Headache + eye pain

[user666555]

Hello,

Posting on AIBU for traffic.

I'm going to make an appointment this coming week, however I was just wondering if anyone else has had any experience of this...?

I keep getting headaches on a daily basis. I'm also feeling the pain behind my right eye.

As I said, I will see the GP but any idea as to what it could be?

Thanks

I was getting daily headaches and eye pain. Mine was caused by eye strain. The optician told me I needed to wear my glasses all the time and the pain went. My prescription oddly hadn't changed, it was just the length of time I had to wear them. No longer just for driving and stuff I had to focus hard on.

I also get pain on that side when I have a migraine, but the pain is different, I also get an aura and they're normally triggered by my hormones or caffeine withdrawal. They also aren't daily.

Thought I'd update just incase.

So I realised today that the pain is in the back of both my eyes not just my right one. Anyways, I saw the GP and was told it's a tension headache.

She was very vague and said to take paracetamol. Anyone had any experience with tension headaches? What caused them and how did it get better?

Yes I said above

staring at your phone a lot
hair too tight
sleeping badly
clenching teeth

basically putting strain on your neck and scalp causes the tension

I sleep with a pillow under my elbow to make me side sleep straight

If it carrys on go to gp again and if it get worse, possibly consider A&E

however, try and rest you eyes etc - do you work, what do you do for work if you do - how long you used laptop for or worse still mobile phone for internet/vids etc

any new stresses in your life etc???

I would go to the optician tomorrow. Get the scan done so they can check there is no pressure on the optic nerve

@DistinguishedSocialCommentator what would A&E do? Is this an emergency? OP hasn’t been to the opticians yet!

What do you think and A&E does???
Are you being deliberately obtuse?? If not, raise the question again and I will tell you.

No I really am asking you what A&E would do for a headache. If you rang 111 what would they advise.

A&E deal with emergencies they don’t have empty CT scanners waiting for people to have brain scans in who haven’t been to the opticians yet

It's quite possible attending A&E would just mean waiting several hours to be told to continue GP plan/already been assessed not needing additional assessment. Apologies if I've misunderstood but going to A&E isn't a special place that means extra tests and treatment above that offered by the GP.

GPs are far more experienced than the average A&E Dr. Hell some A&Es patients are getting discharged by PAs/ACPs now not even seeing a Dr. The GP will have explained red flags/any changes that would indicate A&E assessment needed.

Do not go to A&E they cannot help with general headache disorders.

Do get a good checkup with your options. Also stop taking painkillers for a few days and try drinking a lot of water. Rather annoyingly painkillers can actually make headaches worse. As a chronic migraine suffer my neurologist says no more then x3 a week for painkillers or x2 for my rescue medication or you can get medication overuse headache. It's annoying and if your having a bad patch and ask for help all the GP will do is tell you to take painkillers BUT it really is not a good idea as its often how it spirals into a bad patch in the first place.

It's very frustrating as it seems headaches are one of the few pain disorders where painkillers are not the main answer to the problem.

This is so true. Super frustrating.

Can I ask what your rescue medication is? I’ve been on amitriptaline but it’s not working so I’m wondering what to try next/what they may offer me as they think I have chronic headaches.

@user666555

These are worth trying. They are the most reliable for me for tension headaches, although they also work for other types of headache and migraines too…

Ibuprofen Lysine (aka Nurofen Migraine). Take it every 4 hours as painkillers have a cumulative effect, it’s not the ‘one and done’ situation many people think. Don’t take them for more than three days in a week though.

Tiger Balm White - rub it in wherever it hurts. I am evangelical about this and have converted so many headache and migraine sufferers! It’s menthol so I use this when out and about and the patches below when I’m at home.

Kool N Soothe gel patch on your forehead. The menthol really helps relax the muscles. You can feel them loosening under the patch.

Hot water bottle if your neck/back is tight

Also worth regularly checking if your tongue is pressed to the roof of your mouth. If it is just peel it off. This will loosen your jaw and help relieve the tension.

Indomethacin taken daily help with some chronic headache conditions.

Ooh me too with the chronic migraines! It’s so nice to ‘meet’ someone with the same thing. Shit innit? 😂

Definitely get the extra scan done at the opticians, it'll help them rule things out.

Fair warning, the NHS moves incredibly slowly when it comes to headaches (not their fault, just giving you a warning from someone further down the road!).

OP I've had tension headaches for years, they're not often severe in terms of the pain (eg compared to a migraine which is very different) but they can last for days so can be quite debilitating. I've tried many things!

I'd suggest you start keeping a diary to notice any triggers - for me, it's

• sleeping awkwardly; I now use an orthopedic pillow that fully supports my neck)
• working at a desk; I have several stretches I do sat at my chair
• going too long without eating, or eating sugary foods on an empty stomach
• hormones; I've adjusted how I take my contraceptive pill too reduce this

The best way to manage them for me is to avoid them with the steps above, but if they do appear then hot water bottle/wheat bags on the affected areas, light exercise (eg going for a walk) and ibuprofen are the main successes. I've also invested in a massage gun and using that regularly on my neck and shoulders has really helped.

I get clusters of weird migraines nowadays I used to get a traditional migraine with aura but now I just feel sick, dizzy and off balance for a few days and an eyeball headache that won’t go away but the ibuprofen Lysene is so good it works really fast, or Anadin extra

My DD gets hemiplegic migraines and the reason I was incredulous about A&E was that the first time she had one we took her there because it has all the symptoms of a stroke and they just sent her home. They really do not do anything. She had a numb face and hand and was vomiting profusely. We know now how to manage them but first time was pretty scary

However I did have to go to A&E myself once (sent by 111, had seen an out of hours GP) many years ago as I had a migraine for 3 solid days with profuse vomiting and I explained I could not crack the migraine as I couldn’t keep tablets down painkillers or anti nausea so they gave me a paracetamol drip, anti nausea injection and IV fluids and it cured the entire thing within 20 mins.

A&E will just treat you in that moment - ie help you stop being sick or rehydrate you but they will not do anything else. They will not investigate anything

Thanks I’ll look that one up.

I wouldn't be happy with that as an answer and would be booking an eye appointment ASAP.

When was your last eye exam? If you wear glasses you really should be going once a year to have your eyes etc. looked at.

Same.
It doesn’t sound like a thorough check at all.

GP’s can’t do much more than a neurological exam though can they? They don’t have any optical equipment and having a headache of classic tension symptoms and not having your eyes tested is not enough to get referred somewhere else. I’m not sure it would get accepted for an MRI or CT or hospital referral for short period of possible tension headaches

For those of us who live with chronic headaches sometimes there just isn’t a specific answer or cure but there is a lot of self care you can do and visiting the optician is the first place to start

Sorry for replying late. The headache is worse. It's constantly there. Paracetamol isn't touching it.

In regards to my last eye test it was over two years ago. I will book one in for this week but I generally feel unwell too (this started yesterday so not sure if it's related to the headache) I've got a cold and feel like I've been run over by a truck.

Have done the usual of taking paracetamol, drinking fluids etc but it's not shifting. Have a six month old to look after too which makes it harder. Have no other help available. DP has been trying to help but has to work due to us needing the money.

In terms of A&E I don't think I require an A&E admission for my headache at the moment. However, it was to get worse or really painful I would go in (my cousin who was 23 passed away from a brain haemorrhage and the only symptom she had was a headache) so if anyone ever has a severe headache I wouldn't ignore it.

I don't think I'd class mine as severe but it's still not shifting. It's worse but not bad enough for me to go to A&E.

I have intracranial hypertension and it started like this.

Go to the optician today and ask them to fit you in to have someone look at your optic discs, tell them you have had a consistent headache for X days and you have eye pain. Use the words intracranial hypertension. Someone will get excited and come and look (I had every optician in the place come and marvel at mine).

Does it feel worse if you lay down? If you start to get a stiff neck or a lot of tinnitus, go to a&e. They should do a neuro exam and a lumbar puncture (if they think it's IH).

I agree can you call the optician. Everyone told you to do this 2 days ago. They have an NHS minor eye care service too they might be able to see you. It’s important to be seen by an optician urgently because they have such specialist equipment they can take a thorough look

I am a tension headache sufferer. Loads of things can cause it, including:

• eye strain, especially if you tend to squint and frown to see things and especially if you are often looking at a bright screen or into sunlight
• prolonged concentration
• general stress and tiredness
• tensing your jaw
• tense neck and shoulder muscles
• grinding your teeth at night

Paracetamol didn't help for me either - but I found it more helpful to take paracetamol and ibuprofen together, either both at the same time or alternating at two-hourly intervals. A cold pack held against your forehead or gently against your eye socket might also be soothing - my go-to is (weirdly) to hold a can of Diet Coke straight from the fridge against my eye and roll it across my forehead, but that's just me! An ice-pack, a cold gel pack or one of those Migraleve soothing pad things is nice too.

You should DEFINITELY get your eyes tested. If you have poor eyesight and you were last tested two years ago, and you're getting lots of headaches, you need your eyes looked at and you need to tell the optometrist about your headaches.

You should also see a dentist and ask for advice on jaw-clenching/tooth-grinding - I have a mouth guard now that I wear at night and it's really helped. Also, I don't know if you've ever had wisdom teeth removed, but sometimes a wisdom tooth that hasn't come through can cause a bit of pressure in your face and trigger headaches.

At one stage, my GP prescribed me amitriptyline to see if that would break the cycle of constant headaches, and it did keep me headache-free for a good while, but for me it was a last resort as I did have some side effects and it made me quite drowsy (and couldn't be combined with alcohol). I would take it again if I got to the point of desperation, though, definitely.