Studies have shown that nearly 80% of those with anxiety or depressive disorders experience chronic daily headaches. Is head pain a part of your anxiety disorder? Have you decided just to accept and live with it? Or would you like to do something about it? Here are suggestions for taking control if you experience headaches along with your anxiety disorder.
Keep a diary. Teri Robert, About Headaches/Migraine Guide, calls the headache diary "one of the most helpful tools for you and your doctors," and she helps you keep a diary with her Headache and Migraine Diary (available in Microsoft Word and Excel formats). This tool will help you better communicate with your doctor about symptoms, severity and possible triggers. Don't try to remember without writing it down. The diary will help you find patterns.
Track your anxiety symptoms along with your headache symptoms. When you keep your headache diary, be sure to note an anxiety-related (and/or panic) symptoms along with your headaches symptoms. Your headaches may or may not be directly related to your anxiety disorder, and tracking symptoms will help your doctor decide.
Learn about headaches. There is more than one kind of headache disorder, and each type has different symptoms. The most common headache disorders are Migraine disease, tension, sinus/allergy, and cluster. By reading about the basics on each headache disorder, you will be able to put your symptoms into words. Teri Robert has all kinds of great information on her site; you may want to start with Is It Migraine? Tension Headache? What?
Talk to your doctor. Make an appointment, and, when it's time to go, bring your headache diary and a list of questions. Be sure that the doctor you are seeing knows about your anxiety disorder and any medications you are taking. Be ready to discuss treatment options. Be open to his or her suggestions, but do not be afraid to think about what is right for you.
Learn more about treatments. Just as with anxiety disorders, headache disorders may be treated in a variety of ways, from medication to relaxation. Discuss these options with your doctor. Consider the severity of your headaches and how much they impact your life. Be sure to discuss possible medication conflicts if you choose that route. Teri Robert has suggestions for finding and communicating with doctors in her Working With Doctors section.
Stand up for your rights. Just because you have an anxiety disorder does not mean you have to accept headache pain. It may be true for you that anxiety is the foremost trigger for your headache pain (and it may not!). However, that does not mean your pain is not real! If your doctor refuses to help, then talk to another doctor. If your doctor pushes relaxation as a primary treatment method (because of your anxiety disorder), then make an effort to try it, but communicate with him or her about what is and is not working.
Accept test results and aim for good health. Health anxiety is common among people with anxiety disorders. The physical symptoms of anxiety and panic frequently feel like serious health issues, if you aren't completely aware of what is happening. Head pain is one of those symptoms that may lead to anxiety about serious illness. You need to find a doctor whom you trust and whose test results you trust. Talk about your health anxieties with your therapist. If you need a second opinion, get one, but don't end up in the trap of years of testing and never believing the results. If anxiety is the primary trigger for your head pain, you may need to work on your anxiety disorder (along with your headache treatment) to find relief in the long-term.
