Head Symptoms

[jbrian00]

Hello,

I've been trying to get a grasp on some head symptoms I've been having. It's not something that I would label as a typical headache as the pain does not hurt, but it is annoying and sort of feels as if a tight band were stretched around my head. Back of the head, top of the head, front of the head, and the sides...all around. I know headaches are common occurrences, but can anyone relate to how I feel. I have these feelings every day to varying degrees throughout the day. Wondering if this is common for POTS or a side effect of meds. I have it sitting or standing, but do not notice it much at night when I'm supine and sleeping.

Thanks alot,

James

[morgan617]

Hi James, I have never been a person plagued by headaches...until the last month or two. Mine are not like yours, it's more like just too much pressure all over. I told my hubby, that old saying where everytime you learn something, you get a new wrinkle in your brain, so it would stand to reason it would get smaller? Well, I'm losing things at an alarming rate, so my brain is getting unwrinkled and too big for my head....

I know it's not funny, but I believe the majority of people on here have problems with headaches of one sort or another. The general rule of thumb is, if it's something new and doesn't go away, get it checked out. Hope you feel better soon.

p.s. my son has headaches every single day and his doctor told him to stop treating them as they might be rebound headaches from too much treating. It seems to have helped a bit. I have no idea if you take anything for them however. morgan

[flop]

Hi the sort of headaches that you describe with a tight band are classically called "tension headaches" and are common in the general population - often caused by stress and overwork. In dysautonomia we can get a specific problem due to reduced blood supply to the brain. The brain being the most important organ demands lots of oxygen and glucose, it needs the blood to supply these. When our BP and HR are out of balance the brain doesn't get as much blood as it wants so it "pinches" blood that should be going tothe muscles of the neck and shoulders. This can cause "coathanger pain" but it can also lead to reduced blood supply to the scalp - this is what causes that tight band feeling, it is the scalp rather than the brain which is hurting. Fluids and salt along with trying to get the best treatment for dysautonomia generally helps with these sorts of headaches. Otherwise lying down for a while can be just as effective as taking painkillers.

Flop

[jbrian00]

Hi the sort of headaches that you describe with a tight band are classically called "tension headaches" and are common in the general population - often caused by stress and overwork. In dysautonomia we can get a specific problem due to reduced blood supply to the brain. The brain being the most important organ demands lots of oxygen and glucose, it needs the blood to supply these. When our BP and HR are out of balance the brain doesn't get as much blood as it wants so it "pinches" blood that should be going tothe muscles of the neck and shoulders. This can cause "coathanger pain" but it can also lead to reduced blood supply to the scalp - this is what causes that tight band feeling, it is the scalp rather than the brain which is hurting. Fluids and salt along with trying to get the best treatment for dysautonomia generally helps with these sorts of headaches. Otherwise lying down for a while can be just as effective as taking painkillers.

Flop

Thanks flop...you might have hit it on the head, but I'm not sure. How do you diagnose something like that? I admit I have not been as diligent as I should with consuming water (fluids), but I just purchased a new bottle that I am going to carry around with me each day to up my intake. As for salt, I'm a bit leary. My cardiologist has informed me that I am at risk for hypertension, so I don't want to load up on salt until I get my doctor's suggestion for that. Even still, I have not been so blood deprived that I have fainted like a lot of you on here with NCS. But I do feel like I could be more alert or "with it" with my thinking, so maybe it is a blood flow problem. Is it normal for that to happen even if sitting? Upon standing, I do feel a bit more pressure than with sitting.

[masumeh]

I starting getting the kind of headache you described after taking Mididrine, and I'm fairly sure that for me it's a side effect of the medication. It used to be very pronounced, when I was on a higher dose....and at that time, it would go away if I drank a massive amount of water. The headache became a cue for me to drink more, in fact, because the relief was immediate with the water.

Did you try Tylenol? Simple but effective.

[jbrian00]

I starting getting the kind of headache you described after taking Mididrine, and I'm fairly sure that for me it's a side effect of the medication. It used to be very pronounced, when I was on a higher dose....and at that time, it would go away if I drank a massive amount of water. The headache became a cue for me to drink more, in fact, because the relief was immediate with the water.

Did you try Tylenol? Simple but effective.

I'm glad you found that water solved your headaches. Another thought of mine is that they were caused from high bp, but I have not been monitoring my bp like I probably should be. Stress definitely makes them worse cause actually right now I had a stressful situation and I am feeling the effects more than ever. One time it was so severe and I checked my bp was really high (150/115 around) and I had an unusal pressure in my head that I went to the ER thinking I might be having a stroke. I was incredibly anxious that day, but ER doc said didn't sound like a sign of stroke and not to worry unless bp gets near 200/120.

Just wondering, how much water do you have to consume to make the head symptoms go away?

Thanks,

James

[masumeh]

Just wondering, how much water do you have to consume to make the head symptoms go away?

Two ro three tall glasses gulped down really fast usually did the trick

[jbrian00]

Today just sitting on the couch today I have this wierd uncomfortable pressure feeling in my head. Do any of you experience something like this?

[mkoven]

I get this with rapid CHANGES in bp-- not the actual number, as such. Often when it's dropping, my head will feel funny.

[ajw4790]

It also can be one of the tension headaches Flop had talked about or a migraine due to the barometric pressure etc. I get the tight pressure feeling when I have a migraine, especially those related to storms coming in or high barometric pressure.

I wouldn't let things like this worry you. Try to not let every little abnormality weigh on you, because this can stress you out, and make symptoms worse. Try to avoid stress, to avoid an increase in symptoms. If you do have these kinds of headaches, you can discuss the symptoms with your dr. and see what they say and what they think would be helpful. I think especially for the tension headaches a big thing with treatment is trying to decrease stress.

One can drive themselves batty, trying to figure out every little thing and what all is going on. It is important to be your own advocate in your healthcare, but try to not overstress yourself, because then you may not be able to advocate fully for yourself if it increases your symptoms.

The beginning of all of this can be overwhelming, but you can't let it get the best of you.

[jbrian00]

It also can be one of the tension headaches Flop had talked about or a migraine due to the barometric pressure etc. I get the tight pressure feeling when I have a migraine, especially those related to storms coming in or high barometric pressure.

I wouldn't let things like this worry you. Try to not let every little abnormality weigh on you, because this can stress you out, and make symptoms worse. Try to avoid stress, to avoid an increase in symptoms. If you do have these kinds of headaches, you can discuss the symptoms with your dr. and see what they say and what they think would be helpful. I think especially for the tension headaches a big thing with treatment is trying to decrease stress.

One can drive themselves batty, trying to figure out every little thing and what all is going on. It is important to be your own advocate in your healthcare, but try to not overstress yourself, because then you may not be able to advocate fully for yourself if it increases your symptoms.

The beginning of all of this can be overwhelming, but you can't let it get the best of you.

I know, but when I experience a wierd symptom like I've never had before in my life, I can't help but wonder what is going on with me. As time goes by, I admit that it is somewhat easier to tolerate the symptoms without freaking out because you've had them plenty before, and you've always been fine. It's like the heart rate thing upon standing...I've gotten used to it cause it happens all the time. The wierd head symptoms/headaches/pressures whatever you call them, are relatively knew to me, so yes, it gets me a little discouraged because I don't know if I'm digressing or something. My symptoms were manageable until I decided to go off my cymbalta, and even though I've been back on a month, these particular head symptoms aren't going away. I just hope history repeats itself and the cymbalta makes me feel better again.

James

[mkoven]

I think if you could be seen by a doctor familiar with ans problems, they can help you make sense of all the different symptoms and their interconnections. I think headaches and a variety of strange sensations a preobably relatively common among us. One of our problems is strange regulation of blood flow--everywhere.

I give myself headaches if I"m upright too long, and they go away or improve if I lie down--which tells me this is definitely part of my larger problem. I have a migraine doctor, who says migraines in general are a type of ans dysfunction, it's just that most migraineurs' ans are not so globally affected. She's not surprised to hear that upright can be a trigger for me--it's just probably not for most migraineurs. And sometimes a migraine can just feel like pressure in the head/face, esp. if it's on one side. (I consider myself lucky when I just get the pressure and not the awful pain!). If this is infrequent thing, I wouldn't worry too much. If it happens regularly, I"d note any triggers. Mine are, in addition to too much uprightness:

bright lights--esp. fluorescent, or flickering

computer screens--if I"m feeling vulnerable.

sometimes just the tv screen-- so I mute the colors, and sometimes can't watch. Or I watch with sunglasses!

loud noises

hormonal shifts

msg

alcohol

overuse of one arm-- it spasms the muscles in my neck, and if I"m at all susceptible, will morph into a migraine

sudden overexertion

lack of sleep

too much sleep

sleeping without my cpap (I have apnea)

I'm also most prone to a headache in the early hours of the morning and early evening--so I either may wake up with one or go to bed with one.

Since I get migraines all the time, it's been helpful to track them. Only some of my triggers are controllable, but it's worth knowing what those are.