To ask how often you get headaches?

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I get headaches a lot. Very regularly.
Usually they are manageable by paracetamol, they don't normally stop me living life as normal, they occasionally get a bit worse but I've only ever had 2 migraines and I'm in my 30s.

I've been to the doctors many many times over the years and they say headaches are just headaches and they aren't worried.
It obviously concerns me anyway, it can't be normal to get headaches 3-4 times a week can it?

(I do have an anxiety disorder and someone previously mentioned it could be stress related because of this... but so often? Is this really normal?)

So how often do you get headaches?

Thanks!

Stress / tension headaches about once a fortnight
Waking up feeling headachey about twice a fortnight ( used to be more until I stopped drinking wine )
Pmt headache once a month

Often in hot weather I get a headache from not drinking enough

My colleague got headaches nearly everyday and had her inner (?) ear pierced and they've almost completely gone

My sister gets migraines and is on medication & has Botox

I used to get headaches and migraines regularly and then I cut way down on caffeine.

I rarely get headaches now.

The doctor said to me the usual causes were caffeine, chocolate and red wine.

That sounds fairly normal to me. I rarely go a week without a headache, and generally experience 2-4 each week. Sometimes I think they're related to dehydration, but often they're brought on by stress or screen use. Paracetamol usually sorts them out for me; persistent headaches (every couple of months) can only be shifted with co-codamol. Headaches don't worry me unduly.

You most likely have medication-overuse headache

Annoyingly, people who are prone to headaches are often susceptible to getting rebound headaches due to taking painkillers too frequently (codeine is the worst for this but paracetamol will do it too!). Generally this is triggered by 10-15+ days per month of taking painkillers

I really really advise the national migraine centre based in London (who help with chronic headache too). Their website has lots of useful advice if you can't get to them

To answer your question: I don't get any headaches anymore after making lifestyle changes, but do still get about 3-5 migraines a month. At my worst I had a daily headache for about 6 months so am very happy as is :)

Very rarely to be honest... but a little more regularly now I'm 8 weeks pregnant!

Once every few months.

To address a previous poster:

There is no robust evidence that any specific food is a trigger for headache or migraine (including red wine, chocolate, cheese). Food cravings can be a symptom of an impending headache, rather than being causal

The drop in blood glucose caused by fasting is something that triggers headaches so patients are advised to snack at least every 4 hours, particularly before exercise. Ideally something high protein/fat rather than chocolate....

Quite often. Every other day, I'd say. I get nausea with it too. I've been to the GP so many times as well but it's dismissed. I do have anxiety and I hold myself quite tense which doesn't help.

I have a chest infection and have stopped smoking - my head kills
Me

Quite
Often I take way too many painkilkers

Have you tried the menthol stick thing? It works on about 2/3 of mine.

www.boots.com/4head-stick-3-6g-10024996

It used to be almost daily. A mix of hormones, and sugar.

Now i have a coil, and a low sugar diet, i rarely get them. Maybe take a paracetamol once a fortnight?

I was plagued with them. Full on flashing migraines as well. But my life has completely changed now. I've gone from someone with anadins on me and in me permenantly, to someone who actually doesn't know if she has any in the house....

Have you tried looking at hormones or diet? Do you jaw clench or teeth grind at night?

I had headaches often, I improved them with a low GI diet, not too much caffeine. After being diagnosed with B12 deficiency and then treated I rarely get a headache.

And to agree with ollyolly - randomly my headaches and migraines have gone with a low sugar diet.

However, at the first sign of one, i have to have sugar. There and then. So haribo, chocolate, coke, painkillers, and then salted crisps for the nausea.

I have occipital neuralgia. This flares up 1-2 times a month and is excruciating. I'ce tried many forms of painkillers with limited success. I know it has a cause though.

Every bloody day. But I have intracranial hypertension. If you're worried have you had your eyes checked recently? That was how mine was found out, they can see swelling in the back of your eyes.

It's horrible as pp's have said you're not supposed to take painkillers but when it's every bloody day how can you not to get through life

Rarely. A few times a year.

I have had quite bad PMT.
I do drink a good amount of caffeine.
And I don't get much sleep either during the week due to crappy work hours.
I wonder if these are all not helping. 😔

Mine are mostly hormonal and cycle related. Otherwise they are caused by tiredness or/and dehydration.

Have you had an eye test recently? If not go get one.

All the time, many times a week and always take painkillers for them. I have tried the rebound thing and it didn't make any difference if I stopped for a week.

Anything can bring them on - too much light, noise, excitement, stress, not enough sleep, too much sleep blah blah. Been to the doctors a few times and they aren't worried. I think some people are just prone to certain things . I rarely get colds and haven't been sick for years. I do worry though about the painkillers and the effect they might be having long term.

I drink a lot of caffeine too, have never tried to cut back but not convinced it would help anyhow.

@BubbleBed Yes I do grind my teeth at night and I have found myself to clench my teeth when I am anxious too. I have often wondered about this as I've done it since I was very young.

I had my eyes checked very recently and they're fine.

Does anyone know if iron deficiency has anything to do with headaches?
I was told I was anaemic when I was pregnant.

I went through a phase of waking with a headache most weekend mornings. Eventually I realised the cause was an allergic reaction to dodgy takeaways. My advice is to make sure you aren't eating something you've got an allergy to.

Have you been to the dentist and had a mouth guard made if you teeth clench or grind? I don't use mine often anymore, but it did make a big difference in getting me to stop. I chewed through one!

I suffer with migraines and get at least three a week. Normal painkillers don't touch them; the only thing that works is triptans.

I can't leave them either, because they carry on for three days without medication, accompanied by heavy vomiting.