HomeAnswersNeurologytension type headacheWill chronic headache cause fluctuations in blood pressure?

My mom has sudden increase in BP with chronic headache. Why?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Vinodhini J.

Published At August 9, 2020
Reviewed AtSeptember 2, 2020

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

My mother is 50 years old. She has been hypertensive for the past 10 years and has been under medication since then. But three months back her blood pressure started fluctuating so the doctor changed her old medications. We got all her tests including echocardiogram, Holter, ECG, trop T test, CPK, complete hemogram, LFT, KFT, and serum electrolytes all were normal. Now her BP seems to be normal most of the time except sometimes when she has acidity and dyspepsia.

Since 2017, she has been complaining of cold water sensation in her head for which she even had to wear woolen caps but now it is lesser as compared to winters. She has been having headaches and it changes from forehead to the back of the head. Now since one month, she is feeling extreme heaviness on the head all the time with irregular headache which is not improving and accompanied by dizziness and irregular headache. We have been to ENT and eye specialists both. We got her EEG and CT scan brain too.

I am giving the details of all the medicines which she is taking at present for her BP and headache. Cilnidipine 10 mg + Telmisartan 40 mg twice daily, Prolomet XL 50 once daily, Rablet L once daily, Rosave 5 mg once daily, Nortriptyline 10 mg + Gabapentin 100 mg once daily, Escitalopram 5 mg + Clonazepam 0.5 mg once daily. And the ENT asked her to take Betahistine 24 mg for a week for her heavy headedness and vertigo feeling which will get over today.

Her CT scan report reveals basal ganglia calcification and cerebral atrophy. EEG showed some discrepancy in theta waves. We are completely directionless as to what to do now, since none of the medicines seems to be working for her and most of her reports are normal. I am uploading the CT scan and EEG reports. Kindly help me.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have seen all the reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity). Such kind of headache is known as chronic tension type headache. It is not that a person has some tension, so she has a headache. A person can develop it without that also. The medicines she has been taking are good. Betahistine is not going to help her anyway.

My recommendations would be to increase the dosage of Escitalopram to 10 mg along with Clonazepam at the same dosage. Rest all medicines she can continue. Her scan reports as mentioned by you do not need any special attention.

Just discuss with your neurologist for increasing the dose of Escitalopram as suggested, and you will find the difference in the coming months.

I hope this helps.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Anshul Varshney
Dr. Anshul Varshney

Internal Medicine

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