HomeAnswersInternal Medicinetrigeminal neuralgiaI always have a dull unilateral headache. Please help.

What causes dull headache that does not shift?

Share

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

iCliniq medical review team

Published At May 27, 2016
Reviewed AtJune 28, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

Three weeks ago, I had a headache late at night. I managed to sleep, but it was still there in the morning. It was a unilateral headache on the left side of my head. Pain is in my temporal area which sometimes radiates across my cheek and even down my jaw, as well as on the top left of my head. I have occasionally felt discomfort on my chin too, almost like a bruised bone feeling when pressed. The pain subsided with Paracetamol and Ibuprofen but returned the following evening. Medication no longer had any effect on it. After a week of non-stop pain, I went to my doctor. He could not work out why I was having the pain when I have absolutely no other symptoms. I feel fine other than the pain. He sent me to another hospital for further evaluation. My blood was taken and came back normal and I passed all of the doctor's strength, reflex, and cognitive tests. It was a mystery to him too. He referred me to a specialist who said it was likely a benign tension headache and I was discharged. While the pain is not generally as bad as it was, it is still there every day. I get a few moments of pain every now and then, as well as head pressure. But, some days the pain lasts all day, a dull ache that does not seem to shift. The most annoying part is that within a minute of my head hitting the pillow at night severe pain suddenly kicks in my left temporal region and back of the head. I could not sleep without taking medication. At home, I have tried three different pillows, yet I still get pain. The only medication I take for it is a combination of Paracetamol and Aspirin. I am currently taking it each night about 30 minutes before bed to ensure the pain will not kick in. If I do not do this I simply cannot sleep. I do not want to be reliant on these pills or take too many, so I am trying to limit myself to just two of each before bed. I still have no other symptoms other than unilateral pain and pressure. I do not suffer from migraines and do not feel anxious or stressed at the moment. The only anxiety I have recently felt was during hospital visits as my pulse rate went a little high, but returned to normal later. Is it really a tension headache or something else? I must stress that despite days when the pain has subsided; the discomfort has been constant throughout. I am always conscious of it. Please help me out of this. Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Sadaf Mustafa

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com. My main concern here would be trigeminal cephalgia, the most common being trigeminal neuralgia. Trigeminal neuralgia is a sharp shooting unilateral headache that becomes extremely worse with nerve irritation that could be caused by shaving, brushing (hair or teeth) or any one touching the scalp or wearing cap. The other important fact could be medication induced headache (extremely common); it happens if you are using painkillers for 15 to 30 days a week. It may very well be tension headache, but usually they are band like around the head and not unilateral. I am assuming that you have no other neurological deficits. Eye checkup is always a good idea since astigmatism and close angle glaucoma can cause similar symptoms. I am assuming you have no eye or nasal discharge from the same side as the headache. Again I would still not rule out migraine being a cause of your headache. I would suggest you to do an MRI of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) to rule out TMJ arthritis, MRI of the brain, NCS (nerve conduction studies) and EMG (electromyogram). It could be trigeminal neuralgia. Gabapentin 300 mg three times a day. Start from 300 mg at bedtime and increase it to three times a day for one or two weeks as tolerated. Avoid any irritation to the scalp.

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

Dr. Sadaf Mustafa
Dr. Sadaf Mustafa

Internal Medicine

Community Banner Mobile
By subscribing, I agree to iCliniq's Terms & Privacy Policy.

Ask your health query to a doctor online

Internal Medicine

*guaranteed answer within 4 hours

Disclaimer: No content published on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis, advice or treatment by a trained physician. Seek advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare providers with questions you may have regarding your symptoms and medical condition for a complete medical diagnosis. Do not delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice because of something you have read on this website. Read our Editorial Process to know how we create content for health articles and queries.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. iCliniq privacy policy