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[Bracken willowshimmer]

Hi ladies,

I would be interested to know if anyone suffers from a horrible head pain just before their period.  I'm not sure if it's a migraine?  The pain starts just behind my left ear and radiates up the back of my head.  I can actually press where the pain is.  Headache tablets take it off, but it returns and lasts a good week.  The pain is also worse on movement.

I normally suffer from migraine with aura, not normally this type of pain.  Could it be a side affect of hrt or sertraline, I am only taking a small dose of both.

I would be interested to hear from anyone else suffering with this.

[Millykin]

Hi
I have been in HRT for 7 months and 3 months ago I had s headache which lasted 10 days, it was different from usual headaches I get. Above  left eye made it water and every step was thumping, took to my bed a few nights early couldn't bare it. After a week I went to GP and between us we decided it was hormonal blip, she did do other checks for anything more serious, it went down my jaw, teeth ached. One it went away I was left with a pain as if someone had hit me on the temple with something so tender. That was last of that thankfully
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[Hurdity]

Hi Bracken willowshimmer

I thought you were a new member because of your name and then I looked up and found your post with change of name! Anyway I think it's an amazing name and conjures up the wild wet uplands!

Re the headache. I started getting really bad pre-menstrual headaches in the years leading up to menopause although I had no idea I was peri-menopausal because periods were still regular. I realise now they were classic migraines. I continued to get them when I started HRT - during the progesterone withdrawal phase, and sometimes while I was actually taking the progesterone. I get them now only occasionally (thank goodness) - triggers can be progesterone, alcohol especially wine late evening or the progesterone withdrawal, or sometime nothing at all it seems.

My husband kept saying I should go to the doctor because the pain was so strange (but I never did). It always started with acute sound aversion, and then light aversion and then the headache along with exhuastion and nausea, which would go on for 3 days always - whatever I took (well I don't take anything stronger than Ibuprofen as not keen on and have never taken heavy duty painkillers). You mention the precise place of most of the pain - this always happens to me when I get them - usually a very tender place on the upper right of the top of the head which hurts to the touch- just like you say (as well as neck). Very strange. Then it all goes, the exhaustion lifts and I'm fine.

I never had mine diagnosed by the doctor as migraine but that is definitely what they are having looked up the symptoms.

Some HRT could give headaches - especially the progestogens, or a sudden increase in oestrogen could give this temporarily - but not just before a period. On the other hand if it is pre-menstrual it could just be the progesterone withdrawal - ie from your own as well as the added progestogen.

Sorry I don't know anything about sertraline...

Hope it improves because I know just how debilitating these headaches can be, especially when you have to do stuff like work (sometimes I have to go to bed with them but not often).

Hurdity x

[Bracken willowshimmer]

Hurdity,

Thank you so much for your post.  It was so interesting to read your experience of these horrible headaches.  This is a new symptom of peri menopause for me, I also get the fatigue and feeling sick too.  Today my period has arrived (sorry tmi) and the headache has totally gone.

I changed my name when we were all discussing where we got our names from on a thread.  Someone mentioned fairy names and I looked mine up, thought Bracken Willowshimmer sounded much more exciting!

Anyway, thank you again.

Xx

[toffeecushion]

I'm getting bad headaches which I think are migraines.  They tend to last a couple of days at a time.   Really debilitating but I am sure menopause related. I can't keep going back to my doctor and I probably wouldn't take anything other than paracetamol for them anyway.

[Millykin]

That's the thing we can go to GP they only advise paracetamol or ibuprofen anyway. That's all I use to use now when I feel one coming in I use the forehead stick, it really does work for me, my daughters friend suffers sever migraines and she uses it constantly, I used to laugh at her thinking it's only a menthol stick, had to eat my words. I put it on forehead and back of neck. It is a strange feeling sort of numbs and if you out put hand on forehead it feels cold,
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[Briony]

Millykin, you're absolutely right. You don't know how much you helped   me that weekend when you recommended it! x       

[Millykin]

Oh briony thanks! It's not for everyone but it's good if we can pass on tips and help each other, glad you feel better
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