Oh, my achin' head
February 6, 2009 1:22 PM Subscribe
How common are non-migraine headaches caused by hormones, specifically during menstruation?
I'm beginning to think that my occasional headaches are caused by the shift in hormones during menstruation. I do not have migraine and I do not think this is migraine because there is no aura, I don't have light sensitivity, nausea or any of the other hallmarks of migraine.
I've never been much for headaches until after the birth of my child 8 months ago. Now, it seems like every other month I get a headache during the first few days of my period. It goes away with ibuprofen, but it's annoying. I take the birth control pill and am on the same pill I was pre-baby.
All of the literature I can find online deals with migraine and menstruation, not just plain headaches and menstruation. Are non-migraine headaches caused by hormones common as well? Or am I getting a "mini migraine"? Thoughts?
I'm beginning to think that my occasional headaches are caused by the shift in hormones during menstruation. I do not have migraine and I do not think this is migraine because there is no aura, I don't have light sensitivity, nausea or any of the other hallmarks of migraine.
I've never been much for headaches until after the birth of my child 8 months ago. Now, it seems like every other month I get a headache during the first few days of my period. It goes away with ibuprofen, but it's annoying. I take the birth control pill and am on the same pill I was pre-baby.
All of the literature I can find online deals with migraine and menstruation, not just plain headaches and menstruation. Are non-migraine headaches caused by hormones common as well? Or am I getting a "mini migraine"? Thoughts?
I used to get headaches during the first few days of my period. Painkillers never seemed to have any effect, but taking over-the-counter iron supplements during the heaviest days usually prevents the problem from happening.
posted by rjs at 1:31 PM on February 6, 2009
posted by rjs at 1:31 PM on February 6, 2009
Hormone related headaches are VERY common.
I was on a particular bcp that was horrific for me with regard to migraines. On the off-week (the placebo week) I would have an estrogen crash that gave me debilitating migraines from Thursday through Saturday. It was just awful. Stopped the pill and they didn't happen anymore. It was the Yasmin pill, incidentally.
Keep in mind that your body changes over time and what worked pre-baby can absolutely affect you differently after baby.
posted by Edubya at 1:45 PM on February 6, 2009
I was on a particular bcp that was horrific for me with regard to migraines. On the off-week (the placebo week) I would have an estrogen crash that gave me debilitating migraines from Thursday through Saturday. It was just awful. Stopped the pill and they didn't happen anymore. It was the Yasmin pill, incidentally.
Keep in mind that your body changes over time and what worked pre-baby can absolutely affect you differently after baby.
posted by Edubya at 1:45 PM on February 6, 2009
Migraines *can* present with only one symptom. They're weird like that. It's possible that you're only getting the pain part.
Either way, both are common PMS symptoms.
posted by Citrus at 2:56 PM on February 6, 2009
Either way, both are common PMS symptoms.
posted by Citrus at 2:56 PM on February 6, 2009
'Nthing VERY COMMON. Painkillers also do not work on them in my experience.
posted by biscotti at 5:08 PM on February 6, 2009
posted by biscotti at 5:08 PM on February 6, 2009
My wife gets them almost every cycle, a few days after the start of her period. For her, painkillers work, but it takes 3 extra-strength ibuprofen.
posted by mollweide at 7:46 PM on February 6, 2009
posted by mollweide at 7:46 PM on February 6, 2009
Very common and Excedrin Extra Strength is the only thing that works for me. Better than vicodin even.
posted by fshgrl at 8:16 PM on February 6, 2009
posted by fshgrl at 8:16 PM on February 6, 2009
Yes, it is very common, and you can have migraine even without aura, etc. (I don't have aura or light sensitivity usually, and have nausea only sometimes, but it is migraine. There is a certain spacey feeling and what I can only describe as a "weirdness around the eyes" that go with mine as well, and I don't get that with normal headaches.) I almost always get one of these the day before the period starts. I am very irregular, so sometimes the headache comes before I would have expected it, but like clockwork, the period follows.
In my case two Aleve usually knock it back enough to make me mostly functional, though the spaciness and weird feeling don't seem to go away. If the Aleve can't do it, usually it is bad enough that I've got the nausea and stuff too, and I just go to bed and try to survive it.
posted by litlnemo at 8:41 PM on February 6, 2009
In my case two Aleve usually knock it back enough to make me mostly functional, though the spaciness and weird feeling don't seem to go away. If the Aleve can't do it, usually it is bad enough that I've got the nausea and stuff too, and I just go to bed and try to survive it.
posted by litlnemo at 8:41 PM on February 6, 2009
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posted by otherwordlyglow at 1:23 PM on February 6, 2009