparently proves it to be effective where drugs aren't. Off I go to tap, tap, tap!

[womanofdulwich]

I get these kind of headaches occasionally - do they make you feel like your eyes are going to pop out? i get them after a cold sometimes.I thought it was sinus related and sinutab helped- but not 100%.also applying pressure to those pressure points on your head- chinese doctors are really good at this.::o

[duchessofdulwich]

had awful migranes when I was pregnant and would not take pain killers for it; felt like someone was drilling into my head.

I am short sighted and get vision disturbances, so its good to know there are others out there with this issue. I have been taking Ibuprofen with lyesine that numbs the pain quite well now.. When I was pregnant I also bought a product called "4head" which i still occassionally use. By the way what are cluster headaches?

[jollybaby]

Seeing a neurologist would involve them taking a very detailed history of your symptoms and past medical history etc as with headaches this is the best way to establish the diagnosis. They'd then examine you, focusing on your nervous system- they'd examine your arms and legs and test the strength, sensation, coordination and reflexes. None of these tests are invasive or painful. They'd also check the nerves supplying your head by examining your pupils and facial movements. They'd then decide whether they felt any further tests were needed- I'm not convinced they would routinely send you for a scan unless you described any unusual symptoms or had any abnormal findings on examination- as it would be unlikely to be helpful and more often than not a neurologist can make a diagnosis without one.

[BellendenBear]

Your headaches sound typical of tension headaches. As your GP said these are often exacerbated by analgesics particularly codeine-based ones. It is quite common for these to be worse after having a baby - lifting heavy baby/toddler, breastfeeding etc.

I would see your GP and ask to be referred to Gateway clinic for acupuncture (NHS). If you can afford it you could do this privately or try massage/osteopath/chiropractor which may also help.

If this didn't help there are new guidelines for referral to local headache clinics (much quicker than waiting to see neurologist).

[aloued]

Hi,

I am a highly experienced massage therapist and have had many clients come to me with severe headaches/migraines. I use gentle techniques to relax the body followed by more vigourous massage to get rid of any knots in the shoulders and neck, which can often cause headaches. I then use Thai massage on some pressure points, again this rapidly reduces tension, followed by more soothing Indian Head Massage, commonly known as an excellent cure for headaches.

If you would like to make a booking call me on: 07800 636266 or email me at: [email protected].

You can also see more details on my website thedulwichtouch.co.uk.

Best wishes

Amy

[Saffron]

Wow! AMY, you sold me, and I don't even have a headache today!!

GINAG3, have you talked with your GP about trying Tegretol (carbamazepine) for your headache? This is an epilepsy drug that can also be used to treat certain types of persistent pain. It has a different mechanism of action compared to standard analgesics. It is also considered safe for breastfeeding. It has been used for many decades to treat epilepsy and other conditions, so a lot is known about side effects etc. You should be able to find a lot of info about it.

I would also recommend acupuncture for pain. Giles Davies on Barry Road is very good.

x really hoping you find something that helps x

[Belle]

The headache strips you get in chemists are actually really good - my husband suffers terribly from migraines and swears by them. forget what they're called - but you can get them in Lloyds. Know it's not a solution given how serious your headaches are, but might help alleviate things a bit.

[GinaG3]

Thank you once again for all your advice.

Day 5 now and I've woke without headache normally I hit day 14 at least so this is a bit too good to be true, such relief though. Crossing my fingers and toes that it doesn't come back during the day as I have a well deserved night out on the cards tonight, hopefully I don't have to let anyone down!

Episodes are 4 months apart usually so hopefully I can breathe easy for the next weeks months. Thank you for all your advice it has been really useful, I knew there would be headache sufferers out there somewhere. Wondering now whether headaches will become less intense once my daughter is fully off the breast, cant see this happening for another year or so though.. Got to stick it out and hopefully it will be worth it in the end.

Definitely see doctor over the next few days as cant do with not being able to function with a very active (and loud) toddler!

[Pharmacy RXS]

When seeking chronic headache treatment, do pay attention to both the long term and short term intervention plans. Apart from the medication, there are a lot of preventive techniques that are known to work very well in reducing and eradicating these headaches. Remember prevention is much better than cure in these cases.

A chronic daily headache demands a lifestyle change. Sometime something as simple a coffee maybe triggering it off, while at other it maybe the urge to have nicotine that is causing the head ache.

Chronic tension headaches on the other hand are caused by over stressing the body and usually indicate lack of rest too. Balancing between work and rest will help here. You can find more information about it on https://pharmacyrxs.com.

If you suffer from chronic headaches, it will help to seek out professional advice on the front and pay due attention to the long term treatments too.

[IlonaM]

Have you been to the Headache clinic at Kings? It is part of the Neurology department. Professor Goadsby is a leading expert and very proactive. Worth getting a referral from your GP for when things start getting back to some kind of normal for outpatients clinics.

[Sue]

The thread is ten years old - I'm guessing the OP's baby will have stopped breastfeeding by now 😂

BTW the post two above this one is a first poster posting on a very old thread - I would be cautious about clicking on that link ....

ETA: That post has now been removed.