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Can Allergy/Sinus Cause Constant Head Pressure and Tinnitus?

Background: Retired from the Army in Nov and had a complete physical. Everything was fine except for lower back degenerative disk diease and mild hearing loss. All bloodwork was normal. Took a job in Iraq where I am currently. Arrived in Feb. In Jun, I was sick with extreme fatigue, headaches, and dizziness. Saw a doctor in Jul and was given OTC headache meds. They did bloodwork that came back normal. Since that time I have had daily head pressure and tinnitus. The tinnitus comes and goes and can be really loud and annoying. Visited another doctor in Sep who thought it might be an allergic reaction and was given zyrtec for a month. No change with the head pressure. Saw an ENT in Oct who feels that it just a left-over from whatever made me ill in Jun and thinks it will get better with time. Have had this for 5 months.

NOTE: I am 44 and had never had a headache prior to this. Have never had any TMJ problems. Tinnitus was never a problem. Never noticed any allergies before this. Never had sinus problems. Am in decent health and walk daily for 45 minutes. Thought it might be some sort of reaction to something here in Iraq but do not have typical allergy or sinus symptoms.

Questions: 1) Can allergies or sinus cause the daily head pressure and tinnitus? No pain, just a heavy and tight feeling from my eyebrows, temples to the back of my head. Wake up with it. Only goes away when outside exercising. Constant dust inside and outside this place with pollution.  Extreme heat going from AC into 120 degree.  Has cooled off now, but symptoms remain.
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Avatar universal
I have had same symptoms but believe that I have turned the corner.
I read somewhere that headaches or head pressure can have 1000 different causes so it has been very depressing when trying to diagnose the cause of these symptoms
I started having problems in sept 2013. Head pressure, burning eyes, tired, tinnitus. It became chronic and the symptoms were just constant every day. I saw my primary care doctor, had an MRI, ct scan, ENT, eye doctors, mayo clinic. They found nothing. I then went to an allergy clinic 2 months ago just because there was nothing else to check. I didn't think I had allergies. The symptoms didn't sound like allergies. They did the test, I had average to severe reaction to 33 of 35 allergies tested. Doctor said symptoms can clearly be head pressure without the runny nose and itchy throat we all associate with allergies. I have been taking the shots for 6 weeks and my symptoms have slowly calmed down. I would estimate my current head pressure at 20% of what it was 2 years ago. Tinnitis is totally gone. The only classic allergy symptom I had was post nasal drip but I had that all my life. That is totally gone now. Doctor said if you have chronic head pressure, it can totally be caused by allergies. Seems to be true in my case. Hope this might help some of you.
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1 Comments
I Have The Same Symptoms Mine Is Do From Food Too I have All Your Symptoms Plus More What Kind Of Allergy Shot They Give You They Told Me There Is Not For Food
Avatar universal
I had a light headache about 15 years ago... a friend suggested Contact-C... headache went away for years.
They don't make contact C anymore.
Benedryl Allergry sinus has the same medications...
Now I take reactine allergy+sinus...
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Avatar universal
I'm 55 years old and have had a good helping of most of the symptoms listed above that I've read through since I was a child.  I've taken every OTC medicine known to mankind for headaches, sinus troubles, ear, throat, etc.  One day about 10 years ago I went directly to the pharmasist at our local store and told him my troubles.  I explained to him that I've taken every medication in his store and that absolutely nothing helps for any length of time - maybe an hour or two at best on a medication that can't be taken more often than 12 hours, 8 hours, etc.  He told me that lots of sinus headaches are actually allergy related and asked if I'd ever tried Benadryl.  I told him no since I'd never thought my headaches (since childhood) had anything to do with allergies, but I was willing to give it a try.  Praise Jesus!!  For the first time in 35 years (I was 45 at the time), my headache WENT AWAY and STAYED AWAY for hours!  HOURS!!!  To this day I use Benadryl for my headaches (yes, I still get daily headaches or at least 6 days out of 7) but now they are managable - no more nausea, no more pain radiating down my neck to my shoulder, no more tightness around my scalp - NO MORE PAIN.  That is, until it's time for another dose.  But I'm taking way less medication now than I was going through box after box of all the other OTC medications.  And best of all, generic Benadryl works just as well for a fraction of the cost - $2.50 for a bottle of 100 at Walmart!
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Avatar universal
27 year old male. Just endured many of the same symptoms discussed here for far too long. Dull constant pressure, emphasis on the top back part of my head and down to just above the ears (like how someone might wear a Yamaka). Sharper pressure/pain would move throughout the back of my neck, top of my head, and down my forehead to under my eye sockets - usually only one side of my head at a time (left or right), but sometimes on both sides during the worst episodes. Along with the dull pressure would be a low rumbling sensation within both ears - sometimes pressure would pulsate and I could hear/feel my head throbbing inside my ear. Dizziness, fatigue, and nausea followed closely with these symptoms. This constant feeling and worrying that my head might eventually burst, brought with it an intense amount of anxiety. Panic attacks were rampant, often 3 to 4 times a day (worst at night), until I was finally able to keep them under control. I was able to eat (although nauseous), had normal bathroom visits, more thirsty than usual - but aside from that (and the dizziness/fatigue/confusion caused by head pressure), I had no other symptoms. No congestion, no itchiness, no watery eyes, no fever, no runny nose - just the terrible head pressure with headaches. Unfortunately, at the time, I had just gotten over a bad bacterial infection that had plagued my nose, lungs, and ears - it was only natural to assume that these head symptoms were part of the previous illness. Suffered in hell for about a week and a half before realizing it was just terrible allergies from the dust and cat dander that had collected in my parents' house. Although Zyrtec generally doesn't make me feel well at all (makes me anxious and restless), it seemed to clear up my head pressure almost immediately. I spent the remainder of my visit home locked in a room with hardwood floors and multiple air purifiers running non-stop. I hope this helps anyone match their symptoms quicker - it is definitely possible to have allergies that manifest purely in the form of disconcerting head/ear pressure!
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Avatar universal
I took prednisone but I get a depressed lassitude type of experience using corticosteroids. I stay with saline sprays, drink plenty of water, and using menthol type stuff to help breaking them up. I only use decongestants when I desperately have to.

I will get up from being relaxed or doing something in one position but when I change positions I get pressure that sometimes pulsates in my head. It goes away but it is quite annoying. I will also sometimes get pusatile tinnitus but again doesn't last more than a min or so.
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Avatar universal
I took prednisone but I get a depressed lassitude type of experience using corticosteroids. I stay with saline sprays, drink plenty of water, and using menthol type stuff to help breaking them up. I only use decongestants when I desperately have to.

I will get up from being relaxed or doing something in one position but when I change positions I get pressure that sometimes pulsates in my head. It goes away but it is quite annoying. I will also sometimes get pusatile tinnitus but again doesn't last more than a min or so.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Everyone,
Another comment about tinnitis. I was told at the mayo clinic that there is no cure for tinnitis. However, during my health issue I came to believe that the tinnitis was a symptom of my head pressure. Solve the head pressure and the tinnitis goes away. That is what has happened. One incident kind of validated this for me. The tinnitis was always what I would call low grade. If the rom was quiet I could hear it. Outside I never hear it just because of the noise. Last fall I went out to play golf. The wind really kicked up and I tightened my hat so it wouldn't blow away and the tinnitis got really loud. Took the hat off and it went away. In my situation, this just validated that the head pressure caused the tinnittis
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Avatar universal
I have the same as you for 2 years now. Have your symptoms gone?
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Avatar universal
1. Get tested for mercury poisoning from dental work/fish etc. Chelation may be required. Cutler Protocol.
2. Corrrect postural problems in back/neck.
http://www.necksolutions.com/tinnitus.html
3. Yoga and mindfulness meditation helps massively.
4. Low level laser light for tinnitus.
5. Don't let Chiro touch your neck......elevates tinnitus. Instead start with a neck brace to see if this alleviates all symptoms from dizziness, tinnitus and pressure/numbness around and above ear leading into temple and top of head.

Good luck :)
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Avatar universal
I can relate...I am 31 female...and have anxiety and the brain tumor thoughts are the same for me too....the ent told me i just have to live with it...i have pulsatile tinnitus.... i hear my luod heartbeat in my one ear and it is causing my head to have pressure and headaches...i can't take it and today is a bad day.  i feel you.
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Avatar universal
Try this for all U guys symptoms:

2 sweetlimes morning & 2 in the evening for a mnth continuosly. You can take 3 also.

Let me know bow U feel after 1 mnth.
Santha ***@****
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Avatar universal
Hi guys, I'm M/38, and presently experiencing most of what you guys have like constant low tinnitus in both ears (now for more than 2 weeks), non-frequent pain of the following: teeth and jaw sensitivy, mild ear pain/pressure and headache.

Just to share my story, I got sick last July or August 2012 and felt my eyes will pop-out everytime I tried to vow my head forward. Went to a doctor and diagnosed me as having allergic rhinitis. The doc prescribed antibiotic (250mg), decongestant, and Montelukast for allergy and took it for weeks and I got better.

Then just this December 20 2012, I felt I'm having a flu and didn't go to work. Dec 24 just before Christmas, I decided to go a hospital but since it was a holiday here in the country, I was checked by personnel in emergency and told I have a nasal infection. Again, they gave me same antibiotic (500mg this time), and a decongestant. I started taking the medicine on the same day. But on the 26th, I woke and noticed I already have tinnitus. I continued to finished the medication for 1 week. I felt better after completing them but the tinnitus remains.

I've waited til after New Year and last Jan 6, I again decided to go to an ENT for a checkup, I felt frustrated during that session because the doctor only asked me what I am only feeling as of that moment and not hearing any story of how or when it started or history of any infections, etc.. so I told him that I have tinnitus, looked at my ears and saw that my eardrums are both normal. What he did was referred me to go for hearing and imbalance test without giving any medication.

And so I did go to a different and one of expensive hospital in the country for the test (pure tone and another one with speech recog and with some apparatus to insert in my ears), the results are normal. And right after taking the tests, I decided to go to a different ENT doctor on the same hospital for another checkup and result reading. And this time, I got what I expected to see for a doctor, he asked me of any background, listened to my stories, looked in both of my ears, checked my nose and throat, and found nothing wrong. The doctor gave me a prescription of gingko bilova and another vitamin B that should be taken for a week and that I should go back to him when completed. And that's so far the last check-up I had and scheduled to complete the medication til monday morning. Definitely I am going back to that same doctor on monday for a followup check up.

As of this posting, I still have tinnitus and some other like teeth sensitivity and occassional head and neck pain.

Any new suggestion of tests that I should take or things to be done and/or needs to be aware of.

Hope all of us get the treatment we need to get better.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I also have bad anxiety and I have been concerned of the same problem. I have had anxiety all my life and have gotten used to all the usual symptoms but now some new ones are happening. Like my head feels like there is so much pressure its about to pop my eyes out. I dont have that much nasal drainage just post nasal mabye and its always clear. My face also feels like its on fire when this happens. It comes and goes through out the day but is worse at night. It might even go away for a month or so then come back. I did find a website(anxietycentre.com) for anxiety that showed 100 symptoms from anxiety and I think tour prob is one of them but I would still be checked out by a Doc first to be sure.
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Avatar universal
Are you still around Broter? You posted one of the more coherent and insightful set of comments and I wanted to know what the latest is with you, your health. I am a psychologist with 5738975 physical and psychological symptoms of my own, so I am not judging anyone.
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Avatar universal
You know just looking at the conversations on here has really helped me I to have had this pressure in my head and I was very worried that it might be a tumor but after reading these comments today I kno now that I can somewhat relax thanks a lot
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Avatar universal
Did you find out how to treat your issues?
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Avatar universal
I am on my way to the ENT tomorrow. Have been having a lot of your same symptoms (minus the dried nose- that probably is environmental).  Extreme pressure in the head, sinus problems, ringing in the ears ( constant for several months now, extreme shooting pains in my face around my checks, small hearing loss and even pressure in my head when I bend over ( all of this is on the left side of my face).  My dr finally did an MRI and found some polyps in my maxillary sinuses but I also have some thickening in the sphenoid sinuses (they couldn't see any of this on xray).  According to what I have been researching, most of my problems seem to be from this sphenoid sinus which sits behind the top of your nose between your eyes and is basically sitting on top of a major cartoid artery and a bunch of nerves.  I plan to ask about this specifically tomorrow because it is extremely rare and from what I read many doctors fail to diagnose this condition.   I haven't found anything out about treatment
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Avatar universal
Have you had your room tested for mold?  That gave me problems similar to yours?  Get a certified mold assessor to pull some air samples.  Doctors tend to just treat symptoms and not environment.  Find out more about your environment. Good Luck
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I too am having dizzy spells every day, pressure at the back of my head and tinnitus, my nose always feels blocked and I am sneezing a lot, I am on pills for anxiety as I too am worried about brain tumors, I also have frequent migraine attacks and have trouble concentrating!
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Avatar universal
It's coming from the chem streams on purpose the sinus conditions it's toxic
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Its the chem streams look up polluting the environment
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Please don't get rid the girl or dog it's the chem streams look up its on purpose read
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Avatar universal
Look up chem streams
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Avatar universal
Chem streams look up there is everybodies answer
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