IBS and Tension headaches

Stress can cause both but there are lots of alternatives to medication.

I crochet which is brilliant for both. The meditative process relaxes the brain and switches off all the stresses and strains. You also get a buzz from making something.

Mindfulness or yoga, pilates or ti-chi can help.

Breathing techniques.

There are all sorts even just going for a relaxing walk in the fresh air each day can help.

Sit and read a book in an evening

Sit and relax and listen to relaxing music.

Get a massage.

There is a huge amount you can do to help without medication.

Hope this helps. Please look into it. If you take meds you'll then take meds for the side effects of the meds and more and more. Instead of finding ways of helping the situation. I take as little as possible. I have 3 disabilities and 6 illnesses. I have to take 3 drugs to survive but the drs would have me taking 9. If I took those 9 there would be more due to all the problems caused by them.

Amitryptiline, although best known as an anti  depressant, is often prescribed to relieve muscle tension. I sometimes get quite severe tension headaches, (wether as a result of IBS or arthritis in my neck I'm not sure) and I certainly find Amitryptiline helps a great deal. I usually only have to take it for 2 or 3 weeks during an arthritis/IBS flare up. 

If this is the medication your doctor is thinking about it might be worth a try. Like you, I was wary of taking anti depressents - I wasn't depressed - but this medication has been very helpful to me in reducing muscle tension. 

Jan

You don't need anti depressants to control tension headaches; they only cause nasty side effects.  Over the counter painkillers are much better and have less side effects and you can stop them when ever you want.  With anti depressants you have to wean yourself off them.  Tell your doctor you don't want anti depressants and you would rather try over the counter pain killers instead.

There are also natural ways of easing tension headaches.  Try walking, meditation, listening to music or taking up a hobby.

I take Pippa's point (below) but over the counter painkillers didn't even take the edge off my headaches. I guess it depends on what is causing the tension in the first place. My headaches are caused by tension in the trapezius, which in turn creates pressure on the occiptal nerve. Relieving the tension in the trapezius by using a muscle relaxant reduced the pressure on the occiptal nerve and eliminates the headaches. 

So I have to say that I completely disagree with Pippa's views that you don't need a medication such as Amitryptiline to relieve tension headaches. 

The fact that I only need to take it for a short period of time means I don't have to be "weaned" off it. Massage can indeed help, as well as Pilates, acupuncture and other relaxation techniques - whichever you find most helpful - but in my experience  there are times when something more powerful than OTC medications are called for. 

Jan

Thanks for the replies everyone. I used to do meditation using an app that guides me through it. I might give that a try again. I'm at that point where i constantly have headaches because i'm stressing out over it. I could barely do my job now without a form of discomfort. I'll still wait for a couple of weeks, and then if I could not control it, then maybe i'll resort to what my doctor prescribed(antidepressants). The only hobby that i have right now is playing video games, and I can't even do that because of the headaches. So that stresses me out even more. I do go to the gym on a daily basis but that could only do so much. 

Also, i noticed that my ibs symptoms are severe lately, it's probably due to the stress. Hopefully I could figure something out soon. It feels like im starting to have anxiety attacks because of it. 

hi John on the onset of a headache try 1 paracetamol and 1 ibuprofen make sure u take them soon as u feel pain I suffer lots of headaches works for me hope u can sort them