I have noticed i have more vertigo when i move the hair on top of my head, when i tie my hair (i have to let it loose). And when i wash it, a few hours after until about 2-3 days, it hurts a lot on the top of my head and i have more vertigo. It is worse if i blowdry it.
Anyone noticed the same thing?
Any tips or solutions?
I am tired of having messy hair 
No great words of wisdom here, but you’re right on… If people paid attention, they could know just how I’m feeling on any given day based on how my hair looks! 
hahaha i can relate so much…
good day = long straight hair (and make-up).
okay day = natural curly hair
bad day/week = messy curly hair that end up with dreads at the bottom of my head because it hurts so much i can’t even brush them.
I miss being able to make myself look pretty(ier) on any day i want. Now i have to think : ok i want my hair to be straight on Tuesday, so i have to wash it and blowdry it at least two days before so that if it triggers a headache and vertigo i have 2 days to take medication and feel better for my special day.
Life was so simple before.
But, i guess we could say : at least i have hair and arms to blowdry it.Some people don’t even have that. #thinkpositive
This forum makes me feel a lot better… for the first time in 10 years, i am not feeling alone anymore. I am lucky to have manye good friends and family, but they can’t understand how vertigo can take away your life and dreams. It’s good to read you all guys. I am grateful to have found this site.
Interestingly, in one of the books I read either Heal your Headache or the Migraine Brain, there is a patient who has had scalp trouble for years. I have too. It’s as tho I am allergic to shampoos, that’s how it feels. And I’ve only ever found one or two shampoos, years ago, that I am truly allergic to.
Isn’t this just the weirdest condition to have? This MAV? So many strange things we have in common.
I think that as the symptoms die off, with medication and time, you will feel better. I hope so!!!
— Begin quote from “sovertigo”
I have noticed i have more vertigo when i move the hair on top of my head, when i tie my hair (i have to let it loose). And when i wash it, a few hours after until about 2-3 days, it hurts a lot on the top of my head and i have more vertigo. It is worse if i blowdry it.
Anyone noticed the same thing?
Any tips or solutions?
I am tired of having messy hair
— End quote
Oh my goodness sovertigo!!! I can NOT believe someone has actually posted about this finally!!! I can’t relate to the hair washing because that actually feels good. But the hair tied up or in a clip is the absolute worst. I have contemplated cutting all my hair off for this reason. Than… I got on Effexor and that symptom got so much better. I could wear a clip or tie for long periods of time without feeling anything. I was soo happy about that as its 111 degrees here in the summer plus I always wear my hair up when I’m home or cooking.
Well just recently I added topomax to my meds and the side effects are bringing back some of the symptoms. And of course putting my hair hair up is killing me. Not only does it give me vertigo, it makes my head feel heavy and headachy and makes m irritable. But it is 112 today. Soo frustrating. But I’m hopeful it’s just a temporary se of the topomax. Otherwise, the scissors are coming out :x
Anyway, your post made my day. I thought I was crazy. 
— Begin quote from “Mavprincess”
— Begin quote from “sovertigo”
I have noticed i have more vertigo when i move the hair on top of my head, when i tie my hair (i have to let it loose). And when i wash it, a few hours after until about 2-3 days, it hurts a lot on the top of my head and i have more vertigo. It is worse if i blowdry it.
Anyone noticed the same thing?
Any tips or solutions?
I am tired of having messy hair
— End quote
Oh my goodness sovertigo!!! I can NOT believe someone has actually posted about this finally!!! I can’t relate to the hair washing because that actually feels good. But the hair tied up or in a clip is the absolute worst. I have contemplated cutting all my hair off for this reason. Than… I got on Effexor and that symptom got so much better. I could wear a clip or tie for long periods of time without feeling anything. I was soo happy about that as its 111 degrees here in the summer plus I always wear my hair up when I’m home or cooking.
Well just recently I added topomax to my meds and the side effects are bringing back some of the symptoms. And of course putting my hair hair up is killing me. Not only does it give me vertigo, it makes my head feel heavy and headachy and makes m irritable. But it is 112 today. Soo frustrating. But I’m hopeful it’s just a temporary se of the topomax. Otherwise, the scissors are coming out :x
Anyway, your post made my day. I thought I was crazy.
— End quote
YESSSS i am so glad you guys can relate! (although i really wish none of us had that problem!!) The worst vertigo episodes i got in the past 2 years started after i put my hair in a bun or a tight ponytail. So no more of that for me!!
I wonder why it does that. Has anyone been told by their osteopath or physiotherapist they have a problem with their durer? I feel that could be the explanation for me… and that’s also why i can’t get a head massage… or else i can’t get up after!!
And I agree with you about looking pretty. I have never felt so ugly as I have since I’ve had MAV. I still try but it’s not the same. I’ve acquired bags under my eyes, thinning hair, yucky skin, some weight gain. I have the hArdest time plucking my eyebrows. It makes me soo dizzy. I won’t even attempt to blow out my hair straight. I’m inspired that you can do that. I’ve been on medical leave for eight months. This illness just really changes your life and people don’t understand how it affects EVERY single aspect of our lives.
We will try to stay pretty. Maybe I’ll go get my hair cut and blown out and get eye brows waxed.
— Begin quote from “KathleenW”
Interestingly, in one of the books I read either Heal your Headache or the Migraine Brain, there is a patient who has had scalp trouble for years. I have too. It’s as tho I am allergic to shampoos, that’s how it feels. And I’ve only ever found one or two shampoos, years ago, that I am truly allergic to.
Isn’t this just the weirdest condition to have? This MAV? So many strange things we have in common.
I think that as the symptoms die off, with medication and time, you will feel better. I hope so!!!
— End quote
You’re right… it’s so weird that we have all these symptoms in common! My scalp pain started a couple of years ago and it felt like a rash/irritation and was all red. I also thought it was a reaction to the hair dye my colorist used. i saw a dermatologist who prescribed shampoo with medication and it helped. But it’s still there some days worse than others. I always wonder if there is a connection to the vertigo but i believe there is one as i often have vertigo after i tie my hair.
I really hope it will go away someday. Have been living with vertigo and headaches for 10 years now.
The neurologist prescribed me Sibelium but i am afraid to take it because of the parkinsonian side effects. I have to admit i took it for three days and felt like before all of this started : no vertigo, no dizziness, i could walk straight without any effort and my muscles were so relaxed.
I am seeing my neurologist again this week and am afraid he will be mad at me for not taking it. But if i end up stuck with tardive diskenia, i will have to live with it… not him.
Maybe he will prescribe something else… I am supposed to travel to Europe soon and i wondering if i prefer going with a new med i haven’t experiences or going with my symptoms that can be horrible but that are familiar.
— Begin quote from “Mavprincess”
And I agree with you about looking pretty. I have never felt so ugly as I have since I’ve had MAV. I still try but it’s not the same. I’ve acquired bags under my eyes, thinning hair, yucky skin, some weight gain. I have the hArdest time plucking my eyebrows. It makes me soo dizzy. I won’t even attempt to blow out my hair straight. I’m inspired that you can do that. I’ve been on medical leave for eight months. This illness just really changes your life and people don’t understand how it affects EVERY single aspect of our lives.
We will try to stay pretty. Maybe I’ll go get my hair cut and blown out and get eye brows waxed.
— End quote
I’m sad you have been on sick leave for so long. I have been lucky in my bad luck… i was on sick leave for 2 months when it first happened 10 years ago but i have not missed much work ever since… maybe 2-3 days a week because of vertigo. I do have it everyday but i tend to try ignoring it and i walk like a drunk at work and sometimes suddenly stand up in the middle of a meeting because it starts spinning (for some reason, my reflex when it spins is to get up quickly… i have bever understood that hahaha). But i know sometimes it can be too strong to ignore. I am in a bad condition like your when i stop going to the physiotherapist for manual therapy + osteopath. They really make my life better and somehow “livable”
— Begin quote from “Mavprincess”
And I agree with you about looking pretty. I have never felt so ugly as I have since I’ve had MAV. I still try but it’s not the same. I’ve acquired bags under my eyes, thinning hair, yucky skin, some weight gain. I have the hArdest time plucking my eyebrows. It makes me soo dizzy. I won’t even attempt to blow out my hair straight. I’m inspired that you can do that. I’ve been on medical leave for eight months. This illness just really changes your life and people don’t understand how it affects EVERY single aspect of our lives.
We will try to stay pretty. Maybe I’ll go get my hair cut and blown out and get eye brows waxed.
— End quote
I really hope you can feel better soon. It comes and goes and remember nothing is eternal… so keep faith it will be better and you can do some of the activites you enjoy and can’t do at the moment.
A year and a half ago i sneezed and ended up with two back hernias so i had to stay in bed most of the time for 3 months. And now i am working full time, walking a lot and planning a trip (knowing i could end up in bed during the trip because of vertigo or my back… but traveling is a passion and i can’t live without it… it makes me feel so alive!). When i started having vertigo 10 years ago, i stayed in bed for 2 months and i told myself : it can’t be like this for the rest of my life… i have to believe. So i decided i would cure and get well enough to realize my dream : go to Australia. The year after that it started getting better although i was bumping into trees when i was walking, etc. And i got better and better and two years later, i did go to Australia alone, for 6 weeks. And it was the happiest moment of my life, even though i still had vertigo every day… but not as bad as when it started.
All that to say, keep faith, never give up… you never know when you could actually feel better! I think our worst ennemy is fear… it almost never is as bad as we expected. xxx
Yeah thanks so much. I did actually go back to work after six months and it felt so good but by day 3, my symptoms returned at full force. My job is all computer related and I sit in front of two flat screen monitors all day. Oh and it’s a 45 minute drive and one of the things MAV did is take away my ability to drive. That was back in May so my dr increased my Effexor and I eventually got to 150mg. During that time I refused to stay home as I love to travel and spent most of my time in Lake Tahoe with my 4 year old son and got so much better. It wasn’t until I reached 150mg that I got to 90% and started living my life fully again except for the driving. So last week my dr added the topomax for the driving part.
I am so excited to finally have this all under control but in the meantime I am dealing with all these side effects. Ugh. So the hair being up is a royal pain in the butt. But I am trying to remain hopeful and positive as I know it’s temporary. I have to remind myself daily how terrible I was 6 months ago and how far I’ve come.
Thanks for all the encouragement.
After washing my hairs they always get messy, is there any tip for taking a perfect care for hairs.
By contrast I find a good shower and hair wash usually helps my headache, either due to the massage effect of the shampoo or perhaps the warm water improving circulation, I don’t know.
However since getting MAV I’ve noticed I get a lot of zits/pimples on my scalp and often these are at the centre of my headache pain and can be extremely sensitive to touch so I sometimes find myself applying antiseptic cream to my scalp before bed to try and keep the pimples down - I’m wondering if anyone else gets this problem?
Count me in.
I too have sensitivity on my scalp since this thing started. If I wash and blow dry my hair that’s my energy zapped for most of the day. I used to love a good head massage at my hairdressers but now if I’m well enough to venture out and can stand it, it’s gently gently and it’s still painful.
I have a friend with the same problem who sufferers with fibromyalgia and is a hairdresser. She uses dry shampoo so she only washes her hair once a week and her hair always looks fab. So maybe worth a try. Other than that have the chop! Short and spiky. You don’t even have to blow dry. Just a bit of styling gel and you’re good to go! (The times I’ve come very close to that on a bad day!)
I’m with stewjay70 on the shower though. As I suffer with numbness in my body , I tend to have very hot showers which wake me up a bit. And gives me a giggle when my husband jumps in straight after and I can hear him jumping around trying to turn it back down again.
I’ve notice different polls on here about where we live, medication and how long it takes to work etc. How about a strangest symptom poll ? It does help to know you’re no going mad when your body does unexpected things. I’m actually sitting with my feet up not touching anything as I write because I woke up this morning in pain all over with my heels bright red and really painful and my feet were boiling hot! What’s that all about? Anyone else ?
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