9 months of chronic headaches

I am 24 and have been experiencing chronic headaches for 9 months. The frequency and severity of these headaches has become much worse and I am concerned. The headaches occur at least 5 times each week, and range from a 2/10 (which I won't take pain meds for) to an 8/10 (at which time I realize that I must take 3 ibruprofen to get it under control). I saw my doctor about this in september. The only answer I received was that it was likely tension headaches, caused by stress, and that they would subside if I could control my stress levels. I called back in October, when the pain was so constant and unbearable that it was compromising my ability to perform at school. After coaxing, the doctor had me get a CT scan, which came back normal. In November I had x-rays done by another physician; they too were normal. She suggested I see a chiropractor. I am very concerned because in the past three weeks, I have had pain all but 5 days. The only way to stop the pain is to take ibruprofen, and sometimes I have to ice the back of my head for 30 minutes or more. I have noticed that I get a mild headache when I exercise, which makes me concerned. I recently graduated, and no longer have insurance. Any suggestions?

[zodiacqueen]

Look at the medications you're taking and pay attention to what you're eating and drinking.  Birth control pills can give you headaches, and I've had friends that have had them from those energy drinks.

Good luck!

[alicia50]

i know i had a similar problem with headaches.  i still get them when i'm not stressed out because of the fact that i have other things going on (probably with my eye).  but we dont really know. anyway in your case, i would say it could be stress. but it could also be what the other person posted or allergies.  allergies can definitely trigger that.  maybe, you should think about staying over at someone' s house or getting away/escaping from the stress that's been affecting you to see if it's true.  it might take some time to realize if that's the case. but, what i did was i stayed the night at my aunt's and got away form family issues (which causes my stress) and my headache went completley away (except for when the pain and etc. in my eye would start).  but maybe that would work?

[TJW45]

have you ever been told that the headaches might be related to caffeen? Do you drink much coffee, or soda? I am not sure if this is your cause, but it might be worth looking into. Also, if you have stoped drinking caffeen that could also cause headaches.

[danigirl1984]

You said that you had a similar problem with headaches. I'd like to be more specific about my symptoms, so that you can tell me if they match your experience. I get the headaches at different times of day, but I almost always have some dull aching at the back of my head/neck. (At the very beginning, I would get them at exactly the same time each day, and this was true when the problem came back a month later. As I've said, I recently graduated and for a while had attributed this to stress. Since the end of the fall semester, I have not worked (because the headaches are so severe and I need to find a solution). Therefore, my stress levels should be down. Now that I have no "routine", I get the headaches at any time throughout the day and it happens most days, but every so often I have a day with limited pain. This is not to say that it's impossible that they're related to stress, but my environment has changed three times since the beginning of this problem.)

-headaches seemed prompted by a long commute (2hrs) that I did twice a week, I've stopped driving almost altogether, and now the pain happens all the time
-headaches are at the very top of my neck, or where the neck meets the head
-every day for months, I have had unrelenting pain to some degree, but sometimes I can do without medication, other times medication cannot help
-ice can actually numb the pain, but the only way to get it to go away is to sleep, and I usually wake up feeling better (for a while)

[dhunt7b]

I know the cause of it; its a migraine; you might have iron deficiency.
Take iron pills everyday; see if that improves the condition; iron decreases the effects of migraine. 1-2 pills a day.



-http://www.headacheexpert.co.uk/HeadachesAndIronDeficiency.html

*iron deficiency is prolonged headaches may even become chronic*

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Aside from migraine headache, this can also be caused by cluster headaches which may last for several hours. Attacks occur every day for weeks to months, then disappear  and recurs. Alcoholic beverages and smoking can be triggers. Oxygen, medications and  intranasal application of local anesthetic agent may help. Have this checked by your doctor for proper management. take care and regards.