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[CarryWarry]

Hello everyone.  I'm 55 and post menopausal.  I have been through 2 and half years of daily headaches but am very hopeful that the next step will solve everything.  I have spent £4000 on private medical treatments, including three brain scans initially and seeing two neurologists who could find nothing, saw an ENT specialist who gave me drugs for 'cough headache', was given anti depressants by doc but they made no difference....  Anyway, the headaches started and I asked for HRT but my doctor said 'let's sort your headaches first' and hence my hell of over two years.  So here's the end of the story.  Started seeing a private HRT specialist 18 months ago who is really helping and we are almost there now (I hope!!).  Blood tests showed chronically low oestrogen, so I upped Evorel patches to 100mg.  Didn't sort head.  Went on to Divina (combined HRT) which made me bleed heavily....then went on Angeliq which seemed good at first, head vastly improved but then I got a light period for about 10 weeks, so I am now at the stage awaiting a scan this week, after which I have been told the Mirena will be best for me because my body doesn't like the progesterone delivered through tablets as it goes through my whole body.  The mirena (which I had for 17 years of my life when younger!) will target the womb directly and then I am to take Progynova tablets to level out with the oestrogen.  Has anyone else suffered terrible headaches/pressure headaches and if so was yours cured by using the Mirena and taking oestrogen separately?  Any thoughts would be very interesting!  Thanks ladies.  (I really have condensed my long story here!! 
Carry Warry

[CLKD]

 

[Dancinggirl]

Hi and welcome to MM

My headaches really ramped up when meno hit in my mid 30s!!!  I tried many different HRTs that gave a variety of side effects and ended up with Oestrogel, with separate progesterone as pills for 10 days each month, through my 40s.  This regime only gave me a headache for a couple of days before the withdrawal bleed happened each month. I took a break from HRT for 3 years in my early 50s ( big mistake) - felt dreadful and had lots of headaches.  In my 50s (so very post meno by then) I had the Mirena with Oestrogel which was my best HRT combo.  I would recommend you use oestrogen as either patch or Oestrogel alongside the Mirena as transdermal is much better if you suffer with headaches or migraines.  You may get a few headaches and problems in the first few weeks after the Mirena is fitted as there can be a hit of progesterone to start with but this should settle.
Good luck - let us know how you get on.  DG x

[CarryWarry]

Thanks Dancing Girl.  I've just found out my doctors can't fit the coil til 31 July so I'm having one done privately next week!  I just pray it all works! Will let you know how it goes!   

[Dancinggirl]

I would ask for Oestrogel to apply to inner thighs daily as you can adjust the dosage with this gel. Start with just pump per day and then increase after 3-4 weeks to 2 pumps per day if need be. Oestrogen in pill form can cause headaches but the specialist should know this. DG x

[CarryWarry]

Bless you Thanks so much x
Private coil costing £360. The costs of ridding this horrible headache have been a nightmare - thanks again. It's been a constant waiting game for far too long xx

[Kathleen]

Hello CarryWarry and welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately I can't be of help to you but I wonder if my experiences would be of interest.  Earlier in my menopause journey I experienced daily headaches that nothing would shift. Weirdly at about 9 pm the headache would disappear and I would feel much better however I would wake with it again the next morning. My mother died  of a brain tumour so you would think that I would've been extremely concerned and sought medical help but I wasn't particularly worried and assumed it was another meno symptom. This situation continued for six months and then the headaches just went, never to return. This all occurred five years ago  a few years after my final period but before I began HRT and was unusual because I had never been prone to headaches when menstruating.

I can see how worrying and distressing this symptom can be and you have my sympathy. If I knew exactly why they started or, more importantly why they suddenly stopped I would let you know, I am however convinced that they were due entirely to the menopause.

Take care and I wish you luck with your treatment.

K.

[Conolly]

Hello ladies,
Thanks for your post, Kathleen, it gives me hope that these daily headaches will vanish.
Welcome and good luck to you, CarryWarry.
Conolly X

[CarryWarry]

Hello CarryWarry and welcome to the forum.

Unfortunately I can't be of help to you but I wonder if my experiences would be of interest.  Earlier in my menopause journey I experienced daily headaches that nothing would shift. Weirdly at about 9 pm the headache would disappear and I would feel much better however I would wake with it again the next morning. My mother died  of a brain tumour so you would think that I would've been extremely concerned and sought medical help but I wasn't particularly worried and assumed it was another meno symptom. This situation continued for six months and then the headaches just went, never to return. This all occurred five years ago  a few years after my final period but before I began HRT and was unusual because I had never been prone to headaches when menstruating.

I can see how worrying and distressing this symptom can be and you have my sympathy. If I knew exactly why they started or, more importantly why they suddenly stopped I would let you know, I am however convinced that they were due entirely to the menopause.

Take care and I wish you luck with your treatment.

K.

Thanks for this message Kathleen - sorry to hear about your Mum.  It's interesting that you mention this though, as I wonder if there is a correlation between having a terrible shock in life and the the menopause with regards to causing headaches.  Just before my headaches started we discovered that my son (21 at the time) had a large arachnoid cyst in his brain, measuring 6cm by 3cm, we were told there could be a brain tumour underneath and we had the most hellish month ever waiting to find out.  We were lucky to learn there was no brain tumour and that many people live with these cysts in their brains.  However the SHOCK was immense and the worry was enormous while we waited to hear about the tumour.  One month later the onset of headaches began (all coinciding with menopause).  Two months on they were agony....and then my battle to discover what was wrong began (a huge story and I have now left no stone unturned!! LOL).  So I wonder if our hormones make dealing with shock so immense that we developed terrible headaches Kathleen?  Interesting isn't it?  Thanks for your reply!

[CarryWarry]

Hello ladies,
Thanks for your post, Kathleen, it gives me hope that these daily headaches will vanish.
Welcome and good luck to you, CarryWarry.
Conolly X

Conolly, so sorry to hear you too are suffering.  It's such a desperate state to be in and living with constant pain in the head is utterly exhausting and depressing.  My head is MUCH better now, but not quite right as I have huge pressure if sneeze or cough.  I have a mild headache to the right of my head most of the time, but I don't have to go to bed in the afternoons like I did in the first year.  How are yours?  I do hope we find an answer. x

[Conolly]

Thank you CarryWarry,

Good to know you're feeling better!
These headaches are completely different from previous migraines which were of the throbbing pain type and needed a dark room and deep sleep to calm down. They are constant background pain around my head and scalp. I can't take more pain killers, trying ice packs now (not a problem with this hot weather) although my throat is already swollen. It's driving me nuts.
Conolly X