Sinus Headache Symptoms (No Comments)

Most of the common sinus headache symptoms will be evident long before the actual headache has become painful. Sinus headaches occur when pressure builds up within the sinus canals, which run between your ears, nose and throat. Sinus symptoms generally begin with a stuffy nose, which can progress into more serious congestion in the upper nasal cavities.

The majority of sinus headache sufferers will also have postnasal drip. Which is a symptom that is as unpleasant as it sounds – the blocked sinuses will release that build up of mucus; which then runs down the back of the throat. Untreated, in time, these symptoms will often lead to that excruciating and throbbing pain, known as a sinus headache.

Sinus headache symptoms should never be ignored. These headaches may indicate that you have a sinus infection which will need to be treated by a physician. Sinus headaches will usually include severe pain around the eyes. That pain will not always remain localized, often spreading down the face. On occasion, some sinus headache sufferers will even experience that same obtrusive pain in their teeth. Sinus headaches are similar in some ways to migraine headache symptoms, in that the sufferer will often experience actual physical tenderness in the areas most affected.

Congestion is usually the first sinus headache symptom to occur, because a sinus headache is a direct result of the pressure placed upon the sinuses when they are overly congested. Therefore, relieving the congestion will often relieve the pain. Sinus headache symptoms are not located in the top or back of the head – as is common for migraines. Maybe sinus headaches ought to be called “face-aches”, because that is actually where most of the pain is felt. The sinus cavities run along the cheekbones and forehead, as well as behind the eyes and down the nose. That is why pain might be experienced in any or all of these facial areas. One of the most debilitating sinus headache symptoms for most is experienced behind the eyes – this pain sometimes accompanied by swelling of the eyes.

Sinus headaches symptoms can render a person unable to function – the pressure that builds around the eyes, nose, and cheeks can be extremely painful, and just too much for most people. Even so… The best way to treat a sinus headache is not actually to take an aspirin or lie down – although this may take away the pain for the time, it does not solve the sinus problem.

In this case particularly, prevention is better than cure. So the best thing to do is cut off the headaches at their source. Sometimes, this can be achieved by the use of a good decongestant or steam treatment. However, regular sinus headache symptoms signal that the sinuses are regularly under attack … and the best way to get relief is to get rid of the attacker!

Click Causes Of Headaches & Sinus Headache Symptoms & Daily Headaches for more info. Copyright 2010 Ron X King.

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Rebound Headaches: When Getting Better Makes You Worse (No Comments)

By Ron King

Rebound headaches are caused by the very things that relieve headaches — pain medication. So basically it becomes a choice of suffer now, or suffer later.

Rebound headaches are usually daily occurrences, beginning early in the morning. Rebound headaches can lead to other problems including anxiety, depression, irritability and sleeplessness.

Medications

Migraine medications work to raise serotonin levels to ease pain. However, when too much medication is ingested something happens to the serotonin levels, which causes the chemical to lose its effectiveness. Research has shown that serotonin levels are lower when you take too much pain medication and then they rise slightly after the headaches gets better and you stop taking the medication.

If prescription or over-the-counter drugs are taken too often or in greater amounts than recommended, this can lead to rebound headaches. In addition to sedatives and tranquilizers, other rebound-causing medications include:

1. Caffeine-containing analgesics (Anacin, Excedrin, etc.). Caffeine, a primary ingredient in many headache medicines, can relieve migraine pain temporarily. However, taking medicine containing caffeine every day — as well as drinking caffeine-loaded beverages such as coffee or soft drinks — can lead to more frequent and severe headaches. If the headache gets worse when you stop using caffeine, the caffeine may be the cause of some of your headaches.

2. Butalbital compounds (Fioricet, Fiorinal, Phrenilin, etc.); Isometheptene compounds (Duradrin, Midrin, etc.); Decongestants (Afrin, Dristan, Sudafed, Tylenol Sinus, etc.); Ergotamines (D.II.E. 45, Ergomar, Migranal, Wigraine); Triptans (Amerge, Axert, Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig); Opioids and related drugs (Darvocet, OxyContin, Percocet, Tylenol with codeine, etc.). Medications that include any form of codeine, such as Percocet, Tylenol 3, or Vicodin, must be used with care because they can cause dependency quickly.

Symptoms

* Your headache occurs daily or almost daily (3 or 4 times a week).

* Your headache deviates in form, location on the head, severity and strength.

* You have a lower than normal threshold for pain.

* You begin to notice evidence of an increasing tolerance to the effectiveness of analgesics over a period of time.

* You notice a spontaneous improvement of headache pain when you discontinue the medications.

* You are considered a sufferer of a primary headache disorder and you use prevention medication frequently and in large quantities.

* Even the slightest physical movement or bare minimum of intellectual expenditure causes the onset of the headache.

* Your headache is accompanied by any of these symptoms: anxiety, depression, difficulty in concentration, irritability, memory problems, nausea, and restlessness.

* You suffer withdrawal symptoms when you abruptly are taken off the medication.

Recovery

If you have rebound headaches due to the overuse of medications, the only way to recover is to cease taking the drugs. If it is caffeine that is causing your rebound headaches, reducing your intake may be of help. Before deciding on whether you want to stop abruptly or gradually, the following need to be considered:

1. Make sure you consult with a physician before withdrawing from headache drugs. Certain non-headache medications, such as anti-anxiety drugs or beta-blockers, require gradual withdrawal.

2. The patient (you) may need to be hospitalized if the symptoms do not respond to treatment, or if they cause severe nausea and vomiting.

3. During the first few days, alternative medications may be administered. Examples of drugs that may be used include corticosteroids, dihydroergotamine (with or without metoclopramide), NSAIDs (in mild cases) or valproate.

4. Whatever method you choose when stopping your medication, you will go through a period of worsening headache afterward. Most people will feel better within 2 weeks, however, headache symptoms can persist for as long as 4 months and in some rare cases even longer.

Good News

Many patients experience long-term relief from all headaches afterward. The conclusion of one study showed that over 80% of patients significantly improved 4 months after withdrawal.

Visit What Causes Headaches? or Sinus Headache Symptoms for more info.

Copyright 2006 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.

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