Severe daily headaches.. Help!!

[Babydoll2459]

I have been having severe headaches on a daily basis now for the past 3-4 months. I have been to see my GP who, when the headaches initially started over a year ago, put me on various different treatments to see if they would work. So far, I've been taken off my contraceptive pill, I've been on Migraleve, Co-Codamol 15mg+500mg, Voltarol 50mg, Ibuprofen 400mg, more recently Naramig and he recently started me on a beta blocker called Half Beta Prograne 80mg daily (Propranolol). I am only 23 years old, I have Asthma but other than that, I am very healthy. I started, a few weeks ago, to experience numbness in the back of my head radiating into my face which scares the life out of me. I have been to see my GP and have had various blood tests done which were all normal. I have been referred to Neurology but my GP said that I cannot be referred for a scan until I'm seen by a consultant which, with the lovely NHS waiting lists, will take 11 months. I'm not concerned that it is anything serious but it is seriously effecting my daily life, I can't plan to go anywhere with fear of taking a bad headache. Does anyone have any advice?? I've recently tried Reflexology and I take baths every night to try and destress.. I am a natural worrier and have trouble sleeping most of the time anyway. If anyone has any advice, I would be really grateful.
Thankyou

[Irishbred]

You mentioned numbness at the back of your head...to the front of your face, correct? If it is with pain then I would ask your primary doctor if you have  trigeminal neuralgia.
Gabapentin 300mg (script)  can be used daily for 10 days to see if that is the answer. I have numbness in the face but it's related to allergies..and my nose is constantly burning. I've been in/out of hospitals/doctors,mri's, cat scans, meds, name it, no answers, no relief
If this is inflammation/pain related it could be trigeminal neuralgia...just bring the subject up to your primary.
GOOD LUCK!!!

[Red_Star]

I would try supplementing with magnesium. Magnesium chelated with amino acids supplements is very good for absorption.  There is also transdermal magnesium which absorbs through the skin.  Do not supplement if you have a kidney problem.

Only 1% of magnesium in the body is actually found in blood, and only .3% is found in blood serum, so clinical blood serum testing may not successfully identify magnesium deficiency.

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, you may be at risk for low magnesium intake.

1. Do you drink carbonated beverages on a regular basis?

2. Do you regularly eat pastries, cakes, desserts, candies or other sweet foods?

3. Do you experience a lot of stress in your life, or have you recently had a major medical procedure such as surgery?

4. Do you drink coffee, tea, or other caffeinated drinks daily?

5. Do you take a diuretic, heart medication, asthma medication, birth control pills or estrogen replacement therapy?

6. Do you drink more than seven alcoholic beverages per week?

7. Do you take calcium supplements without magnesium or calcium supplements with magnesium in less than a 1:1 ratio?

8. Do you experience any of the following:

Anxiety?
Times of hyperactivity?
Difficulty getting to sleep?
Difficulty staying asleep?

9. Do you experience any of the following:

Painful muscle spasms?
Muscle cramping?
Fibromyalgia?
Facial tics?
Eye twitches, or involuntary eye movements?

10. Did you answer yes to any of the above questions and are also age 55 or older?

It has been found that 4 out of 5 people in the US (or 80%) are deficient in magnesium. If you are experiencing 2 or 3 of the following symptoms, you probably are one of them.

- heart palpitations, heart arrythmias
- chest tightness
- urinary spasms
- constipation
- menstrual cramps, premenstrual irritability
- difficulty swallowing, a feeling of a lump in the throat
- insomnia
- light sensitivity, loud noise sensitivity
- high blood pressure
- numbness, tingling, zips, zaps and other vibratory sensations
- being uptight or prone to temper
- muscle twitches, soreness, cramps, spasms, tension, tightness
- back aches, neck pain
- headaches, migraines
- jaw joint problems
- needing to sigh a lot, unable to take a deep breath
- hiccups
- leg spasms, charlie horses, restless leg syndrome
- anxiety, panic attacks
- hyperactivity
- angina