Headache for 7 Days???

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Sweet13_Princess
Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
in Food and Nutrition
As some of my MFP friends may have noticed, I have had a history of headaches for the last seven days. Initially it was over my left eye, then over my right, now it's behind my right eye socket. I thought it was caused by diet cranberry soda and have pretty much been taking Excederine Migraine/Imitrexes for a week. As soon as the medicine wears off, it comes back.

Should I be worried about this? My headache feels like an ice cream headache and is making my stomach queezy. I'm feeling really frustrated about it! I'm on the nuvaring, but no other meds than the ones listed here. My period isn't until next week (sorry to give that out, guys, but if it helps me get suggestions.....).

Shannon

Replies

  • tracybarnhill
    tracybarnhill Posts: 124
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    DId you give up Caffeine Cold Turkey?
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    what about the barometric change? (drastic change in weather)...sounds like your sinus cavities are p!ssed...go to a doctor, they'll tell you for sure...
  • chelekaz
    chelekaz Posts: 871 Member
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    I was going to say the same as Gillian. My sinuses have been wreaking havoc for the last week because of the change in temps.
  • Beth720
    Beth720 Posts: 661 Member
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    I was wondering about the caffeine thing too. If you're used to a lot and go cold turkey it's TOUGH!

    It sounds like it could also be migraines. I sometimes get those around my TOM.
  • kmtetour
    kmtetour Posts: 300 Member
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    If you've had a headache for 7 days, you should go to the doctor. You don't want to risk it being something more serious and not finding out early.
  • eillamarie
    eillamarie Posts: 862 Member
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    I had a headache nearly every day for a month & a half! I started eating better, exercising, and getting out of my very small apartment (that I share with a cat) more often, drank a tone of water, & it went away!
  • AdamATGATT
    AdamATGATT Posts: 573 Member
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    Weather changes can cause headaches/migraines (what she has definitely sounds like a migraine), but I've never had one caused by weather last that long in my experience. Sinus issues can cause some pretty wicked migraines.

    Have you had diet drinks before?

    If it has lasted that long, I'd be going to see my doctor immediately.
  • lastchance2010
    lastchance2010 Posts: 500 Member
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    I have had a history of headaches for the last seven days.

    When I started my weight loss journey...again. I gave up soda and white bread and initially blamed the awful headaches on PMS/Stress since it was close to that time..but then it lasted thru it and passed it so I was like wth? :huh: I was also taking Excederine I also put cold packs on the nape of my neck that made it go away too. Did you give n e thing up? How bout High BP? Def if it continues...c a dr for your health's sake.:sick: reevaluate what you have been doing or not doing and call the dr to make an appt. :flowerforyou: Hope ur headaches go away. this is the second week I'm headache free! Didn't c the doc but just chocked it up to me givin up the soda and bread not even thinking that would give me awful headaches. Good luck:drinker:
  • ♥Faerie♥
    ♥Faerie♥ Posts: 14,053 Member
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    It definitely sounds like a Migraine....have you ever had them before?
    Whenever I get a bad one, sometimes they last for that long....I normally have to take my prescription meds for them to go away, I could eat the excedrine migraine meds like candy and they just do not work....
    If you have never had a migraine before, I would go to the doc..just to make sure....
  • ttungttung
    ttungttung Posts: 20
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    I second seeing the doctor and the suggestion it may be sinus problems.
    I used to get long migraines when my back was out of alignment; it may be worth seeing a chiropractor as well.
  • jeorwa
    jeorwa Posts: 92 Member
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    I started taking Magnesium tablets (2 1x a day) and it's really helped my migranes!! That and taking muxinex and drinking LOTS of water. I get em from sinus issues and hormones.
  • kiffypooh
    kiffypooh Posts: 1,045 Member
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    I get headaches like that from sinus pressure too, but mine are bearable, not as bad as a migraine would be (never had one but I hear they are bad). I actually have the sinus thing going on right now. I asked my eye dr about it once because of the pressure it causes on my eyes once and he said it's because your sinuses run behind your eyes.
    Best of luck!
  • epa422
    epa422 Posts: 1,009
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    You could be having rebound headaches from the pain medication. Taking pain medication too often can cause your head to hurt once it's out of your system. The only way to remedy that is to stop taking the pain medication. But I think you should probably go to a doctor. Migraines should only last 24-36 hours. A sinus infection could definitely cause your head to hurt in those locations for that amount of time, though.
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I get headaches like that from sinus pressure too, but mine are bearable, not as bad as a migraine would be (never had one but I hear they are bad). I actually have the sinus thing going on right now. I asked my eye dr about it once because of the pressure it causes on my eyes once and he said it's because your sinuses run behind your eyes.
    Best of luck!


    yep your cavities are above your eyes (eyebrows) too..and below where your eye bags are lol...i had a microscopic x-ray go up there through my nose, you can literally see the little tube underneath your skin when it's taking pictures...sometimes my glasses feel like they're a thousand pounds on my face because my adnoids are inflamed due to sinus pressure...instead of migraine tablets, try taking sinus relief tablets. and get to a doctor
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    Do you take in a lot of artificial sweeteners? Some people are more sensitive to the chemicals and they can cause headaches/migraines, nausea, etc.
  • AdamATGATT
    AdamATGATT Posts: 573 Member
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    Do you take in a lot of artificial sweeteners? Some people are more sensitive to the chemicals and they can cause headaches/migraines, nausea, etc.

    I'm one of those people. I've never been fond of the taste anyway, so no big loss to me.

    The # 2 worst migraine I ever had was after taking an inhaler (albuterol) for broncitis. It dried out my sinus so bad that essentially all of the nerve endings in there were going haywire. I was down for four days because of that.
  • erinkate82
    erinkate82 Posts: 53
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    You could have a sensitivity to Aspartaime - the artificial sweetner in about 98% of diet drinks and sugar free stuff. I was having similar problems, to the point where I was taking daily medication to help prevent migraines. Cutting out drinks, gum/candy, etc. containing Aspartaime has really helped and I feel tons better!

    I hope you feel better!
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
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    Wow! Thanks for all of the helpful feedback. I wanted to answer some of your questions. First of all, I do drink a LOT of caffeine (I'm the type that can put a pot of coffee on in the AM and drink it all day and go to bed without a problem.) That being said, I'm also the type of person who can go three or four days without coffee and I don't get a headache. So I don't think caffeine is the issue here.

    The only thing that has been different over the two weeks is that I was drinking Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry. I assumed my migraine was caused by that, since I had a similar problem when drinking Giant's Diet Raspberry. I stopped drinking this soda last Wednesday and have had this dam* migraine ever since. I was curious, so I logged online and compared the ingredients. They share two: citric acid and Red 40, both of which has been shown to create headaches in people. They both use two different artificial sweeteners: aspertame and Splenda.

    The other thing that has been different over the last two weeks is that I made homemade sugar cookies. I used Splenda to halve the sugar (they still taste delicious) and I put red hots and red sprinkles on top a few of them. I'm pondering if it could be a sugar substitute issue with Splenda OR if it could be the Red 40, which was in both the beverage and the cookie contents/decorations.

    I was so sick last night that I went to bed as soon as my fiance came home. I had taken 6 excederine migraines (2 is the suggested amount per day on the bottle), slapped ben-gay and heat on my forehead off and on, and I finally two the last two prescription Imitrex (migrain pills) that I had on me. I woke up this morning feeling okay, but I'm tentative.... I'm really afraid that it will come back, which often happens once the medication wears off. The only other medication that I take is the nuvaring birth control, which I've been on for about four months now. I have gotten PMS headaches before, but never that early and never for this long....

    The whole experience has been really frustrating. I'm a high school English teacher and grades are due this week. I haven't been able to get anything done and I've been so ill, I've been a horrible teacher.... giving them a quick lesson and having them work up to the end of the period. Not my style at all. The students know I haven't been feeling well, but that's no excuse for poor instruction. I feel really guilty about it. There's no way they'll have their essays graded for report cards, either, which really would have helped a lot of their grades out. It's horribly frustration to have your quality of life diminished so much. I was near tears last night, not so much about the pain (which was terrible), but because I knew it was going to be another wasted evening. I know I'm on MFP for fitness and nutrition, but I can't do a good job at those with this problem going on! GRRR!!!

    Shannon

    PS Thanks for letting me vent and for all of the helpful advice.

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