tension headaches

[amm1066]

Hi all,
Can anyone describe headaches they get, Ive had one for 3 weeks now on and off.
Thx

[MissCKC]

I have been getting headaches a lot more recently and I am thinking that they are due to tension. My headaches just feel like a constant pressure either right in the front of my head or on the back of my head toward my neck area. My neck and shoulders also get extremely tense...which is painful and I think causes my neck to twitch a little bit.

[ButterflyGirl82]

Ive been having tension headaches for the last 5 months.

They seem to have gotten worse in the last month. I get them all the time now. Sometimes in the morning they aren't there but gradually build. I used to just get it on the top of my head , now I get them down by the neck in the back of my head, forehead, top of head. It feels like pressure and tightness. Like when I lift my brows I feel a pull. I think my face has become tense, and I notice I clench my teeth a lot. I notice it is worse now, because I have so much tension, stiffness of the upper back and neck. I also have a lot of muscle spasms.

My neuro said it isn't my brain (I had a ct done (normal) EEG (Normal, except a lot of muscle spasms). He gave me muscle relaxant, Mobic (for the inflammation of the side of my neck) and Fiorinal with codeine for my headaches. That helped for awhile, but now it doesn't so I stopped taking it.
My regular doctor thinks depression is causing all this and has taken me off all my neuros drugs except mobic, and placed me on prozac and trazodone.

I suggest seeing a neurologist who can help you with your headaches best. Or try psych medications to see if that helps relieve chronic ones.

A couple of nurses have suggested Yoga to help me relax. My neuro suggested physical therapy for my headaches and neck.

[gman84]

I've been getting headaches on and off for the past month.
Sometimes it feels like pressure on both or one of my temples, other times it can be all round my head or in my forehead. It drives me nuts!

The weird thing is it doesn't seem entirely dependant on what i'm going - last week i finished my exams and had a relaxing few days with my girlfriend, yet had a headache that lasted about 3 days.

Pain killers don't seem to work either - the best option i find is just to accept it and get on with your normal day as if it wasn't there. Focusing on it and stressing about it only makes it worse.

[Bubbles]

My tension headaches mostly occur at night,
They make it difficult to see, my forhead and back of the neck, ears, and shoulders ache very badly, making it unable for me to move. Also my temples feel very pressured.

To aid my tension headaches I use a heatpack on either side of my head when lying down on my bed, without a pillow and painkillers are usually taken.

[gian13]

my headaches started like 2 months ago. The pressure on my head comes and goes, I can feel it on left side sometimes, above my ear, other times on my forehead, and sometimes on under my skull, an dor my neck.
I can't really call them headaches. They feel more like a tighband pressuring.
SUCKS!

[K2_02]

New member here... I had to sign up and reply to this one.

I am an anxiety sufferer. After suffering for years, I finally found out that it runs in the males in my family (my dad and brother both have bad anxiety but never talked about it). It took my brother going to the ER thinking he was having a heart attack for the discussion to open. It was then that I realized that all my symptoms are likely due to anxiety... unfortunately that doesn't stop me from reading the web nearly-daily looking for answers.

Anyway, tension headaches are one of my biggest problems. I've suffered from them for the past 7 years. Probably one reason it is so bad for me is that I work on a computer about 10 hours a day, every day - and have for (ironically enough) 8-9 years. Sitting behind a desk every day is taking it's toll. Unfortunately, it is the career path that I have chosen and it pays very well.

My tension headaches are usually on the top-rear of my head (the crown). Trips to the chiropractor helped me A LOT but it is very expensive. Recently my tension headaches moved to the forehead, temples and top of the head (mostly on the sides/temple region tho). It is EXTREMELY difficult to focus on life with these headaches all day long... every day.

Like the ButterflyGirl82 said, usually I wake in the morning and feel great but within a couple of hours of waking the headache slowly starts and builds throughout the day - usually coming to full force in the early afternoon. I'm a stubborn man so taking pain meds is something that I don't do unless it's really unbearable so I can speak much on that.

I have to agree tho - you have to keep living. I tell myself a lot "get busy living, or get busy dying." It makes me realize that focusing on my anxiety symptoms and this pain or that isn't worth the time. (and saying that, I struggle with it every day still too)

[winry]

This thread has really helped me, as I have been getting tension headaches for the last few months - the doctor can't find anything wrong with me, so it must simply be anxiety.
As everyone here describes, it's just a pressure on my head. They haven't been bad for a while now, but are pretty much there constantly.

[K2_02]

They haven't been bad for a while now, but are pretty much there constantly.

Yeah, I go through phases too... and right now is one of those times where I have them nearly all day long. Mine usually come on after waking, somewhere between 30 mins and 2 hours. I have taken Unisom the past two nights to try to help me get some better sleep. It seems to have helped a bit.

I know that mine a tension related because 2-3 beers will typically make them subside quite a bit. I'm sure that it's because the alcohol causes my muscles to relax. Problem is, I don't want to become a dependent alcoholic b/c I have headaches. That's fighting one problem with another.

Hope you feel better winry!

[winry]

Hehe thanks
Yeah it's not too bad, I'm getting more used to it; that in itself is helping, I think!
Just trying to keep myself calm and relaxed!
Yeah, alcohol definitely makes it better - not that I drink often :P As long as you're not depending on alcohol, I don't think using it to relax is a bad thing!

[whatev133]

I always get tension headaches that come and go, but i currently have the mother of all headaches. It has been with me since eight days ago and I feel lightheaded when I even move my head in certain directions! UGGGGH. it sucks! I've tried everything.

[northstar]

I always get tension headaches that come and go, but i currently have the mother of all headaches. It has been with me since eight days ago and I feel lightheaded when I even move my head in certain directions! UGGGGH. it sucks! I've tried everything.

whatev133 i think if you've had a headache for 8 days then it would be very wise for you to visit your doctor, especially if normal headache pills are not working for you. i hope you feel better soon :)

[moggy]

i also get headaches and have done for 20 years - they come and go - i'll have months of hardly any, then several weeks with lots of them - sometimes i can have the same one for over a week - i've been checked out and there's nothing wrong that the docs can find, so over time i've just learned to cope with them - the only drugs that seem to help are for migraine; i also find that i can go through stressful periods without a headache, but as soon as that ends (like the end of exams) then i get a bad one for a few days
i guess being anxious makes me tense and that leads to hedaches, so my focus is on reducing my anxiety first in the hope that that will mean less headaches

[winry]

Wow, haven't visited the forum in a while!

Since my last posts I guess I've discovered (even more) that keeping busy helps with the anxiety - and the headaches. Anxiety creeps up on you more when your mind isn't occupied enough!