Headache back left of head for over a week

[runitskat]

I've had a very weird headache in the back left of my head for over a week now. It's not like any headache I've ever had and the base of my neck (at the hair line) is sore. I didn't hit my head or do anything out of the ordinary to it. I've never had a migraine. I get a few headaches a month, usually at night. They are the kind that get worse when standing up and sitting up. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night from a headache. I normally get pounding headaches. But this is a constant dull pain with sharp pains every now and then.

I'm not stressed and I'm taking antidepressants. I work full time and wear glasses which I got because of headaches I was getting from having bad eyes. I know what a dehydration headache feels like and this is not it. I know headaches are very common and that makes me not want to rush off to see my doctor. How long should I wait to go see him? My searches online are coming up with tension headaches for everything but I just don't know. It's only in one spot and has the soreness with it so I think that's sort of odd.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? I agree with you not taking too much medication to prevent harm to your liver. You can also try complementary and alternative medicine such as biofeedback therapy and other relaxation techniques for this. Talk to your doctor about this. The National Institute of Health has done a lot of studies using these techniques in managing headache and other body pain. And many patients were able to have relief. Take care and do keep us posted.

[runitskat]

I take anti-inflammatory drugs daily for arthritis and nerve compression in my lumbar spine. They do nothing for the headache though. So I cannot take OTC medicine like Advil for the headache and my pain management doctor does not want me to take anything like Tylenol for fear of my liver. I'm young and take a lot of medicine that's not so good for my liver so trying to minimize the effects on my liver are the goal. It's getting worse each morning but goes away mostly during the day and comes back at night. I'm going to give it a few more weeks before I go to the doctor. If it gets to the point where I can't stand it then I'll go.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Pain at the back of head  that usually gets worse with movement may be caused by inflammation of the blood vessels of the head or bony changes in the structures of the neck. If rest, ice packs and anti-inflammatory drugs/muscle relaxants do not help and additional symptoms occur, check with your doctor for proper evaluation. Take care and do keep us posted.