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Everyday Headache
I have had a headache everyday for the last 2 1/2 years. I had a cat scan done, and everything was normal. I have been on topamax, and I had to go off as it made my feet and hands tingle. I also did chiroprator therapy, massage therapy, accupuncture, and now an doing a hyper-baric chamber thereapy. Nothing seems to help, and I am at the end of my ropes. It is really effecting my quality of life. It holds me back from thinks I want to do. The only thing that changed in my life was a crown put on my tooth. Please let me know if you have any suggestions or answers for me.
I too have had problems with constant head ache and am not getting any answers. I had a head injury when I was 17 and have had a headache since then that has not gone away at all. I am now 29. I had a catscan shortly after the injury that showed that I had a concussion and just recently had an MRI that showed nothing. I have been having vision problems and memory problems. I seem to have developed a slight stuttering problem and slowed speech especially when I am tired. I stopped taking medications about 3 years ago because they were just not doing anything for my headaches and were only causing stomach problems. I seem to have trouble getting my doctors to believe I actually have these problems. Finally I saw an ear nose and throat specialist because of some dizziness I was experiencing and he has sent me to a neurologist. I hope that I finally get some answers after so many years of feeling like my life is ending. If anybody has any ideas about this please let me know, I would love to be able to go in with some specific questions but really have no idea what to ask.
I had to go off Topamax also because of the side effects. Elavil has been a really big help. After taking it at bedtime, the next day was the first time I woke up with out a headache in over a year.
Dana , I know what you are going through because I am also on daily headaches but did topamax get you any better before you left it because of this tingling ,then have you ever tried Zestril ? if no you can ask your physician to give it a try as a preventative like you tried topamax or with a lower dose of topamax .Zestril is taken 20 mg daily starting by 10 mg for a week then go for the 20 mg once daily daily (it's an anti hypertensive drug of ACE inhibitors class )then you can use Tylenol with daily headaches cause they shouldn't be severe like migraines and that how it sounds from your posts,I hope you're not using triptans like imitrex on daily or near daily basis or headaches won't stop hitting , I hope you also read well what Dr .Lama wrote ,may all your headaches be vanished away,best of luck.
I saw an episode of Mystery Diagnosis and a woman complained of your same symptoms---it turned out she was diagnosed with some kind of heart problem after like 10 years of being misdiagnosed. Maybe do a search for the episode?
hey can u write me and tell me when this started because im having the same prombel but im also dizzy n im lightheaded everyday n i get these headaches everyday n it neaver goes away..
so if u can please write me back on here or on yahoo..my email it ***@****
n i also have gmail and my email for that is ***@****
thanks for takeing ur time out to read this and please write me back i would be really thankful
so if u can please write me back on here or on yahoo..my email it ***@****
n i also have gmail and my email for that is ***@****
thanks for takeing ur time out to read this and please write me back i would be really thankful
I also have had a constant headache for almost 4 years now. At first, I was told after scans I had no problem at all. But, after being evaluated at a University hospital, a benign bone tumor was identified in my head. The first radiologists ignored this lesion.
As far fetched as this sounds, it is absolutely a true story about myself. Don't believe the first doctor you encounter. Try seeing an ENT at a University hospital clinic. They may be able to help you.
As far fetched as this sounds, it is absolutely a true story about myself. Don't believe the first doctor you encounter. Try seeing an ENT at a University hospital clinic. They may be able to help you.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.
Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
There are several causes of headaches. Headaches can be divided into primary and secondary. Primary headache disorders are headaches without a direct cause. These are diagnosed after secondary causes have been excluded. Secondary headache disorders are due to an underlying problem, there are many many causes but some include medication side effects, systemic illness, nervous system infection, tumors, bleeds in the brain or clots in the veins of the brain, and others.
In the setting of normal brain imaging and after ruling out secondary causes of headache, a primary headache disorder is the most likely. In someone like yourself who has daily headaches over a 2 year period, the phrase "chronic daily headache" is used. There are only a few types of chronic daily headache.
One of the most common causes of headaches in people with chronic headaches is called medication rebound or medication overuse headache: medications as simple as tylenol or advil if used too much can cause rebound headaches that are even worse then the headaches for which the medications were started for. This is very common and is most likely to occur with use of any medication for your headache more than a few times a week. It can occur with all the commonly used headache medications such as ibuprofen, triptans (such as imitrex), fioricet, and commonly with any type of narcotic such as tylenol #3, dilaudid, percocet, etc. The treatment is difficult, but basically involves weaning off the offending agent and replacing it with another that is later weaned off, combined with a more long-term solution. This should be done under strict guidance by a specialist, preferably a headache specialist, or else the headache will not improve and withdrawal side effects can occur.
It sounds like you had to stop topamax because of side effects. There are several other medications available for treatment of chronic headaches including but not limited to beta blockers such as propranolol, calcium channel blockers such as verapamil, and others including, depakote, elavil, etc. A lot of these medications were invented for other uses and are used not only for headache but also epilepsy and depression. They have proven very effective in preventing headaches, but sometimes it is a matter of trial and error, sometimes a patient may have to try different types to find the one most suitable for his/her case.
Another less common cause of chronic daily headache is benign intracranial hypertension, also called pseudotumor cerebral, or idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a disorder characterized clinically by headaches and vision loss. The headache is usually global (all over the head) and pressure-like; the headache presentation can be variable. BIH predominantly occurs in people who are overweight, women, and those taken specific medications such as retin-A (the acne medication), vitamin A, and tetracycline antibiotics. It is diagnosed based on clinical findings and the finding of a high cerebrospinal fluid pressure on lumbar puncture. Other tests may include specific types of brain MRIs and an MRV. The treatment is usually with medications to decrease the amount of fluid around the brain, and these are mainly diuretics though other medications are also used.
There are a few other causes of chronic daily headache that are uncommon.
If you have not been evaluated by a headache specialist (a neurologist that specifically has specialized in headache medicine) this might be helpful for you.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
There are several causes of headaches. Headaches can be divided into primary and secondary. Primary headache disorders are headaches without a direct cause. These are diagnosed after secondary causes have been excluded. Secondary headache disorders are due to an underlying problem, there are many many causes but some include medication side effects, systemic illness, nervous system infection, tumors, bleeds in the brain or clots in the veins of the brain, and others.
In the setting of normal brain imaging and after ruling out secondary causes of headache, a primary headache disorder is the most likely. In someone like yourself who has daily headaches over a 2 year period, the phrase "chronic daily headache" is used. There are only a few types of chronic daily headache.
One of the most common causes of headaches in people with chronic headaches is called medication rebound or medication overuse headache: medications as simple as tylenol or advil if used too much can cause rebound headaches that are even worse then the headaches for which the medications were started for. This is very common and is most likely to occur with use of any medication for your headache more than a few times a week. It can occur with all the commonly used headache medications such as ibuprofen, triptans (such as imitrex), fioricet, and commonly with any type of narcotic such as tylenol #3, dilaudid, percocet, etc. The treatment is difficult, but basically involves weaning off the offending agent and replacing it with another that is later weaned off, combined with a more long-term solution. This should be done under strict guidance by a specialist, preferably a headache specialist, or else the headache will not improve and withdrawal side effects can occur.
It sounds like you had to stop topamax because of side effects. There are several other medications available for treatment of chronic headaches including but not limited to beta blockers such as propranolol, calcium channel blockers such as verapamil, and others including, depakote, elavil, etc. A lot of these medications were invented for other uses and are used not only for headache but also epilepsy and depression. They have proven very effective in preventing headaches, but sometimes it is a matter of trial and error, sometimes a patient may have to try different types to find the one most suitable for his/her case.
Another less common cause of chronic daily headache is benign intracranial hypertension, also called pseudotumor cerebral, or idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a disorder characterized clinically by headaches and vision loss. The headache is usually global (all over the head) and pressure-like; the headache presentation can be variable. BIH predominantly occurs in people who are overweight, women, and those taken specific medications such as retin-A (the acne medication), vitamin A, and tetracycline antibiotics. It is diagnosed based on clinical findings and the finding of a high cerebrospinal fluid pressure on lumbar puncture. Other tests may include specific types of brain MRIs and an MRV. The treatment is usually with medications to decrease the amount of fluid around the brain, and these are mainly diuretics though other medications are also used.
There are a few other causes of chronic daily headache that are uncommon.
If you have not been evaluated by a headache specialist (a neurologist that specifically has specialized in headache medicine) this might be helpful for you.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
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