am i the only one with daily headaches?

i'm sorry to read the amitriptyline is not helping : your days must be grueling.
i believe i can add my voice to your request for advice. as prophylaxis, my md (whom i respect very much) has scripted topamax and recently added corgard, an anti-hypotensor. at 20 migraines a month, my md recommended 2 weeks w/out symptomatic treatment, thinking it might be rebound headaches. those days were terrible : constant pain. after the worse, it seemed to work but the headaches are back now, with a vengeance.
now i'm reluctant to use imitrex and indomethacin, concerned about rebound headaches. i do nonetheless and they are effective but i also massage my temples with lavender and mint oils or tiger balm as counter-irritants, use ice packs. i eliminated caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, cheeses, etc. have steady sleep and meal patterns. i've tried relaxation, meditation but they don't seem to help. maybe what i'm doing may help you, Ali. i can't say it's enough for me. i hope other community members can share their experience. should i try another period without rescue medication ? meds don't seem to be the answer.

ali : best of luck

Hi Ali,

Unfortunately, a lot of us suffer from daily headaches. Yours sound like rebound headaches because you describe them as dull aching pain that is there all day. Do you take a lot of over the counter medications? Taking over the counter medications regularly causes them. There is a long message thread about them, I'll bump it to the top. If you are suffering from rebound headaches, medications like amitryptiline and other preventative medications won't work. You will need to wean off the OTC medication.

If you are taking a lot of OTC medications then it might be a regular tension headache that's keeps reoccuring and it's definitely time to see the neurologist. Whenever a headache changes, lasts longer than usual, gets worse, it's time to see the doctor and when extreme a neurologist.

As you said stress can play a role, but it's not going away. I see a psychologist that specializes in chronic pain. She has taught me some relaxation techniques that help me relax and reduce any tension headaches I experience.

I would go and see a neurologist just to be sure and to figure out to deal with the chronic pain, especially if the headaches aren't rebound.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

Thank you all so much for your comments :) I am pretty sure these are not rebound headaches, I know about those and avoid overuse of OTC painkillers because of that (not to mention the other affects on your liver, stomach, etc....). So I had really not been taking anything at all unless the headache got so bad that I had to lay down. I know there are triggers for my headaches, alcohol is also one besides stress and eye strain. Its just so hard to deal with the pain EVER SINGLE DAY, and I know you all know how I feel. My fiance, he's so sweet, went out and bought these cooling gel patches that you put on your forehead - and it actually worked great! I also just sit and massage my temples, I really feel like thats where the pain radiates from. I am going to call my doctor again about seeing a neurologist, she was supposed to call me Friday and never did.
I am sure there are some of you that have headaches much worse than mine. I just wish there was a magic pill to make them just go away!!!!

Hopeful,

You're definitely not the only one, although it can feel that way. I've had nearly daily tension-type headaches for 16 years. I've tried everthing my many doctors and I can think of. A key thing you have in your favor is an understanding spouse!

I suggest you stick with the amitryptalin a bit longer. It's the single most helpful thing I've ever tried, but it took several months before it really helped. Find a headache specialist (NOT just any neurologist) if you can who will help you through the trial and error that passes for headache treatment! I go through stages where I see docs regularly and try new meds and techniques (chiropractic, massage, hypnosis/relaxation, acupuncture, ....). My headaches are on the upswing right now, so I'll be talking to my doc about trying Topamax next. Here's a link about the success of Topamax for chronic tension-type headaches, but you may want to search the net for a discussion of the side effects (such as memory and other cognitive problems). http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/EAC/8525697700573E188525709D005434DA?open&type=DGDispatch

Don't let the longevity of my headaches discourage you. Since they started, I began and completed graduate school (through a PhD program), gotten married, and started a job as a professor. I'm not saying it's easy to live with the pain, but you can develop strategies to deal with it.

Good luck!

I just wanted to tell you that I have personally suffered from DAILY headaches for a lot of my life.

There are a lot of people on this forum who get dibilitating migraines however often, maybe once a week or whatnot, but I get the tension sort DAILY.  I get the horrible migraines a few times a year.

I don't know which is worse, suffering from a headache every single day or suffering from dibilitating migraines a few times a month.

I have to tell you that even though it seems cliche, what other have said about rebound headache is absolutely true.

My doctor told me about it and I didn't think there was much stock to it, however, I believe it is true.

My doctor gave me a Rx for Proxicam, a mild pain reliever often prescribed for arthritis which I was to take every day for a week or two until i could get over my dependency for advil and tylenol.

See, if you are like me, I had been taking advil or tylenol the minute I got up and going in the morning just to try to ward off the inevitable headache i would have that day.

But it was just hurting me because it causes these rebound headaches.

In fact, i have had to take a lot of pain killers this past week to help a HORRIBLE mouth ulcer and as I am now weening off of taking so many i am suffering from the rebound headaches more again.

Another suggestion, I believe a lot of mine also stem from my neck.

My neck tends to get tons of knots in it and I have been trying to use a neck ice pack on my neck every night to help that.  As well as keep my body flexible. 

One more suggestion.  PONYTAILS.  If you have hair that permits ponytails or any hair -do that pulls on your head at all.

It makes a big difference for me.  I like ponytails but I have learned i just have to wear my hair down every day because i like not having a headache better than I like wearing a ponytail.

I am happy to hear that I am not the only one who suffers from daily headaches.

I spent a lot of time sitting and worrying that there was something wrong with me because I didn't know anyone else who had them.

Let me know if you find out anything to help because it sounds like we have a similar case.

Although you said yours are in your temples.  Mine are ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS behind my eyes and forehead.

Go figure.

Lauren

 HEY GUYS UM NEW HERE AND I SYMPATHIZE WITH ALOT OF U CUZ I GOT FIBRO AND HEADACHES EVERYDAY ALSO IBS-D. ID LOVE 2 HEAR FROM PEOPLE AS TO WAT U ALL DO 4 TENSION AND MIGRAINE HEADACHES. UM ON NEURONTIN AND IT DOES HELP BUT 4 SOME REASON THE GENERIC DONT AND THATS WAT MY INSURANCE NOW COVERS SO MY MOM TRIES 2 HELP AND BUY ME SOME REG AND DURING THAT TIME I DONT GET HEADACHES!!! THE ONLY THING THAT SEEMS 2 HELP IS DEMERAL AS LONG AS I DONT TAKE IT THAT MUCH LOL. IVE TRIED A BUCH OF MEDS AND 4 MIGRAINES DEMERAL DONT HELP!! I END UP AT THE E.R MY FAVORITE PLACE LOL. HELP

 

I have one almost every day. Some tips that sometimes help:

daily stretch

lots of water

small frequent meals

lots of fruit and veggies

reduced time at the computer or under florecent lights

hope something here helps

Jen

hopeful82   i highly recommend you ask your doc for a trial on fioricet which is for tension headaches. that has made a world of difference for me when not much else had.

good luck,

jenny

Lauren Fioricet is barbituates, acetaminophen, and caffeine combined. it's usually prescribed for tension headaches or tension migraines, but i find that it also helps for hemiplegic migraines unless a severe one.