Daily headaches from hell-help needed

Oh you poor thing, I think your GP needs to be doing a lot more for you, I take you have been seen by an optician?

Please go back to your GP and ask for a referral for investigation do not leave it.

I had this once and it was stress. When I changed my job the pain went away. I would, however, ask if you can be referred to the hospital and see the optician.

Kentish you have all my sympathy and more !
Not having been a headdachey -sic person as soon as I hit 50 and the menopause, wham !

I was awakened every morning at about 3am with the most excruciating pain I'd ever experienced. I'd rather have had a dozen babies than go through that again.

I was downing paracetamols like sweets but they had no effect on the pain. I was banging my head on the wall then turning up for work like a wet rag.
After 7 weeks of it I finally went to the GP who had me admitted to hospital then I was transferred to the neurological hospital. Scans,tests galore-----nothing so the neuro-surgeon said it was a problem with the " basement and not the attic " which he dealt with.

Back to the GP who prescribed Dixarit but they were making me too drowsy for work so I started buying migraleve and they weren't doing much either ,so in the end I took Imigran.

The thing was, when I got these migraines they made me heave/wretch and after that happened the migraine went-----only to return again at 3am ?
They went on for a few years with the same pattern of the early hours.

I actually went on a long-haul flight after having been up half the night-----how I did it I'll never know but I just dosed myself up to the hilt.

I remember taking 2 paracetamol every 2 hours ! I got to a stage I couldn't have cared less so long as the pain went and didn't return.

They did go as quickly as they'd come on and fortunately I haven't suffered a headache since, in years. It's a miracle I'm here at all with all that I took. Honestly I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy------and I can withstand pain.

Please don’t let your GP just fob you off with an ‘age’ thing ask for a referral or at least a second opinion and see your optician too they are brilliant at sending you for further tests
There is nothing worse than something you go to bed with and wake up with Really feel for you

It does sound as though further investigation is needed.

My migraine treatment is a lorezepam and sleep it off!

Chronic teeth-grinding, jaw-clenching, and neck / shoulder tension can cause this. And you won't necessarilly be aware of these habits at all.

The age-related diagnosis is rubbish. Your GP is fobbing you off and you need to have this investigated so do go back and demand it.

Meanwhile try some neck and shoulder exercises and, very important, make sure you are well-hydrated. Both of these actions have got rid of my headaches.

As has been suggested, you do need to go back to your GP and ask for a referral. If all else fails, go to a different GP, you really should not be left to suffer like this. Hope you re soon feeling better.

I don't want to alarm you but the symptoms you describe sound very much like Giant Cell Arteritis (also known as Temporal Arteritis) and should be investigated pronto, just in case. Untreated, this condition can cause loss of eyesight. If you can't get rid of it with painkillers, head for A&E. If properly diagnosed a high dose of a steroid soon alleviates the pain.

As a long-standing migraine sufferer (I'm still waiting to grow out of it, as I was told I would when I was 11yo) I'd agree that you really must go back to the GP and get referred for more investigations.

Even if it turns out to be nothing untoward, it still needs managing to allow you to live a normal, painfree life.

I would go back to your GP and try to get a referral to a neurologist my husband suffered with cluster headaches and it took nearly 4 years to be correctly diagnosed and treated

Sorry meant to add hope you get it sorted ?

They're awful .. And I understand .. I take a muscle relaxer to knock it back, also use those gel eye masks with the Velcro closures, I keep them in the freezer, I strap them on my head backwards, sideways, sometimes wear 2 at a time, situate them where it hurts most, have had them during the night, upon waking up, and if I don't get on top of them right away I regret it, coffee helps for me, even during the night, when my muscles relax it subsides but quite often the areas where the pain was can stay tender for days from me massaging the muscles that actually feel like rope sometimes .. Chiropractic has helped .. As does relaxing ..

Have you had your blood pressure checked?

Mine is low to normal ..

I agree with what others have said. Without proper investigation, how can your GP be certain that the pain you are experiencing is migraine? I think he/she should refer you to a specialist.

Definitely ask for further investigation - it needs checking to rule out anything sinister.

My husband suffered with cluster migraines brought on by stress - he would be fine while whatever was stressful but as soon as he relaxed back they came. He said he wanted to drill a hole in his head to relieve them - they were also behind his eye. Back in the '70's he used to have to have pethidine injections which would knock him out for hours but eventually years later the doctor gave him a very expensive medication which worked - unfortunately I can't remember the name of them. One particular day he was in Switzerland at a clients and one came on - the client gave him a glass of flat Coke and it did help with the sickness. Thankfully he hasn't had one for some years now.

My mother also started with bad headaches when she was in her 50's and woke up every morning with one - she lived on paracetamol most of her life.

I agree, ask for further investigation, even if this does turn out to be a menopausal symptom there must be other treatments available.

I think the next doctor that tells a woman of a certain age that ' It is just their age' for any complaint should be put in the stocks and have rotten tomatoes and eggs thrown at them.

Go back to your surgery, make an appointment with a different GP and demand that you be referred on to to specialist.

Oh Kentish I feel for you. I suffered with headaches all my life until I hit the magical menopause (worse during) after which they disappeared. They were obviously hormonal. I was sometimes sick with them.
Like you I would suffer for about five days at a trot and was almost suicidal. GPs don't really know what to do. Much of the literature said that doctors don't really want to know unless you get them every single day. Could he refer you to a pain relief specialist?
I hope you can get better help. I just had to live through it and it was misery at times. However, the truckload of painkillers didn't kill me and I can look back at it now and shudder.
I know it sounds trite but could other things like exercise, diet, hydration and distraction help? They don't make the pain go away but provide a different focus.

Oh god this brought back memories of cluster headaches I used to get. Beyond awful. I would have a headache for about 5 days, constantly. I found it hard to get off to sleep even after taking analgesics and would then bluddy dream I had a headache - because obviously I still had it.

It made me anxious and a bit low. Till it lifted! One day miraculously it had gone. I only ever had one further bad episode - none since.

I do hope yours disappears soon Kent.
I really do feel for you.

It will get better.

I think you must be right LBC about them being hormonal. I used to have classic migraines in my 40’s - with the preceding aura of zig zag lines. No family history of them. The first one I ever got was when I was reading and ‘gaps’ or blanks with no text appeared on the page. It frightened me to death! I lifted a hand up and moved it in front of me and it ‘disappeared’ at one side. I thought I had a brain tumour.

All disappeared 10y ago after the menopause.

Hi my OH had migraines for years. Last year he tried acupuncture for the first time and it worked, only one minor attack in 18 months. So it might be worth a try.

Kentish I woke up at age 14 with my first big headache, it lasted for 6 weeks without let up. Since then I have had headaches most days throughout my life, so I do sympathise. I've had every check up available, opticians, scans etc etc. Lowish blood pressure, so not that. At one point I tried no paracetamol at all as maybe it was actually an over medication problem, so you could try that, very difficult for the first day or so but gets easier. I did find that helped to a certain extent, but if I get a big one I find the only thing that really works is Avmigram, unfortunately you can't get it in this country I get mine from Turkey as I worked over there for 13 years and this was what the pharmacist suggested. Maybe if you know someone who is going there they could get you a box, it's very cheap, or maybe try the internet.