Headaches: Share your pain

[Anonymous]

Simple question. I decided to make this poll since I feel a recurring headache coming on. The question is just what you see above. What kind of headaches do you suffer from? Are you lucky enough to rarely ever get headaches, or maybe just once every month or two? Or are you like me and do you suffer from recurring migraine headaches?

In case you don't know what each headache is, here you go:

(there are two more questions below these headache descriptions)

Tension: This type of headaches is described as pressing or tightening in quality, of mild or moderate intensity, bilateral in location, without associated nausea, photophobia or phonophobia. It is not made worse by routine physical activity as may be the case with migraine headaches. Tension headaches are the most common type of headache and have many precipitating factors. Removal of identifiable causes and precipitating factors is the ideal way to treat this type of headache. Although the most common precipitating factor - stress - is often difficult to alleviate, reducing the physical effects of stress can be achieved through both non-pharmacological and pharmacological methods.

Migraine: Migraine headaches last between 4 and 72 hours and come with nausea, vomiting, or increased sensitivity to light or sound. No one knows for sure what causes these headaches. Most doctors think nerve activity in the brain changes the brain's blood flow and causes migraine symptoms. In the United States, more than 18 percent of women and 6 percent of men have at least one migraine headache each year. About one in ten migraine sufferers usually notice telltale symptoms before the headache begins, such as changes in vision or tingling of the skin.

Sinus: A sinus headache is a headache that occurs because your sinuses are congested. Sinuses are bony air-filled cavities in the head and face that connect with the nose through small openings. The sinus lining, like the nasal lining, normally produces mucus. Mucus drains through these small openings to the nose. If you have a cold or allergies, the openings of your sinuses may be blocked by excess mucus or a swelling of the tissue that lines the sinuses. When the sinus cavities are blocked, they may become infected.

Rebound: These headaches usually occur only in patients with chronic tension headaches or migraines. When painkillers (even just 1000 mg of aspirin or acetaminophen) are taken daily, the drug loses effectiveness and the headaches can become more frequent. Almost any painkiller can cause headaches when overused, but medications containing caffeine are most likely to cause a rebound headache, even over-the-counter products such as Excedrin, Excedrin-Migraine or Anacin. Rebound headaches are also frequently caused by dietary caffeine. As little as 2 cups of coffee per day can cause rebound headaches in a susceptible individual.

Cervicogenic: Cervicogenic headaches are very common in elderly patients due to arthritic changes in the cervical spine. Pain described as radiating from the neck or occipital in location suggests this diagnosis. Pain originating in this are can sometimes, however, be felt in the front of the head. Loss of sensation over the occipital area, often on one side can accompany occipital neuralgia. Neck muscles are tender, frequently in spasm, and their movement can aggravate the pain.

Cluster: Cluster headaches are the most intense headaches of all, leading some patients to thoughts of suicide. The pain often wakes the patient from sleep - sometimes at the same time - every night and usually lasts for 30 to 90 minutes. Such regular occurrence, however, is not always present. The pain is described as retro-orbital, unilateral and is associated with agitation, nasal congestion, conjunctival injection and lacrimation. Cluster headaches can be brought on by external factors although not to the extent that migraine or tension-type headaches are. Alcohol consumption during the cluster period almost always provokes a headache. Prolonged excessive emotional or physical stress can occasionally start a new cluster of headaches.

Post Traumatic: In many patients post-traumatic headaches will subside in a few weeks or months without any treatment. Chronic post-traumatic headaches, however, may be very resistant to treatment.


Also, if you suffer from any of these, are your headaches recurring (meaning they can come back a few hours later, even if you take pills)?
And what do you take for your headaches? I have to take 3-4 aspirins every... Seven or eight hours, depends if the headache returns or not. Sometimes the headache will last for days (which is the case with my current headache) and I end up taking twenty or more pills.

[BobCat]

Sometimes I get tension headaches. Stress does exist in life and ya gotta deal.

[hinarei]

every so often I also get tension headaches... about once every six months I have a migraine, but not for some time now, thankfully.

[ShinNoNoir]

I usually get headaches after an intense sport activity, but it's mostly due to the fact that i don't drink enough fluid, otherwise i rarely get any. Many stress in my life, but they only affect my sleep (lack of).

[Betong Åsna]

I get sinus headaches a lot. I have a permanently blocked up nose, and too many allergies.

[XEN gK]

I get recurring headache every couple of week. One of those trobbing type that feels like a hammer is pounding inside the skull.

[Betong Åsna]

The Aztecs had a cure for that type. Cut a hole in the skull.

It worked, too.

[hinarei]

Trepanning is, I imagine, the worst headaches one can get, if only for a few seconds...

[Betong Åsna]

Oh, you've never tried it?

[Noriyasu]

i don't think...i've ever had a headache b4 x_x...now that i think about it, lol...i always go 2 sleep easily...and almost never have ne pressure and stress

[Betong Åsna]

Wow. That's just weird.

Migranes hurt...

[Totenkopf]

Originally Posted by Doc

Migranes hurt...

Indeed...

[Anonymous]

Hurt is an understatement.

[Betong Åsna]

Still getting them?

[Shinno]

i did not havve any headache before but i will be happy if u also give the choice HeartAche

[Shinno]

is there any medicines that can cure that illness? ohhh it already spread

[Ryo Misaki]

Nope... I VERY rarely get headaches...
Only sometimes when Im sick... Then I'll get a Sinus one or something...
But me getting sick is also quite rare. XD