Im sorry for the ton of posts lately but this is all new to me and I donāt know who else to turn to.
Nothing is working for the pressure Iām feeling, itās in the back of my head and temples, itās a mix of pain and pressure and it goes down my neck and what it feels like my spine ā¦ this is a new symptom for me and Iām desperate for relief. I had a few episodes like this in the past but they were short one, this one is going on day 3 already and nothing, Iāve tried my abortive which is imitrex, ibuprofen, taking a nap, going out for distraction ā¦nothing is doing the trick.
Is this one of the symptoms that only gets better when you finally find your miracle prophylactic or has anybody find any way to relieve this?
Hi Diana, I think this one is very common to us MAVers and for me personally, the only thing that has relieved it was Ami. I still do fight headaches and some days of neck ache, none to the degree of pre-Ami but I take Tylenol and aspirin combo. I donāt use the OTC migraine pain relievers that include caffeine since it scares me now. It can be a wonder worker to alleviate the pain or cause more dizzinessā¦ so, I steer clear.
Sorry you have increased head pressure symptoms, it can be very uncomfortable.
Yes, prophylactic is the key. For me its Cefaly device, Amitriptyline and CBD oil, Had it better part of the day / every day for over two years and now itās nearly gone.
For accute treatments, laying down in a quite room + Aspirin helps me, but not a lot, it mostly just keeps it from worsening. Sometimes humming the right tone can help gate the sensation / pain. Ice pack also can help sometimes. Also Cefaly does work for accute treatments as well, I would recommend looking into it.
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As I donāt get the migraine headache I cannot be sure but I think this might be oneā¦ ask @dizzy3. I had straight rear head pressure constantly but no pain and it was ārear headā only for me but same pressure as the āfull earā syndrome. It hung on well after preventatives started to work on other symptoms. Drastically reducing caffeine cleared it or at very least shifted it from being constant to episodic. So quitting caffeine might help. Helen
I believe the rear head pressure is actually the āmigraine,ā if I understand it correctly. My neurologist (Dr S) explained that with MAV migraine is in a different part of the brain than in classic migraine. In classic itās the frontal lobes. In MAV itās the part of the brain stem that controls balance (I believe itās the cerebellum, from having researched it). Do everything you can to get rid of the headaches as theyāre the ābad patchesā that keep your background dizziness going. Reduce stress. Rest regularly, every day. Cut out your migraine triggers. I found the āMigraine Brainā a very useful book to learn about migraine and my triggers. It has lots of life style advice. Following some drastic changes in my lifestyle I can say that Iām now having fewer pressure headaches but still not completely rid of them.
This makes so much sense!!! Ive suffered from classic migraines for the past 5 years and always had pain in the front and one side of my head (it could be either side but never both) and since the February crazy migraine episode that Iāve described in one of my previous posts I get two type of headaches now, the classic one that responds great to imitrex and I go on with my day as soon as it kicks in without seeing much difference in my dizziness and then the one with the pressure which is located in the back, Iāve had bad three times since February, it takes days to resolve and it definitely makes my dizziness worst
I posted on this thread initially but I only picked up on this comment yesterday. Donāt remember seeing it before. This rear head pressure stuff really is the crux. I remember having it constantly from the time mine went chronic (Dec. 2015) until last Spring (2018). It never seemed to leave. Itās intermittent now. I can get days without it and sometimes it comes but goes away again. Doesnāt last all day. Itās certainly the main sign balance is bad. With me it can sweep through. Less than ten minutes outside pegging out washing one day recently and it flooded in to about 9/10. Twenty minutes back indoors and it was virtually gone. Have you found the higher doses of Nori have taken in away yet. Helen
Youāre right there, as were @nin and @dizzy3 when they told me previously. I happened to get confirmation direct from the neurologist last week. You were correct. Only six months down the line eh but better late than never. Iād never thought of that as a āheadacheā before and Iām sure I never experienced them myself until my MAV turned chronic in December 2014, not 2015 as I posted above. I remember telling the VRT bod I was constantly dizzy and had this strange rear head pressure, in the area of my cerebellum which controls the balance (Thank you School Biology Classes) all the time and she nodded and smiled in that condescending way people tend to use to appease known lunatics! Helen
Good to know. Iām actually getting two different types of headaches nowadays, theyāre very distinct: one of them is the rear head pressure that can spread to my forehead and face, all strong pressure. I also feel really off balance with that. I think this is my āvertigo migraine.ā
And then I get the classic sick headache, one-sided, can develop into vomiting migraine attack.
I donāt know which one I prefer
The joys of migraine spectrum !
Oh, joy of joys. A choice of headaches. This presumably is recent development. i have read that people with vestibular migraine without the headaches, ie those who get vertigo in lieu of, can tend to develop the traditional migraine with vomiting type once the dizziness stops. Now that really is something to look forward to, I think not. Actually I generally try to forget I ever read that. Iām good at using what I call The Ostrich Approach to such unpalatable bits of medical insight. If it really suits me I find I can generally totally ignore it. Stops many a sleep less night. If it is medical and something which cannot be put right best to forget it altogether. No point losing sleep over it. They might just be wrong.
Ah, talking of spectrum. Thatās what the neuro said to me, my rear head pressure headaches and the accompanying dizziness are āall part of the migraine spectrumā.
Absolutely. Otherwise the cycle keeps rolling. Have you ever tried Soluble Aspirin for any/either headache type. I only ask because the neuro asked me. I said no because I didnāt realise it was a headache I had, just felt pressure to me. Didnāt think of taking painkillers. I know now. I also know the more pressure I have, the worse my balance that day. Helen
This is old but Iāve checked it out and it hasnāt been superseded by anything more modern. Wonder if it would help. I know when I had āsickā headaches as a girl the only thing that helped with Dispirin - a soluble Aspirin. Paracetamol would just make it worse if indeed it stayed in the system long enough any way. Helen https://www.nhs.uk/news/medication/migraine-relief-from-aspirin/
Iāll have a look at aspirin. One reason I stay clear of it usually is that it can make you lose a lot of blood when youāre on your period, and thatās when I usually get the worst headaches. I donāt know where aspirin stands in relation to rebound headaches, will have a look in HYH book, but could be a good option.
Havenāt read the HYH Book but Aspirin in a painkiller so I would doubt itās classed any differently in terms of rebound headaches. I know you post otherwise if it is.
On further thought it seems she was suggesting I tried Aspirin and I take Propranolol as preventative. On the hospital website following a link under her name, under āwhat migraine treatment involvesā it does say:
āPatients should not take painkillers such as Paracetamol and Codeine-based drugs frequently as these may make the headache worse (Medication Overuse Headache)ā. Helen
Aspirin is my favorite NSAID. I have a bottle in both cars and at home. Good to have around anyways if someone is having a stroke. It takes the edge off my head pressure. Like with all NSAIDs though you can get rebound headaches. I can take it up to twice a week says my Neurologist. I normally only take it once per week though. Because my nose is so dry on Amitriptyline, and because Aspirin thins the blood, I can get nose bleeds now and again.
Sometimes a dark room with relaxing piano music on quietly helps.
Massaging my head in a certain way can help somewhat too.
Can take days for that go during a VM episode for me.
Wonāt be able to wear any hats during then or put my hood up if itās cold outside/windy which hurts my ears(gives me bad earache) if itās a cold wind.
I so much prefer summer/spring minus bright sunlight during a VM episode. Normally fine though with sunglasses.
