constant dull headache

[college001]

I’m a 23 year old male and for the last 3 and a half weeks I have been having a constant dull headache that is localized around my forehead. Sometimes I feel the dull pain around my temple area and my scalp. I have no other symptoms other then what I have described. In the first week the headache was on and off, but lately it’s been there constant especially in the morning and when I go to bed.  I tried to take OTC painkillers but they haven’t been helpful, which scared me. I was really stressed out with school right when my headache came on but the last week I have been pretty stress free and the headache is still present. Any ideas as to what is causing this, since the even Tylenol isn’t working? Thanks in advance.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

This does not seem to be tension headache because tension headaches are relieved by OTC pain killers. The distribution of pain in the forehead and temple region raises the suspicion of sinusitis.
Do you have any nasal congestion?
Other possibilities that need to be looked into are poor eyesight and allergies.
I would suggest you to schedule an appointment with your GP and try steam inhalation couple of times and see if the headache gets relieved or not.

Hope this helps!

[marileew]

Sometimes over-the-counter painkillers like Tylenol can cause "rebound" headaches. So, if the original headache was caused by stress, the headache now might be a "rebound" headache caused by the Tyenol. The best way to stop a rebound headache is to stop taking the pain killer. If you are in pain though, and you have been taking a lot of tyenol, then stopping would be very painful! So, it is better to stop slowly... If you've been taking two a day, maybe take one a day for a day or two and then stop. That would be my suggestion. If that doesn't help, then go see your doctor for sure!! Like the doctor above said. Even a low-grade headache, if it is something that is new for you and constant, can be a sign of something serious if it doesn't go away at all, so it is important to see a doctor.