• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Sinus headache treatment

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I am suffering from chronic sinus headaches. Some days are truly unbearable.
I take Benadryl advil and vicodin but, when the headache is so intense, I get no relief.
Does anyone have any suggestions? please???
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,086
Location
australia (brisbane)
i have just done a course of clarithromycin antibiotic which has helped alot plus attacking it with a saline nose spray. Sometimes antihistamines like benadryl can clog up your sinus by drying them out, the saline nose sprays loosen this up so u can blow it out. bacteria luv to replicate in this stuff(snott) so we need to try and get it out. For acute pain tramadol helped alot but it was the antibiotics that did it for me. Also other sinus sprays that can help open them up but they say not to use more then 3 days or u can get a rebound effect from it.

cheers!!!
 

Graham

Senior Moment
Messages
5,188
Location
Sussex, UK
Hi Nielk, our paths seem to keep crossing, don't they?

I suffered sinus headaches with the ME for several years, but just recently my GP put me on prescription strength fexofenadine hydrochloride which has done the trick. None of the over-the-counter stuff ever even began to touch it, and even strong painkillers didn't make a dent. I can feel it there lurking in the background ready to break out again, but it doesn't.

As is often the case with me, my GP didn't prescribe the fexo... for the sinus problem: it was to tone down my allergy-type cough. It hasn't touched that, but of the two, the sinus pain is much more important.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
I use a Gossan Irrigator. Have had about 25+ years of infected sinuses.

If I have an infection it can be painful to start with but clears them up really well. I can avoid antibiotics and antihistamines most of the time if I remember to keep using it. Tea tree and salt (and other things can be added)

http://www.hydromedonline.com/
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
Graham - thanks for your advice.
Is this like the brand name Allegra? I have tried that a while ago with not much relief. Maybe I should try it again.
 

Graham

Senior Moment
Messages
5,188
Location
Sussex, UK
Just looked it up and you are right. Over here I am using a non-brand generic type.

Actually I had sinus headaches - really terrible ones - non-stop for 18 months, and finally had a sinus operation - the full rebore job. After that it wouldn't stop bleeding, and when they finally sealed it, my temperature shot up and I went down with ME - that was in 1999. The headaches started to come back around 2006, but nothing like that unbearable intensity.

You have my sympathy - not that that will help much!
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
So, do you think that trauma after the operation might be the cause of your ME?
Starting as a young child, I always had sinus problems with many sinus infections. When I was 21, they operated on my deviated septum. As a result, my infections lessened. After contracting ME, my sinus headaches became unrelenting. Four years ago I had another operation on my sinuses to open up complete blockages. That surgery did nothing to improve the way I felt. I would say that from all my symptoms of ME, these sinus headaches are the most unbearable.
 

aquariusgirl

Senior Member
Messages
1,732
how does one distinguish sinus headaches from other forms of headaches?
my mother has had head pain for years...we are still trying to figure out the cause.
tnx for any info.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
how does one distinguish sinus headaches from other forms of headaches?
my mother has had head pain for years...we are still trying to figure out the cause.
tnx for any info.

It's hard to distinguish sometimes. I have gone to Neurologists who have told me that they are migraine headaches because some of the symptoms that I have like sensitivity to noise is typical with migraine headaches. I think that the noise sensitivity is just an ME symptom and my throbbing pain is in the area where one's eyeglasses would be. It's all around the eyes, the forehead and the sides of the nose.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I use a Gossan Irrigator. Have had about 25+ years of infected sinuses.

If I have an infection it can be painful to start with but clears them up really well. I can avoid antibiotics and antihistamines most of the time if I remember to keep using it. Tea tree and salt (and other things can be added)

http://www.hydromedonline.com/

I use the machine well--it really does a good job.

I have had sinus infectons most of my life and what has helped them most recently is treating gut infections. Probably for two reasons: a huge amount of the immune system is in the gut and infections there would likely mess it up, and two, because if the gut is doing elimination properly there is a smaller job for the sinuses--which can act as elimination organs too.

Sushi
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I use a Gossan Irrigator. Have had about 25+ years of infected sinuses.

If I have an infection it can be painful to start with but clears them up really well. I can avoid antibiotics and antihistamines most of the time if I remember to keep using it. Tea tree and salt (and other things can be added)

http://www.hydromedonline.com/
Hi ukxmrv,
I just saw your post about the Gossan Irrigator. I watched the video about how to use it. It looks pretty simple.
Thank you for telling me about it. I will definitely try it.
 

Nielk

Senior Member
Messages
6,970
I use the machine well--it really does a good job.

I have had sinus infectons most of my life and what has helped them most recently is treating gut infections. Probably for two reasons: a huge amount of the immune system is in the gut and infections there would likely mess it up, and two, because if the gut is doing elimination properly there is a smaller job for the sinuses--which can act as elimination organs too.

Sushi

Hi Sushi,

How do you treat your gut infections? is it with anti-biotics? Probiotics?

Thanks,
Nielk
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
Good luck NeilK,

With the irrigator. It works well for infections but not with a heavy head cold (seems to spread the cold around but clears the infection)

For a heavy cold I take lots of Ester Vit C and use a steamer instead.
 

heapsreal

iherb 10% discount code OPA989,
Messages
10,086
Location
australia (brisbane)
my doc picked up the sinus infections from my symptoms of the frontal headaches and post nasal drip, that urge to clear your throat all the time is a classic sign of post nasal drip. I think once my sinuses were that clogged up the post nasal drip really kicked in, thats when i saw the doc as i knew then it wasnt a cfs type headache. I will say antibiotics have helped with headaches etc but nose it running like a tap, atleast its not clogged up.

cheers!!!
 

Graham

Senior Moment
Messages
5,188
Location
Sussex, UK
how does one distinguish sinus headaches from other forms of headaches?
my mother has had head pain for years...we are still trying to figure out the cause.
tnx for any info.

In my case the pain was above and below both eyes, along the cheek/upper teeth and radiated down the two sides of the back of my neck. I was told repeatedly that sinus headaches don't cause pains down the back of the neck, but I subsequently found a few others like me. There was headache as well - very intense ones at times. The headaches would vary from mild to unbearable, but the eye/cheek/neck stuff was pretty much always there.

My wife also suffers from sinus headaches and migraines - it is often quite hard to separate headache types, I'm afraid - sorry to be of so little use to your mum! If you are in the UK, there is a Migraine Association that helps quite a bit in trying to distinguish between the different types of headaches, and possible treatments. Good luck!
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I find that if I get a migraine, it also brings a sinus infection. Seem like the sinuses swell shut and the bacteria has a party.

Too bad our bodies haven't "evolved" past having sinuses--it seems like a poor design issue!:Sign Help:

Sushi
 
Messages
15,786
A Neti pot can be very useful for clearing out clogged sinuses. Basically irrigating the sinuses with water and salt, poured into the nose from a cute little teapot looking thing.