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What Causes Headache Along With Nausea?
Question: Hi..
Im a female aged around 38 years. Since past many years i have been having headache in half head starting from eye till back of neck with nausea n all.. frequency of headache has increased now to twice or thrice or sometimes more in month. i have observed that it relates to my periods too. i did the health check up in nov '14 in which my uterus is also shown enlarged.
I want to know what course of action should i take.
Im a female aged around 38 years. Since past many years i have been having headache in half head starting from eye till back of neck with nausea n all.. frequency of headache has increased now to twice or thrice or sometimes more in month. i have observed that it relates to my periods too. i did the health check up in nov '14 in which my uterus is also shown enlarged.
I want to know what course of action should i take.
Brief Answer:
Probably migraine.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
From your description of headaches involving half of your head associated with nausea the most probable cause is a migraine. Changes of that being the cause are bigger if you also have increased sensitivity to lights and sounds and have a family history of migraines.
There are cases of migraine which are related to periods. However it is unclear if that is your case as you describe them to be 3 times or more per month which means not always during your period.
Apart from the hormonal changes during menstrual cycle there are also many other triggers for migraine like certain foods or drinks, hunger, lack of sleep, bright lights, certain odors etc. So it is generally advisable in patients with chronic headache to keep a headache diary which will enable them to identify these triggers and avoid them in order to prevent headache recurrences.
As for the medical treatment of migraine it consists in treatment for the attacks and preventive treatment.
Treatment for the attack consists in over the counter pain killers like Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen or if those are ineffective other specific drugs for migraine attack like triptan class (zolmitriptan, sumatriptan).
Meanwhile if the attacks are more frequent than two per month, regular preventive treatment is also advised to reduce frequency and intensity. Many available drugs mostly from the class of antiepileptics (valproic acid, topiramate), antidepressants (amitriptyline, nortriptyline) or antihypertensives (propranolol, verapamil). Efficacy of classes varies among patients. They are all prescription drugs so you should discuss their use with your doctor as well.
As for the uterine enlargement the cause of that must be sought after, the most common cause might be a benign uterine fibroid tumor but that can be established only after proper testing by ultrasonography or CT scan. If the cause is in doubt you should consult your gynecologist for further testing to rule out other causes. It does not have a direct relation with the headache, but both migraines and uterine changes can be predisposed for by a hormonal imbalance.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Probably migraine.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
From your description of headaches involving half of your head associated with nausea the most probable cause is a migraine. Changes of that being the cause are bigger if you also have increased sensitivity to lights and sounds and have a family history of migraines.
There are cases of migraine which are related to periods. However it is unclear if that is your case as you describe them to be 3 times or more per month which means not always during your period.
Apart from the hormonal changes during menstrual cycle there are also many other triggers for migraine like certain foods or drinks, hunger, lack of sleep, bright lights, certain odors etc. So it is generally advisable in patients with chronic headache to keep a headache diary which will enable them to identify these triggers and avoid them in order to prevent headache recurrences.
As for the medical treatment of migraine it consists in treatment for the attacks and preventive treatment.
Treatment for the attack consists in over the counter pain killers like Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen or if those are ineffective other specific drugs for migraine attack like triptan class (zolmitriptan, sumatriptan).
Meanwhile if the attacks are more frequent than two per month, regular preventive treatment is also advised to reduce frequency and intensity. Many available drugs mostly from the class of antiepileptics (valproic acid, topiramate), antidepressants (amitriptyline, nortriptyline) or antihypertensives (propranolol, verapamil). Efficacy of classes varies among patients. They are all prescription drugs so you should discuss their use with your doctor as well.
As for the uterine enlargement the cause of that must be sought after, the most common cause might be a benign uterine fibroid tumor but that can be established only after proper testing by ultrasonography or CT scan. If the cause is in doubt you should consult your gynecologist for further testing to rule out other causes. It does not have a direct relation with the headache, but both migraines and uterine changes can be predisposed for by a hormonal imbalance.
I remain at your disposal for further questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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