Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

[Kalian]

I have been plauged with sinus pressure and sinus headaches for the last 10 years. It pretty much started when I was living in Virginia, and has continued with my move to Vegas, then Ca, then back again to Vegas. I've always tried to just deal with it, (don't like pounding down the drugs by the bucketful) but when it gets particularly bad I'll take over the counter medicine.

I have had it pretty bad the last 4 or 5 days, probably due to changing weather paterns,(which always seems to be the trigger, along with alergies) and don't want to keep on taking drugs for it. I was just wondering if any of you have the same problems, and if you have any alternative solutions to remedy it.

Sometimes I get it so bad I get nauseous and will start pukeing if I don't take sinus headache medicine and try to sleep it off. When it gets that bad the medicine is the only thing that will work.

So what do you fellow sufferers do to alleviate the symptoms?

 

[waterinthefuel]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Wow, buddy, I sure don't have it as bad as you. I have had it bad in the past, but its usually just a runny nose.

I'd taken Benadryl (sp?) which makes me feel like carp and puts me to sleep. I've tried Claritin D with some success.

A non-medicinal remedy for me is a simple hot shower. It doesn't make it all go away but it helps.

As bad as my allergies used to be, they've seemed to have let up tremendously in the last few years. I really wish I could be of more help and am certain others on this forum can give some great suggestions.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Same problems here. It's funny that you mention the weather making it act up, I've got to where I can predict a front coming through.

It may not be entirely sinus... I went to the doc last year with the worst headache of my life, it went on for about three days til I couldn't stand it. They took a bunch of tests and asked a bunch of questions and determined that I was suffering from a severe migrane and that that's what I had been having all along. They honestly thought they were gonna find cancer cuz a bad headache is a symptom. -I wondered why they were so nice and quick to get me in.

They told me that migrane sufferers are usually very sensative to bright light and loud noises. That's me. I'll wear shades on a cloudy day.

I'll usually take an off the shelf migrane medicine which seems to be working for now. There's a LOT of caffiene in 'em and they can be addictive so two a day is it for me but that's usually enough.

spots

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

I get them too.....Mostly try and sleep them off but on particularly bad ones I take whatever migrane or sinus pills I can get my hands on........Scale from 1-10 it reaches 10 on the pain index sometimes......a few days of that and willing to try anything.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

The wife gets those too and her doctor told her to try this product. http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100095&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod2598807

It works quite well short term and can provide relief when you need it most. The link is for Walgreens, but they sell it everywhere I think.

 

[Kalian]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Thanks for the replies everybody,
CN, sounds like you and I have the same condition. I've been wearing shades everywhere when I'm outside. I have a pair in each car and I keep a pair on my desk. I won't walk out the door without em. And I NEVER loose em! The noises don't bother me though unless I already have a headache going on.

DR, that looks like something I might try, but I've heard that using products like that on a regular basis will cause the mucous membranes to stop producing moisture on their own. Maybe thats not a concern if it's only used occasionaly though. Thanks, I think I'll give it a try.

 

[QC]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

My mother and I both suffer as well. She uses something like DR's deal and I have a prescription for Deconamine which despite my initial issues with taking anything, and very weird dreams at first I now swear by it. I take one every night, and if I keep it up, great, if I slack off I get a sinus infection that simply kicks me arse . . .

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

I take one every night, and if I keep it up, great, if I slack off I get a sinus infection that simply kicks me arse . . .

er..............never mind.
Dang glasses.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Vicks vapor rub on the upper lip and rubbed onto the chest at the same time works for me.

 

[QC]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

er..............never mind.
Dang glasses.

Deconamine is not blue, but that's pretty funny right there. Remember Les, this is af amily site

 

[mscher]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Remedies are useful, but sometimes it may be better if you can determine a problem source and treat that.

Have you ever seen an ear,nose and throat (ETN) speciaist?

I had very bad seasonal ellergies when younger, but the sinus symptoms seem to stay year round when I got older. Pressure, sinus infections, allergy symptoms that never seemed to go away.


The ETN did an MRI and determined that I had nasal polyps, that were impeding proper drainage. I ended up getting out-patient surgury, that although I don't remember the procedure, it was similar to "roto-rooting". My only regret was that I did not have it done 10 years earlier and is still good 9 years later.

May be worth your time that have a good look-see up there. there is some pretty good stuff for sinus conditions these days.

A steroid spray like nasonex may be helpful in the short term.

Good luck.

 

[Terry Olson]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

My wife takes her allergy meds for a while, then goes without to see if that's any better. Within the last two months or so she's been using this device (sorry - can't remember the name of it off hand) that allows you to run warm salt water into one nostril and it drains out the other. She says it took about a week before she noticed improvement and she really believes it's helping.

It takes a certain kind of motivation to run water through your sinuses like that but it seems that it's a good non-drug way to get at least some relief.

Like the others I get migraines once in a while too. They aren't always accompanied by intense pain for many people - me included luckily. I know I'm getting one when I have what I would describe as blind spots in my field of view. I wonder if that isn't what you're having - in which case the sinus stuff won't do you any good.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

if I slack off I get a sinus infection that simply kicks me arse . . .

Where is your head that a sinus infection kicks your arse?????

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Remedies are useful, but sometimes it may be better if you can determine a problem source and treat that.........................

Good luck.

Sound advice, seek out a specialist to help diagnose the actual problem, then treat it accordingly.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Lots of fluids, limited vitamin c, NO caffeine.
No anti-histimines. Nothing that can or will dry you out.
Keep your body hydrated, so that the sinuses can flush themselves out.
The same reason you have to keep your fluids up when you have a cold.

 

[jimr]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

This might sound weird but have you tried going to a chiropractor? my baby was having ear infections about monthly and we took him to my wife bone cruncher 3 times and he has not had one in over 6 months. It may be worth a shot. I get sinus infections about 5 times a year and they suck. I usually wait too long to goto Dr and end up taking antibiotics. they reccommended taking 1 musinex a day to help prevent them.

 

[tommays]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

I would go to a real ENT about 8 years ago after a long history of Sinus Infections

The real problem was my nose could just NOT drain due a bad OEM part


So they did a [SIZE=-1]turbinectomy and a some other tweaking and i never had another infection

While i a still have minor problems it is nothing compared to the misery i endured for a good part of my life



Tommays
[/SIZE]

 

[Monkaroo]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

I was having a lot of problems with simular symptoms . The best over the counter help I found was Alka seltzer cold tabs . The only thing about them was they made me sleepy . You don't want to take them and drive @ night for sure . I found out that I had some food allergies too , that was causing a lot of mine though . Food allergies can set off histamines in your system and deal you a lot of misery . As for the headaches , google migrane headaches . If you haven't allready done it I think you'll be surprised @ what you find . Caffine is the main culprit on migrane headaches . I had to quit drinking beer because I was allergic to the hops And I completely quit the caffine . I've done much better since November when I quit . The only bad thing is when you first quit caffine , your gonna have the worst headache of your life until you get over the hump (2 or 3 days ) . It was worth it to me though , I feel so much better now , and very seldom use anything at all . I do keep a bottle of Nasal Crom spray with me , and if I feel like I'm gonna have a flair up I will hit it once on each side and usually be OK . It's over the counter and non addictive . It simply coats your sinus passages and keeps what ever is bothering you from reaching them . Hope you get to felling better man .

 

[Kalian]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

Wow!
Lots of good sugestions here. Thanks for all the ideas. You guys are great! Sorry to hear so many have the same problem, but I'm glad I got a chance to hear some good alternatives, as opposed to just taking frugs for the rest of my life.
Thanks!

 

[roscoe]

Re: Sinus pressure/headaches alt relief

I'll second what jimr said about the chiropractor.
My cousin was having severe troubles with her sinus', at the base of her scull.
5 visits to the chiro, and she was fixed.

Dang, can't believe I forgot about her cure, I work with her everyday.