I have experienced forehead tightness (not so called pain, some days I do not know even know it is there) for over the past year and now over the past several months pressure on the right side of my head which is hard to describe but very strange. Why do we get these weird head symptoms?

Any information would be helpful.

Thank you.

Dear'mamac'

I wish I had the answer but have noted that it is a symptom many ladies report during this transitional stage.Mine have always been due to mild to moderate sinus infections which have been treated by Antibiotics prescribed by my ENT.He also advised me to take a low dosage anti-histamine tablet every night for two weeks and it has helped.

I do hope you get some relief soon
Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

mamac,

I've had a tension type headache EVERY day for almost 3 years now. Just like you describe...a tightness. It's just horrible. I've had a CT Scan, MRI, been to 2 neurologists, etc. and no one has helped me. Have you had it checked by a dr. yet?

Hugs,
Karen

When I have pressure on the side it's usually from TMJ. When the jaw muscle tightens so does the temple area. It seems to be from tension as well as muscular. When we are tense and tighten up our faces, then relax it, it causes pain. I hope you feel better.

I have the strangest sensation on the right side of my face that drives me into panic. It feels like something is crawling on that side of face or sometimes it feels like it wants to go numb, somewhat like when all hair stands on your head but just on that side and it goes all the way down to the face. Like a tight pulling sensation. Does anyone have that feeling?

Yes, and it seems to stem form tension and tmj. The combination of the two can be brutal. You described it to a tee. It is creepy and scary, but I am trying not to let it get the best of me. This, of course, works sometimes, sometimes not at all. There are days where the sheer panic sets in and nothing stops me from worrying. I hope you feel better.

Yes, I agree, it seems as though that everything is emphasize more with tension. I do find that I have more strange head symptoms during perimenopause than I wanted or even knew about. A hot flash I can except, but the head symptoms seem to last and come and go on a daily basis.

Hi,

I started perimenopause with a weird tightness in my ears. A little while later it moved to the top and sides of my head. It mostly occurred in the late afternoon but sometimes other times of the day. It was a very strange feeling...a tension or like I had on a cap that was too tight. It was a very uncomfortable feeling but it went away after a while.

DianaJJ

The 'tight cap' is a great way to describe it. Mine is in the back of my head and it feels a bit better when my husband massages my neck. I'm about 4 weeks into it and it's unnerving. Just annoying. I feel like I'm having some ear trouble, had benign positional vertigo episode when this started 4 weeks ago. Mold allergies are bad around here, but had the symptoms even when I was in the snow with no allergens. It sometimes feels like a creepy crawlie along with a pressure. Sometimes it aches like a headache. Sometimes it feels like it's just waking up from sleep like a limb does that you've sat on for too long.

It's always a relief to hear of other people having the same odd symptoms!

Michelle V.

Yes, a tight cap....I've had this for almost 3 years now and I don't know what to do. How come everyone elses goes away and not mine??????

Dear Mamac

I've had so much of this since pre-menopause and now I'm post menopause. It's been really severe at times but I've had every possible thing checked without a conclusion. I've had no sinus issues and actually my sinuses have been clearer since menopause. My new motto is to not do anything until a month has gone by and see whatever symptoms have persisted - trying not to obsess in the meantime.

Hope this helps.

Tweeks

Why is it that the forehead tightness and pressure just comes and goes? There should be a forum where we can post all of the weird head sensations we encounter.

Thank you.

I am suffering terribly with this forehead tightness and all around tightness and head pressure....I HATE IT and need it to go away. I feel like I'm going to loose my mind.

Karen,

Does it ever let up or go away for awhile? Mine tends to come and go.

lose not loose...geesh, see, I am losing my mind.

mamac, it let's up but never ever goes away...and it is really bad these days. I have headaches on top of this to boot....I'm going to try some other therapies in the next few days. I feel like I'm gonna flip out some times. So yours go away entirely at times then...no pressure at all?

Karen,

There are days when I know I have the tight forehead and pressure, but it tends to at times lighten up and is not as intense. I believe certain bring on the intensity of it. At times when I rub my head, it seems to fade.

I do wish it would completely go away. I do not know how you have dealt with it so long. Although mine has been with me for about 1 1/2 years.

Susan

Susan,

I'm sorry you have been suffering too...is it just your forehead? Lately, the most distressing part has been in my forehead...it's sooooo tight. I really do feel like I am going out of my mind. I'm going to try a strange kind of therapy I just heard about called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). I'm also trying another technique called "digging' which is deep tissue work on areas of my neck and upper back. I am getting more agressive again to see is something will help me. I am so distressed over all of this.

Hugs,
Karen

Hi Karen,

Oh my, it sounds as though you are going through a tough time with this. I do have forehead tightness but it is not as intense as it was quite awhile ago. At one point, about 1 1/2 years ago, I could feel resistance when I raised my eyebrows, that was when all this "peri stuff" started. As I said the tightness is more intense when I am under a lot of stress and anxiety. I also feel pressure about my right ear that comes and goes.

Ones mind can wonder in all direction with these head symptoms.

Feel better
Susan

I am so sick from this headache situation....it's just gotten worse this past week for some reason...it's taken on a new dimension. I went to a massage therapist who worked on me last night for an hour in the neck and head doing trigger point therapy. Man, she hit the spots in my neck and the pain shot up to the areas in my head that are bothersome. Unfortunately, it gave me no relief. I go back next Tuesday again for more work and I'm waiting to hear from the woman that does the EFT. Please pray for some relief for me.

Thanks.

Karen, I know you have had this problem for a long time and I wonder if you have been tested for allergies ie. food and inhalants. Food intolerances to wheat, gluten, dairy, soy etc could be the culprit.

Also some medications or supplements that have a vasodilator effect can contribute to headaches ie. calcium chanel blockers, also evening primrose oil can cause headaches in some people. Don't know whether any of this would apply to you but it may help.

I'm a headachy person so I know how frustrating it is. My Dr. thought it was the estrogen in my HRT that might be causing them but still get them off HRT as well.

I have known others that have had headaches and migraines around peri and menopause and they said they settled down over time and rarely have a problem with them now. So don't lose hope.

Rehma...Thanks for your input. I was tested last summer to see if I had allergies and I had a reaction to everything so they sent me for blood work and everything was negative. They did not do food allergy tests. I don't eat any wheat, gluten, dairy or soy...I'm on a low carb diet for blood sugar problem. I started on some supplements after this all started. I stopped them for a long while and that didn't make any difference. If this wasn't happening to me I would never believe that someone could suffer like this on a daily basis. I pray for strength to cope with this a day at a time and, of course, for relief from one of these treatments I'm pursuing. I ask for your prayers and anyone else who reads this. I honestly don't know if it's hormones, anxiety, stress, anger, bady body posture, a combination of these or something else. Others here have emailed me with similar experiences. We all can't be nuts...there has to be a hormone component to this. I am getting more agressive this year to try and get some relief.

Oh my gosh, I am so glad to have read all this. For 2 days now, my left side of my face feels slightly numb and comes and goes. My cheak will feel slightly numb, then my eye will feel like the muscle is strained and almost like my skin is pulled too tight. Although I know it's not cause the wrinkles are still there!!!. What in the world could this be????

Michelle, just curious, how were you diagnosed with benign positional vertigo? I've had these types of "vertigo" episodes for several weeks now and it's very unnerving. Sometimes I think it's allergies, because I have some congestion and headaches, but sometimes the vertigo just comes and goes on its own. What were your symptoms, how was it diagnosed, and how is it being treated? I had the headaches this same time last year, but without the vertigo, so was thinking it was allergies, but this is going on longer than last year. Any help or advice you can give is appreciated and I hope you are feeling better. Thanks.