should i see a doctor

Question

I have been having headaches for a while now- probably about 6 mos. I put them off as being normal because ive had seasonal allergies in the past, and stress can cause headaches. But now i am starting to worry and wonder if i should see a doctor. My headaches are mostly pressure in the front of my head, with sharp pains every now and then. I also feel naseous quite often, mostly in the morning, i have neck pain, my ears ring , and hurt, escspecially my right ear. I also get lightheaded and dizzy throughout the day, and my vision gets blurry. At first i just had the headaches, and then all the other symptoms have started a couple months ago and are getting worse.  I think it might be because i work alot but i also keep losing weight. And in the past week my throat has started to hurt but i dont think that hs anything to do with the other symptoms?Any advice on why im feeling this way? and should i see a doctor ?

P.S- I have taken tylenol as wells as other medicine and nothing helped. I also tried allergy meds.i dont spend much time in front of the computer or the tv,so i dont think it could be eyestrain.

Rowena_Santos_MD · Accepted Answer

Hi, 
How are you? Are there other symptoms present?  If you have allergies, it is important that you avoid the triggers or allergens to avoid recurrent attacks. These may also lead to sinusitis which presents with persistent colds; welling or pain around the eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead; a headache; a dry cough, or discharge from the nose. However, a sore throat and weight loss may need to be evaluated further by your doctor to rule out bacterial infection. Antibiotic treatment may be indicated. Drink plenty of fluids, rest and avoid too much stress. Take care and do keep us posted.

rjwells · Answer

btw i am a 21 year old female, if that helps

anuragsrivastava · Answer

Hi, Thank you for your question. For recurrent headaches and other symptoms, possibilities like migrainous, cluster, tension and refractive errors that need to be evaluated thoroughly with the help of a neurologist here. Migraine like headache can be throbbing, one sided of face & head and preceded by aura (starts with blurred vision). Cluster headache may appear as burning, explosive in nature and tear appears from eyes. Tension headache originates with stress and anxiety disorder. Please arrange an appointment with a neurologist right away who will evaluate the further underlying disorders by clinically examine you & ordering MRI or CT scan here that may be the main reasons of your headache attacks & other symptoms and can provide you an appropriate treatment. Hope this information proves helpful to you. Take Care & Regards!!!

ERCapps · Answer

I had headaches in the same place along with right eat pain and major teeth pain. I had my wisdom teeth removed over 6 years ago and it felt like they were growing back. It started worrying me because I'm 9 months pregnant and can't take much for pain. I saw my ob and he diagnosed me with a sinus infection. He said they can also cause drainage into your throat which in turn causes a sore throat. Might check with a regular md or pa before contacting a neurologist, as I'm sure it will be much more costly to see a neurologist. Idk if you have insurance but my insurance requires referrals to specialists such as neurologists before they will approve any charges.

rjwells · Answer

thank you all , your advice helps. I saw my reg. md and after 5 mins she gave me a amitriptyline prescription. I am thinking I should see another dr. for a second opinion. wouldnt it make sense to have a CT scan done asap? I dont get why, out of all these symptoms, she emphasized the migraine( if that is what the headache is), and not being able to sleep right away.amitriptyline is meant for depression, and it sounds with all the side effects it will make me feel worse. i dont have depression, and its unclear whether its migraines or not without doing a scan, and she didnt even do blood tests. I work in a hotel doing housekeeping, I'm exposed to tons of germs, for all I know I do have a bacterial infection. All I want to do is feel better, d oyou think my dr. is right by doing this or should I seek a second opinion? I have a follow up with her in a month. I guess if the meds dont make me feel better then she'll do a scan, but are the meds and the wait really that necessary??

rosiefrog · Answer

I am 14 years old and I have been getting at least 2 headaches a day for about 5-6 months I told my mum once and she said ok, but I am starting to worry now because she won't take me to the doctors. My sister's boyfriend said that my eye keeps twitching too so this made me panic more because this all started when I accidentally got head butted on the top corner of my eye near my eyebrow and I had a massive lump there and this happened at January 2015 time

Ball123 · Answer

Headaches are quite common in your age and are almost never dangerous. But I still think it is good to go to the doctor to check it up. Better safe than sorry. Besides, even if the headaches are not dangerous they can certainly be disturbing and two headaches per day is quite a lot. So take a trip to the doctor, maybe he/she can help you with a diagnosis and to give you necessary treatment and/or lifestyle and dietary changes.

Best of luck!

Ball123 · Answer

Your post is old, I hope everything cleared up for you. If I had your symptoms I would also have wanted a faster schedule. Blurry vision is a warning symptom that could indicate a serious condition. So is nausea in the morning. It might still be migraine but better safe than sorry. It should get checked and within reasonable time.

Ball123 · Answer

By the way, amitriptyline is an antidepressant, that is true. But there are better antidepressants today and amitriptyline is not used a lot for depression anymore. However, it is still used as a headache preventative, one of the most effective and cheapest there is. If you get prescribed amitriptyline for headaches it does not mean in anyway that your doctor thinks you are depressed. It has nothing to do with that. 

The dosages used for headache prevention is also much smaller than for depressions.

Other common headache preventives are beta-blockers, which are blood pressure medication from the beginning, or topiramate which is an anti-seizure medication. If you get those prescribed for headache it does not mean that your doctor thinks you have high blood pressure or epilepsy. 

Just to be clear.