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What Causes Headaches When Diagnosed With Arachnoid Cyst In The Frontal Lobe?
Question: my son has had an arachnoid cyst in his frontal lobe, the size of a baseball since he was 16. He is now 22 and for the past 2 weeks he has bad headaches daily, he's mood has changed, seems withdrawn and he feels tired all the time. he went to the ER 10days ago. they did do a cat scan, blood work and found that the cyst has not grown and saw nothing abnormal. he still continues with the same problem and It's concerning. they basically told him he would probably have these headaches for the rest of his life. there was no comfort in that at all. is there any advice you can give
me?
me?
Brief Answer:
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
You should feel heartened by the fact that the tests came back normal as it provides reassurance against life threatening conditions like a brain tumor, stroke etc.
Now if they told you that he'll have these headaches for the rest of his life I suppose they thought about a primary headache like migraine or tension type headache. Factors like depression may play a role as well, they are often associated with headache.
The fact that it is a chronic issue doesn't mean that there is nothing that can be done though. Apart from pain killers to alleviate the pain when it strikes (like Ibuprofen or Naproxen) there are also medication to prevent the headaches, meaning reduce their frequency and severity. They are not given in any patient since they are not vital for rare attacks, but when there are frequent headaches then they may be necessary. Also if there is depression involved that must be treated as well.
There are several medications for headache prevention like antiepileptics, antidepressants, antihypertensives etc. Judging from only what you describe I would suggest an antidepressant like amitriptylin which is a first line treatment both for headache prevention as well as depression. However it would be advisable for him to see a neurologist who can question him in person in a detailed manner to better classify the headache type as well as presence of depression and to evaluate treatment response in follow up visits.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Read below.
Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
You should feel heartened by the fact that the tests came back normal as it provides reassurance against life threatening conditions like a brain tumor, stroke etc.
Now if they told you that he'll have these headaches for the rest of his life I suppose they thought about a primary headache like migraine or tension type headache. Factors like depression may play a role as well, they are often associated with headache.
The fact that it is a chronic issue doesn't mean that there is nothing that can be done though. Apart from pain killers to alleviate the pain when it strikes (like Ibuprofen or Naproxen) there are also medication to prevent the headaches, meaning reduce their frequency and severity. They are not given in any patient since they are not vital for rare attacks, but when there are frequent headaches then they may be necessary. Also if there is depression involved that must be treated as well.
There are several medications for headache prevention like antiepileptics, antidepressants, antihypertensives etc. Judging from only what you describe I would suggest an antidepressant like amitriptylin which is a first line treatment both for headache prevention as well as depression. However it would be advisable for him to see a neurologist who can question him in person in a detailed manner to better classify the headache type as well as presence of depression and to evaluate treatment response in follow up visits.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
thank you, you have been very helpful
Brief Answer:
You're welcome
Detailed Answer:
Hope things will turn for the better soon.
You're welcome
Detailed Answer:
Hope things will turn for the better soon.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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