Upon reading the thread about Tylenol, I fell down a Google search rabbit hole and learned that many/most of the 'sinus headaches' I've had for years were most likely migraines without auras (I...
Upon reading the thread about Tylenol, I fell down a Google search rabbit hole and learned that many/most of the 'sinus headaches' I've had for years were most likely migraines without auras (I didn't know that was a thing until now).
From the article:
Nearly 90 percent of people who believe they have sinus headaches, whether they diagnose themselves or are diagnosed by a healthcare provider, actually have migraines, studies have shown.
Other research has found these patients can go for years without a correct diagnosis or proper treatment. If you suffer from frequent sinus headaches that don't seem to get better with treatment, talk to your practitioner about the possibility you're having migraines instead.
The article also lists some of the common symptoms as well as what tends to differentiate between sinus infections vs migraines so it was a great read, at least for me. It also links to what seems to be reputable research papers.
So if you're like me and antibiotics usually didn't help, had an ENT who probed and said my sinuses were good, a CT scan was all clear, and then have completed 4 years of allergen immunotherapy (one year left to go) but still get the headaches (but less often thankfully) then it could be some subset of your headaches were actually migraines and not sinus infection-related.
Migraines are insidious. I got them in my late teens/early 20s and I didn't even identify them as headaches -- they were random bouts of extreme nausea (more intense than nausea from other...
Migraines are insidious. I got them in my late teens/early 20s and I didn't even identify them as headaches -- they were random bouts of extreme nausea (more intense than nausea from other sources, usually leading to eventual vomiting). But apparently it can be a thing where the pain makes you nauseous without you being conscious of it as pain. Later on as I had more of them I got better at perceiving the actual headache part, but the nausea was always the primary symptom for me.
I also didn't get auras and the impression I got was that auras aren't as common as a lot of people think they are. Luckily some pretty lightweight medication helped mostly prevent migraines for me during that period (once we identified what was happening) and I eventually grew out of them as I got older. It was really rough though, would not wish it on anyone.
I'm glad meds helped you. I think you're right re: auras not being as common as many people think the are. I just read that "Migraines without auras are much more common than any other kind." from...
I'm glad meds helped you.
I think you're right re: auras not being as common as many people think the are. I just read that "Migraines without auras are much more common than any other kind." from Migraines With Aura vs. Migraines Without Aura. And later the article mentions auras show up in about 1 in 3 people and not likely each time someone has a migraine.
Based on my experience, yours, and @SleepyGary it seems like it's a cautionary warning about letting misinformation/assumptions cause additional fear and/or delay accurate diagnoses and treatment.
Tangetial story. My first migraine ever, which was in my late 30s, was just an aura without the pain. It was like all of a sudden half my vision was like looking through a window with water...
many/most of the 'sinus headaches' I've had for years were most likely migraines without auras (I didn't know that was a thing until now).
Tangetial story. My first migraine ever, which was in my late 30s, was just an aura without the pain. It was like all of a sudden half my vision was like looking through a window with water running down it. Thought my retina was detaching or something. That was extremely scary but by hour 2 of waiting to see an ER doctor I figured it must not be what I worried and calmed down some.
It must have been terrifying. Thanks for sharing this -- I hadn't realized an aura without the headache was possible as well. Apparently what you experienced is rare -- this article lists many...
It must have been terrifying. Thanks for sharing this -- I hadn't realized an aura without the headache was possible as well.
I had a very few instances of aura with no accompanying migraine in my late teens (the subjective experience is eerily well-captured by this image, which, fair warning, may be a migraine trigger...
I had a very few instances of aura with no accompanying migraine in my late teens (the subjective experience is eerily well-captured by this image, which, fair warning, may be a migraine trigger for some people: image). Never had migraines, and the auras never happened again after I was 19 or 20.
Kind of surprised the article doesn't mention cluster headaches, which are at the intersection between "allergy" and "migraine". There are other situational factors in histamine release or...
Kind of surprised the article doesn't mention cluster headaches, which are at the intersection between "allergy" and "migraine".
There are other situational factors in histamine release or exposure besides allergies. Exertion, temperature extremes, stress, menstrual cycle, foods and beverages that contain histamines, even physical trauma can play roles in overall histamine level.
I had "migraines" for years before triptans became available, and heavy-duty antihistamines like Atarax were the first resort for treatment. Effective about 50% of the time, and they kept the nausea down enough that other drugs could follow. But it's apparently common for people to have both histamine-sensitive and vasospastic migraines.
There's a great OTC product now, azelastine nasal spray, which I've found is fantastic for preventing seasonal sinus headaches without the drowsiness I get from even "non-drowsy" systemic antihistamines.
My migraine issues were about 10 years ago and I was still prescribed an antihistamine (Periactin) to take daily for prevention in addition to a triptan for acute relief whenever I had one. Though...
My migraine issues were about 10 years ago and I was still prescribed an antihistamine (Periactin) to take daily for prevention in addition to a triptan for acute relief whenever I had one. Though I was 17 when it was first prescribed and I'm told it wouldn't have been the first step for an adult for whatever reason.
Zofran was the real savior though, got that prescribed at the advice of a friend because the nausea was so much worse than anything else as a symptom for me. That stuff kept me from missing class so many mornings in college.
Cannabis was widely available, cheap, and not-too-illegal at my college, so a joint was my go-to anti-nausea medication. It usually worked to keep me from throwing up the oral medications if I...
Cannabis was widely available, cheap, and not-too-illegal at my college, so a joint was my go-to anti-nausea medication. It usually worked to keep me from throwing up the oral medications if I didn't take them in time to stop the full migraine onset.
It's been 20+ years since I regularly had the crippling, "I'm going to curl up in a dark room and hope I die" kind of headaches, so I'm out of date on the current treatments. When I did get a severe headache with nausea more recently, I tried the cannabis trick again. It was very, very unpleasant to discover that weed has gotten much stronger than it used to be. It made the nausea substantially worse.
I haven't yet found a weak enough inhalable THC/CBD or extract to avoid that rush of nausea and dizziness, so I might ask for Zofran. Thank you!
Ah I was a square in college so I never tried if weed worked for me. Fair warning, Zofran is usually prescribed for nauses/vomiting during chemo or post-surgery, so you might get a raised eyebrow...
Ah I was a square in college so I never tried if weed worked for me. Fair warning, Zofran is usually prescribed for nauses/vomiting during chemo or post-surgery, so you might get a raised eyebrow from the doc, but it's not a very risky medication either (it's used off-label for morning sickness apparently) so it shouldn't be too hard to get it prescribed it you ask. The generic name is ondansetron.
And as allergies may cause migraines, here's an article about that: The Link Between Allergies and Migraines It also includes suggestions to reduce migraine frequency and allergen exposure.
Upon reading the thread about Tylenol, I fell down a Google search rabbit hole and learned that many/most of the 'sinus headaches' I've had for years were most likely migraines without auras (I didn't know that was a thing until now).
From the article:
The article also lists some of the common symptoms as well as what tends to differentiate between sinus infections vs migraines so it was a great read, at least for me. It also links to what seems to be reputable research papers.
So if you're like me and antibiotics usually didn't help, had an ENT who probed and said my sinuses were good, a CT scan was all clear, and then have completed 4 years of allergen immunotherapy (one year left to go) but still get the headaches (but less often thankfully) then it could be some subset of your headaches were actually migraines and not sinus infection-related.
Migraines are insidious. I got them in my late teens/early 20s and I didn't even identify them as headaches -- they were random bouts of extreme nausea (more intense than nausea from other sources, usually leading to eventual vomiting). But apparently it can be a thing where the pain makes you nauseous without you being conscious of it as pain. Later on as I had more of them I got better at perceiving the actual headache part, but the nausea was always the primary symptom for me.
I also didn't get auras and the impression I got was that auras aren't as common as a lot of people think they are. Luckily some pretty lightweight medication helped mostly prevent migraines for me during that period (once we identified what was happening) and I eventually grew out of them as I got older. It was really rough though, would not wish it on anyone.
I'm glad meds helped you.
I think you're right re: auras not being as common as many people think the are. I just read that "Migraines without auras are much more common than any other kind." from Migraines With Aura vs. Migraines Without Aura. And later the article mentions auras show up in about 1 in 3 people and not likely each time someone has a migraine.
Based on my experience, yours, and @SleepyGary it seems like it's a cautionary warning about letting misinformation/assumptions cause additional fear and/or delay accurate diagnoses and treatment.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Tangetial story. My first migraine ever, which was in my late 30s, was just an aura without the pain. It was like all of a sudden half my vision was like looking through a window with water running down it. Thought my retina was detaching or something. That was extremely scary but by hour 2 of waiting to see an ER doctor I figured it must not be what I worried and calmed down some.
It must have been terrifying. Thanks for sharing this -- I hadn't realized an aura without the headache was possible as well.
Apparently what you experienced is rare -- this article lists many effects people may have with 'silent migraines': Migraine Aura Without Pain (Silent Migraine)
I had a very few instances of aura with no accompanying migraine in my late teens (the subjective experience is eerily well-captured by this image, which, fair warning, may be a migraine trigger for some people: image). Never had migraines, and the auras never happened again after I was 19 or 20.
Kind of surprised the article doesn't mention cluster headaches, which are at the intersection between "allergy" and "migraine".
There are other situational factors in histamine release or exposure besides allergies. Exertion, temperature extremes, stress, menstrual cycle, foods and beverages that contain histamines, even physical trauma can play roles in overall histamine level.
I had "migraines" for years before triptans became available, and heavy-duty antihistamines like Atarax were the first resort for treatment. Effective about 50% of the time, and they kept the nausea down enough that other drugs could follow. But it's apparently common for people to have both histamine-sensitive and vasospastic migraines.
There's a great OTC product now, azelastine nasal spray, which I've found is fantastic for preventing seasonal sinus headaches without the drowsiness I get from even "non-drowsy" systemic antihistamines.
My migraine issues were about 10 years ago and I was still prescribed an antihistamine (Periactin) to take daily for prevention in addition to a triptan for acute relief whenever I had one. Though I was 17 when it was first prescribed and I'm told it wouldn't have been the first step for an adult for whatever reason.
Zofran was the real savior though, got that prescribed at the advice of a friend because the nausea was so much worse than anything else as a symptom for me. That stuff kept me from missing class so many mornings in college.
Cannabis was widely available, cheap, and not-too-illegal at my college, so a joint was my go-to anti-nausea medication. It usually worked to keep me from throwing up the oral medications if I didn't take them in time to stop the full migraine onset.
It's been 20+ years since I regularly had the crippling, "I'm going to curl up in a dark room and hope I die" kind of headaches, so I'm out of date on the current treatments. When I did get a severe headache with nausea more recently, I tried the cannabis trick again. It was very, very unpleasant to discover that weed has gotten much stronger than it used to be. It made the nausea substantially worse.
I haven't yet found a weak enough inhalable THC/CBD or extract to avoid that rush of nausea and dizziness, so I might ask for Zofran. Thank you!
Ah I was a square in college so I never tried if weed worked for me. Fair warning, Zofran is usually prescribed for nauses/vomiting during chemo or post-surgery, so you might get a raised eyebrow from the doc, but it's not a very risky medication either (it's used off-label for morning sickness apparently) so it shouldn't be too hard to get it prescribed it you ask. The generic name is ondansetron.
And as allergies may cause migraines, here's an article about that: The Link Between Allergies and Migraines
It also includes suggestions to reduce migraine frequency and allergen exposure.