Brain and Head Injuries Forum - Sharp Sudden Severe Pains In My Head

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Q: Sharp Sudden Severe Pains In My Head

asked by: SHANNONMAE on August 23rd, 2005

New User

I've noticed for the last couple of years I get what seems very frequent headaches, at least 2 a week. Recently in the last year or so I have been experiencing severe, sudden & sharp pains in my head. They come & go, it's not a consistent pain. For example, last night I went to rent a movie & out of nowhere on the right side of my head, above the tip of my ear I felt this sharp, stabbing pain. For the next hour the sudden pain would come & go, & it would hurt extremely bad each time. Of course my immediate reaction, or reflex was to grab at that side of my head, my boyfriend asked if I was okay each time. Late last year I saw a local neuorologist who wanted to do either a ct scan or an mri on me, I wanted to except that I don't have great insurance and it was going to be $600.00 out of my own pocket after insurance covered what they would. I'm wondering if there is any cause for concern to have the testing done. I know there are so many headaches out there like tension, cluster, rebound & sinus, so I don't want to confuse one of these as a possibility to what I may have and waste $600.00. I'm also not sure if the frequent headaches tie into the sharp pains. Please reply soon.

Replies(10)

mommy of 1

replied on August 23rd, 2005

Experienced User

I get those sometimes, my doc told me they are ice pick headaches lol funny name, anyways he saud it could be caused be some foods like msg is that what its called??? :lol: anyways I can not eat chinease food without getting them, but they do hurt and I have not found anything to help them, I also have migraines, I have had catscans done so I nothing is there :lol: that sounds wrong hope this helps

J_Roc

replied on September 10th, 2005

New User

Hey........Yeah ive been having those too....I they are referred to as ice pick headaches.......They could be do to a food allergy.......Stress,sinusproblem or a pinched nerve......My wisdom tooth is growing and I think its gettin one of my nerves and causing these sharp pains......Im gonna have my wisdom tooth removed cause its affevting my sinuses it cause anxiety......Ill get back to you after operation and let you know if they are still happening :wink:

Storywriter

replied on September 19th, 2005

New User

I get them sometimes too it started months back on my left side above on my forehead above my eye everytime I bent,sneezed or coughed i'd get it.It than stopped and I now get it sometimes on the right side everytime I bend,sneeze,cough.When I take advil it stops it.I wish it would just go away now.It's very annoying and I don't know why I suddendly get them sometimes.

kellyrae5

replied on September 29th, 2005

New User

Sharp Pain In Head

I get those too. My doctor told me that it was "probably" some type of nerve damage. Sometimes, but not all of the time, I get a cold after I have these episodes. And often they occur when I am in contact with a sudden change to cold air. I also grind my teeth at night sometimes. I think that there may also be a link there. During this time when I get the ice pick pains, my head is really tender/sensitive in a small area where the pain occurs, even though I am not currently experiencing the sharp pain. So if my hair gets pulled it hurts pretty bad.
I have had these for a couple of years, I am 27.

Mizzoula

replied on June 16th, 2008

New User

Re: Ice pick headaches

My boyfriend just started getting "ice pick" headaches the other day. Once we figured out what it was, we gave him one 24-hour Claritin-D and the headaches stopped immediately. He'd had them on and off for two days... it's now been a week since he took the allergy pill and he hasn't had one since.

We started using decongestant allergy meds on his migraines after a friend of mine told me they worked for him. Now whenever he starts to get a migraine, he takes an allergy pill and it stops the headache.

If you decide to try it, remember to get an allergy pill WITH a decongestant... the regular allergy pill isn't enough. So get Claritin-D from the pharmacist, not regular Claritin from the shelf. Target also offers a Target brand generic, but you need to ask the Target pharmacist for the decongestant allergy pill... don't just pick up the box on the shelf.

(I'm posting this on multiple forums at my boyfriend's request... the headaches freaked him out and he wants to share what helped him in case it helps other people.)

Prob1

replied on July 23rd, 2009

New User

Shooting head pain with movements.

I get all sorts of headaches, including migraines, and I have my entire life. I'm 34. The last few months I've noticed if I move suddenly (shake or nod, bend over and come up quickly) I get a stabbing pain on the left side of my head above the temple. It lasts just seconds and is gone. Like something is shaking loose. It's concerning since it's new and I don't know why it occurs or what to do about it. I don't consider it a headache since it doesn't cause me continued pain or soreness. I've had an MRI recently to rule out a physical cause to my migraines and it was normal. My gut tells me something is wrong and if I find a solution I will post it.

carie333

replied on September 7th, 2009

New User

I have had these sharp pains on the right side of my head for over 10 years
And have had MRI After MRI cat scans .I get so freaked out because its a very sharp pain
All my tests come back normal so i have to believe that it is due to diet
sinus and back problems because i have all of the above.
Its hard to explain to someone who has never had this
Because they cant undersatand how scary it really is .
I have had this sharp pain for there days on and off and i have a sinus infection now so it might
have something to do with the trigger of it . Massage always helps .
I thank alll of you for posting because it helps me to calm down.

sam36

replied on September 17th, 2009

New User

sharp head pain; right side

I have had mild cases of what I think to be the ice-pick headaches. They would typically last for about an hour, then just go away for several months. This time, one came on Sat and hasn't left yet...6 days later. I can take ibuprofen, but it truly does not do much, so today I decided to go without and they are about equal to the previous days. It perplexes me since I haven't ever had what I think to be a migraine (although I have been plagued by headaches once/day or every other day for years). Could this be a migraine? I'll take that over what I thought it was (aneurysm/tumor). ;o) I'll try the decongestant idea, though since it could be allergies. Mine also coincide with reintroducing wheat back into my diet after nursing a baby with potential food allergies.

dhanush

replied on September 23rd, 2009

New User

hi..

yes i believe that i can solve your problem here..

sam36

replied on September 23rd, 2009

New User

OK...what's the answer.

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