headaches

Hydrate. Plenty of water with Tylenol or paracetamol.

Do you clench or grind your teeth? That can cause headaches especially if you have them when you wake up in the morning.

I am a walking migraine! :-/ Goody powders seem to help, caffeine, and avoiding certain foods.

I hope you got some relief by now. I have chronic headaches, with multiple causes. The cause really determines the treatment. I get tension headaches - for those, try a warm bath, a sock filled with rice and warmed in the microwave across your neck and shoulders, gentle neck stretches, massage. Allergy/sinus headaches - decongestant (sudaphed), expectorant, and anti-histamine meds, warm steamy shower, make sure all clothes and bedding are allergen free. Migraines - some people swear by the caffeine/tylenol/aspirin combo, but it does nothing for me. Narcotics and regular painkillers also don't touch it. I have a prescription for Maxalt. If I take it at the first sign of the migraine aura it works. Otherwise, a dark, cool, quiet room helps. Usually when I get nauseous to the point of vomiting I get some relief and can go to sleep. I feel hung over the next day regardless, though.

For any headache, stay hydrated, and if the pain is severe to incapacitating get to the ER or doctor since it could be a symptom of something serious and life-threatening.

I've had migraines and cluster headaches since I was 18 yrs old. I've taken thousands of different pills, had hundreds of tests, several drs., etc. and they never found out what causes them.
Here are a few things you can avoid to prevent and help get rid of it.

Don't take tylenol. It causes rebound headaches that will last for days. Research it.
Avoid nitrates and nitrites in processed meats. Even deli meat, hot dogs (ack), and jerky has this.
Avoid eating or drinking a lot of citrus. Some is ok but don't eat/drink a lot of it.
Avoid being in the sun for long hours. Wear sunglasses when you have a headache.
Avoid cigarette smoke.
Get plenty of sleep.
Avoid loud noise for long periods of time.
Avoid sitting close to the tv/theatre screen.


All of those things are my triggers and I've been having them for 32 years. I have fewer of them now and have learned that if I take a sleep aid, even if it's just benadryl, then lie down in a dark, quiet room and sleep it off for 2 hrs.it will go away. You don't even have to sleep, just rest. Even after doing that for 2 hours, I'm still tired enough to sleep all night. Also an ice bag helps some people. I find it irritating myself. lol

If none of the above works, see a neurologist that specializes in headaches/migraines. They have preventative meds that work for some people and don't cause rebound headaches. Good luck to you and <hugs>.

Hi Candice83, have you tried Co-codamol 8/500 ? It's paracetamol + codaine, very strong, I use them for migraines rare times I get them as nothing else works for me. I used to have a migraines that lasted for few days up to week day and night, I thought I was going to die, these helped.

Also try to avoid eating raw onion, as these seem to trigger headaches for me sometimes. Good luck.

What painkillers do you take already?

Assuming you/re taking OTC stuff -
If you're taking Acetaminophen (Tylenol, Excedrin, etc), try Ibuprofen (Advil), or an NSAID (Aleve). Basically, just try a different kind of pain killer. Each of the three relieve headaches in different ways. For example, I can max out on Tylenol to no effect, but Advil or Aleve can knock out a headache with a minimum or moderate dose.

Try a caffeinated drink in addition to the meds. Too much will cause a withdrawal headache, but caffeine is a stimulant and can open up the blood vessels to the brain. More blood = less pain. (And yes, this is known to work, it's what Excedrin is - Tylenol and caffeine.)

Take a good look at the characteristics of the headache. Is it splitting, sharp, or throbbing? Is it on the left or right side, the front or back? Is it behind the eyes, or at the base of the skull? Knowing these can help you determine the likely cause (ex - behind the eyes is usually either sinus headache or eye strain, while the base of the neck is usually tension). Once you know the cause, you might be able to consider solutions that you normally wouldn't think of (eye strain - get a new computer monitor, or take more breaks if you have a desk job, for example).

Make sure you're eating and drinking enough.

Make sure you're allowing yourself to relax. Get a good massage. Learn visualization techniques. I get migraines and cluster headaches, as well, and one technique I found that works sometimes (my headaches often feel like pressure) is to imagine drilling holes in your skull (in a good way) to allow the pressure to release. It sounds kind of gruesome, but the idea is to visualize the pressure, and thus the pain, going away.

Get a new pillow. Your pillow might be affecting how you sleep, which doesn't help your headaches.

There's a pressure point in the muscle between your thumb and forefinger. If you press on it, it can relieve your headache (unfortunately, it generally only works while you're putting pressure on it, but it can buy you relief time while you wait for meds to kick in).

I also suffer from daily headaches and chronic migraines. I've been to several doctors and specialists but It will be long while if ever before I get rid of them because they were greatly exacerbated by a head injury a few years ago. But over the years I've received a lot of advice from both professionals and friends as well as researched and experimented with different things so besides what my doctor is doing for them there are several things I am doing on my own to try and at least reduce the severity of them. Some of this you may already do but bare with me anyway.

1. Drink lots of water (I drink at least 80 ounces a day).
2. Take note of any food/drink or activity that you notice continually makes your headache worse within about four hours afterward then obviously if you can, avoid it. If you have as many as I do, you should consider actually making a list of them all.
3. Don't drink diet pop. For a lot of people aspartame is a trigger for headaches.
4. Watch your caffeine intake. Adjust it gradually if need be.
5. Eat a balanced meal. Broccoli is a really good food to help with headaches as are fish, spinach, kale, peppermint, cayenne pepper and ginger.
6. Don't skip meals and try to keep your eating and sleeping schedule consistent. I guess even 45 minute difference in your schedule can cause a headache.
7. My Headache Specialist recommends taking supplements of Vitamin B12 and Magnesium to help with headaches and migraines. I also take Calcium and Fish Oil supplements.
8. Deep breathing exercises several times a day can really help reduce the severity of them or keep them at bay as well.
9. Herbal teas with Peppermint, Ginger or a few other herbs can help as well.
10. Avoid bright lights, loud noises and strong smells when you can.

Also if you're taking any kind of headache medication, even over the counter, make sure you're not overdoing it. Taking too much even in a week can actually cause a "rebound headache". I only say this because a few of my doctors failed to mention that to me and it wasn't indicated on the directions or warning label.

There might be a few I'm forgetting but I hope some of this helps. It hasn't rid me of them but it has made life a little easier where most days they're not as debilitating as they once were.