headaches all year long

[fany08]

almost every day for the past 6 years I have headaches, I am 20 years old with an overall good health. 6 years ago I was diagnosed with migraines, that same year I had done a electroecephalogram and everything came back good. . but the headaches were still there. they did stoped for about 1 year after that period but have been coming back almost every day for the past 3 years... I feel a pressure on either of the eyes, sometimes palpitation of the temporal sides.. when I am sleepy and want to laid down on the bed I just cant because all the pressure goes to the back of my head and hurts even more, so I have to wait until some tylenol, motrin, exedrin, flanax, or aleve takes the pain away... the pressure on either side of the brain makes me grab the skull with my hand becuse it feels to heavy... I am so scared of getting liver or kidney disease due to overdose of pain killers... I usually finish a 20 tablet bottle in 3 to 4 days... because without them I cant go to school, cant watch tv, cant be at work,,, so this medication is a must every day... I havent gone to a doctor since that time but now this is just getting worse and worse and its really affecting my daily living... what do you think might be causing this headaches..???, Am I really at risk of developing other diseseas or conditions due to overmedicating??? what should I ask the doctor on my oppointment, ????

[sunair]

Yeah, migraines suck.
When I was a 20 year old guy, I also got migraines all the time - a few time a week. It was something I had always lived with, and popped Advil, aspirin and Alleve constantly. They didn't really work, so I took more, thinking that it couldn't hurt.
But eating a lot of OTC pain killers can hurt. As you probably have read now, Tylenol is kind of in a different class, it can really screw up the liver, at surprisingly low amounts. Ibuprofin and aspirin irritate the lining of the stomach and intestines. Some studies think heavy NSAID use can make one more likely to have IBD like Crohn's or UC, even cancers (just a small risk, way off in the future).

I bet if you tried taking much less, you'd find they never really worked anyway. They're not known for helping much with true migraines. If yours are classic migraines (and probably get a doctor's opinion about that) then I think ya gotta try the triptans. Imitrex or Maxalt. They really really work, in almost everyone who tries them. Side effects are really nothing - maybe a little bit tired, but much better than suffering a migraine.

Getting migraines every single day is pretty unusual. Get that checked out. Lots of people have pretty good luck with really watching their diet and sleep. Keep a food log, and 8 hours of sleep at regular times. Alcohol, getting high, and some specific foods sometimes set migraines off. Maybe try eating ONLY meat and rice for a few days, see what happens. Then add veggies and beans and fruits, gradually. Then try milk and cheeses (a trigger for many).

But Maxalt was a godsend for me, and migraines do peter out as you get older. At 40 they're only a few times a month now. Good luck.

[Dr. A. Srivastava]

Hi, Thank you very much for your question. For persistent headaches, 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!!!

[amanda54901]

are you on any form of birth control?