To ask how often you get headaches?

[QuestionsAllAround]

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!

I've never had a headache. But I do have sensitive skin (itchy skin after a shower). I can also only tolerate only very comfortable clothing. Is that normal?

Used to get them fairly regularly but since I stopped drinking Diet Coke (I don't drink coffee) it's usually a bad one for 24hrs once a month pmt and maybe once more but that's usually if I don't get enough sleep.

One a week before my period, will also get one if I drink certain wine. Had them reguarly, changed jobs, now hardly ever get them - combination of less stress and drinking more (get 3 break during the day!)

I once had a headache for 3 WEEKS - one continuous headache, it was hell. Turned out to be pulled muscles - the ones that join head to neck, due to tensing up from stress. Could it be something like that? Holding your head awkwardly due to a poorly set up computer monitor or similar would probably do the same thing.

Also caffiene will dehydrate you, drink plenty of water.

My uncle got head aches a lot, doctors continually told him they were just head aches.. in his late 40s they got so bad he would forget who colleagues were etc and knew this wasn't right. Turned out he had an inoperable brain tumour... sorry I know that's very glum and unlikely to be what's happening with you but never be fobbed off with half arsed diagnosis without any investigation

Okay well that hasn't set my anxiety off at all...

Very rarely (maybe 3-5 times a year), and always due to an identifiable cause - extreme and ongoing stress, dehydration. I used to get more before I cut cafffeine.

Hopefully did you completely cut out caffeine? And did it make your headaches worse at first? I still have 2 cups of tea a day, can't imagine going cold turkey! But if it really helps...

I grind my teeth at night and the dentist has given me one of those mouth guard things. I have tried using it and can't sleep when I wear it. I frequently get morning headaches so wonder if anyone has found an effective alternative to the mouthguard that works and doesn't hinder a good night's sleep.

I used to have headaches regularly - migraines, esp in summer when it's too bright. Recently I made some drastic changes to my diet (for other reasons) and the headaches have really gone down. So no coffee (used to have 2-3 cups a day), no sugar, untra low carbs. Lots of water & couple of teas in a day. If I get a headache now it's only once a month or so and usually due to too much brightness, eyes being tired or periods. A few glasses of water usually lessens the severity in an hour or so. Perhaps diet is very much linked.

And no alcohol. Zero.

iamworking its persistence I think. I struggled with mine at first but persisted and I'm ok. Also, check yours doesn't go back too far, my first one went right back to my wisdom teeth and it could make me gag, my second one is shorter and it's way more comfortable.

I grind my teeth too but I don't have a dentist so I won't be getting a mouth guard any time soon, unfortunately

I don't drink alcohol at all

I have max one cup of tea a day

Wish I had a solution! It gets a bit wearing after this long!

Do NOT give up on the mouth guard . I spent 90 on mine and I hated it - but after both my osteopath and dentist told
Me that it was causing pain I persisted . My back pain is so much better and my jaw ache has gone

Persist persist

At least 3 days out of the week. Migraine once a fortnight. It's hell.

Every. Single. Day.

Sometimes multiple times a day.

Have co-codomol and paracetomol.

Had CAT scans etc, can't find anything.

Just manage with it.

I'm sorry to hear about so much suffering on here. I used to get migraines frequently but I was lucky in that I was very responsive to some simple things to stop them. Only get a couple a year now and only for a few hours and prescribed meds work on those quickly. Tension headaches are rare for me. At times I start storing up tension in my body, teeth clenching and stuff, and once it was so bad that I had to go to a massage therapist for several sessions as I couldn't get my metaphorical claws out of the ceiling, but usually I can manage. I'm sorry to hear about people who have it so bad.

Never. I realise I am lucky. Was going through the first aid cupboard at home last week - the co-codamol in there was 5 and a half years out of date (and it was bought for a shoulder ache caused by lifting something too heavy).

My first instinct would be to get it sorted out, work out the cause, not to take a pill to hide the symptom.

Stress and dehydration seem to be the major causes of most minor ills in the body - keep hydrated and have a go at using some destressing tools - mindfulness, yoga etc. (I thought it was all crap, but it works!)

I have had migraines from a very young age. Unfortunately this runs in my family, although I was by far the youngest to get them - they were triggered by having meningitis.

Nowadays they come in cycles - I'll be fine for around 6-8 weeks and then I'll have 6-8 weeks of 2-4 migraines a week.

I pretty much always have some form of head pain even when not in a migraine cycle. On the rare occasions I've woken up without pain I have actually wondered if I'm dead! I only take painkillers when it's absolutely unbearable because I don't want to risk rebound headaches.

Mine are also linked to having Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - my neck and shoulder joints are very unstable so I have very tight muscles to compensate but this causes headaches and migraines.

I take triptans for migraines and anadin for regular headaches. Pro tip: If you ask over the counter for a large box of anadin you can get 32 tablets in one box which is usually slightly cheaper than buying 2x16 packs.

I've had tension headaches since my teens. I could predict when they'd come because they were so obviously stress/anxiety related. They used to last a few days and I had them about every 2 weeks . Awful. I started beta blockers a couple of years ago and I haven't had one since .

4head cutaneous stick is bloody amazing. I started using it when I was pregnant and couldn't take painkillers, and found that it works better than pills (for me). The only other thing that works is two 500 mg co-dydramol tablets. But codeine is addictive so I only take those if i have an important event or something. (And even that doesn't work if i wait too long.)

I also have anxiety issues. Stressful events (like a phone interview or exam) give me an instant headache. However, that 'instant' headache feels slightly different to my usual one, so I'm not sure they're the same.

OMG, this thread made me figure something out. I was reaching for paracetomol due to headache every 2-3 days. Always linked to something pretty obvious: lack of sleep, dehydration, bright light (out for too long without sunglasses), etc. But I'm now down to... like one headache a fortnight at most?

I am pretty sure what has helped is that I have cut my caffeine intake in half. I had figured out that on days without caffeine I got a headache, but not that excess caffeine could be linked to them rest of the time. Blow me. Nice benefit. :) We in my family are pretty sensitive to caffeine.

RunningMommy did you have morning headaches prior to using the mouthguard (I do) and did it elevate them?

Every time I hear someone saying they have regular persistent headaches I wonder if they have a Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) leak.
I had a leak caused by a lumbar puncture(Spinal tap) where they take a sample of spinal fluid to test it.
They fixed the leak but it releaked again and took about 6 months to be believed. So I had an excruciating headache among other symptoms unless I was lying down.
Some folks can have a small leak and not be incapacitated by it. Just have frequent headaches.
Do yours go away if you lie down?

I haven't ever had a lumbar puncture

And I don't know that the suggestions that it might be serious are helping... I have anxiety on top of everything else and now I'm going to worry about that