stress headaches

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Hey everyone. please help me out here!! Lately I've been having these really bad stress related headaches. I'm a 3rd year student and i can't afford to lose so much time over these damn headaches. Once it sets in, Pain killers just don't seem to work. I know they're caused by stress because they're triggered whenever i start studying. Plus, one they start, they're only relieved by anxiolytics (i take buspirone). My dad's a doctor, and he agrees that the headaches are caused by stress. He refuses to give me any medicines, telling me to cope with the stress like an adult (he doesn't know about the anxiolytics). Please don't advise me to visit a psychiatrist/ counsellor because our medical school doesn't have any. plus, in my country, visiting a psychiatrist is associated with a lot of stigma. I really really want to be a doctor, so leaving the profession is out of the question. Plus, taking a year off is also impossible (please just understand, i've thought about it a LOT of times and it's just IMPOSSIBLE).
I just want to know how to deal with the stress. I've loads and loads to study before the vacations end (yes i'm off for a month). CANNOT afford to loose time. The trouble is, once i've gotten over the headache, i go back to studying and the headache starts again!!! 🙁(((( heeellllllllllllllpppppp!!!!

 

[njbmd]

Regular aerobic exercise is a good stress buster in medical school. You can make it a point to walk up at least 8 floors of stairs daily. Keep a log of the up only if you can't get to the gym. You can do a couple of floors on your study breaks. Otherwise get to the gym, do some aerobic exercise and pump some iron. See some of the fitness threads on this forum.

 

[atengnr]

This is in no way medical advice, but anti-anxiety medications can be prescribed to treat tension headaches - wellbutrin, effexor, paxil (exercise is great idea, too).

Many years ago, I went through a long bout of tension headaches, and they were incapacitating, so I can commiserate. Not fun.

 

[McPoyle]

I get these fairly frequently as well... the biggest things that help me are:
1) Cut down a=on caffeine and generally improve my diet.
2.) Exercise
3.) Probably shouldalisted this as number 1, but quitting tobacco I think made the biggest difference for me.
4.) Become better organized-if I feel disorganized my stress level increases...

 

[MossPoh]

Honestly, I've just learned to cope with them. I tried all the stuff. I eat well, exercise and do various things to destress yet I still have nasty headaches all the time. Hopefully that other stuff will work, but if not then it seems to become the norm. I do wonder what I'd be like if I didn't have headaches for half of my day every day.

 

[JPmamd09]

I had daily HA and bi-monthly to weekly migraines through college and into med school. My PMD in the town where I went to med school suggested I see a HA specialist (neurologist). Super super helpful. If you happen to have a resource like that at your disposal, I'd highly recommend it. It was multidisciplinary - neurologist, psychologist (for stress induced HA), dietitian, and PT.

I apologize if people have already said some of these common knowledge type of things (I didn't know them til going to the clinic), but I was told to stay away from things that had tannins (like red wine), things with lots of nitrates, excessive salt, alcohol, and caffeine. I had also been taking daily ibuprofen for HAs - not a good idea (obviously taking too much is nephrotoxic, but apparently you get kind of a resistance to the pain-reliveing effects over time). The PT also recommended to me a hot pack on the neck and an ice pack on the forehead; points of tension in the neck can cause headaches in certain areas, so massage was also recommended to me.

Please note that these are things I was advised to do, I'm in no way trying to give medical advice here, just giving an example of my experience being treated for crappy headaches. Good luck!

 

[deleted263296]

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[neurolddoc]

they're only relieved by anxiolytics (i take buspirone).

Important adage to keep in mind as you go along in your training...The physician who treats himself has a fool for a patient.

Self treating for "stress" ( as well as listening to advice about medications from students on SDN) is not a good idea. Go see a neurologist and get evaluated and treated by someone with some expertise.

 

[WeenieRoast]

If you're female, go to an endocrinologist and get your levels checked at various times to see what your fluctuations are like, there could be a frequent correlation (cortisol, estrogen, progest, etc).

 

[WeenieRoast]

Important adage to keep in mind as you go along in your training...The physician who treats himself has a fool for a patient.

Self treating for "stress" ( as well as listening to advice about medications from students on SDN) is not a good idea. Go see a neurologist and get evaluated and treated by someone with some expertise.

True 👍

 

[texahn]

there is one very soft illicit drug that you might want to try.

i had very bad tension headaches in the back part of my head for months
and one day i ate a bad brownie and the next morning it went away.
i went to go see my doctor again and she said - hey sometimes it really is medicinal.

 

[Rendar5]

you're having regular tension headaches that incapacitate you, so instead of seeing a neurologist or someone who specializes in headaches, you attempt to self-medicate with drugs that you're getting from who knows where, and then ask for advice of random internet strangers who dont' actually know what's going on with you and will attempt to offer random advice anyway?

If you want to be a doctor and not have substance abuse issues, go do for yourself what you would do for any patient. Get someone appropriate to take your history, examine you, and prescribe something for you or give you advice as you need. What you've done here is set yourself up for a disaster.

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I get them at work with usually a really bad one every two weeks or so. I go ahead and pop the Excedrin, then I take a really hot shower once I get home and let the water run on my scalp. I actually try stretching my scalp by rubbing my head really deep, and then I do some neck and back stretches. I'm still not cured, but it does help provided you stay relaxed after the fact. If you're in a position to study then it's not really feasible to chill on your back watching tv like I do.

 

[spicedmanna]

Yeah, I have to agree with those suggesting you seek appropriate medical help. That's usually a good first step, rather than trying to handle it on your own. We should know that, but sometimes we let our own egos get in the way. It's likely to be a tension HA, but you need to r/o any other issues that could be there, and that's real hard to do w/o a proper H&P and w/u.

Anyway, if you r/o any serious medical issues, you can try blowing off some steam, however it is you do that. Find some way to relieve your stress that is fun for you. Some like to exercise. It doesn't have to be rigorous. I think any type of scheduled time for this type of activity is a good start. Also, consider message or bodywork. This can be very relaxing and there are can be some myofascial components associated w/ your HA that can be easily released. Just scheduling some time for yourself could be helpful.

And, yeah, I agree w/ cutting down on caffeine and the smokes, if you have that habit. Not always the easiest to do, or even possible, but it's usually a good idea.