headaches 24/7

I am a 58 yr old male who for the last 6 mos. have been experiencing excruciating headaches

that vary from right to left side of my head, just behind either ear, and into the middle of my head

have taken tylenol and ibuprofen morning, noon, and night--with no relief

other than the headaches i feel fine

have no health insurance, so i cant afford to have all the tests

wife doesnt think it "is just sinuses"

L

 

Hi toto58,

Welcome to Healing Well. Sorry to hear that you are suffering with this! I would point out that we are not medical professionals here and are unable to diagnose, but we can offer a personal opinion!

As Rhoda said the best thing to do is to see a Doctor, who would probably do some blood tests and at the most an MRI scan to rule out stuff - usually these tests all come back clear if it is Migraine or another form of Headache!!!

Sinusitis is very painful and if your sinuses were infected to be that painful you would have been very unwell a long time ago!!

If the Tylenol or Ibuprofen are not working, do not take them, they will do more harm than good!! Have you tried ice or heat to help with the pain?

take care

Ann

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Co-Moderator of the Migraine/Headache Forum

Hi toto58,

Just a warning -- if you've been taking pain relievers (even nonprescription, like tylenol and ibuprofen) regularly for several months, you probably do have rebound headache. Don't expect the headaches to go away right away when you quit taking the painkillers. They'll likely get worse for awhile. You'll have to suffer through them while your body gets weaned off them, then the pain will subside.

Do a web search for "rebound headaches" to find out what you're dealing with -- it's a well-known phenomenon that many of us have suffered through. I, for one, am extremely careful not to take painkillers of any type (prescription or over the counter) more than twice a week or so to avoid having to go through rebound again.

Good luck!