Hi everyone, my husband had a stroke in March 2023 following carotid artery dissections. Since then he has been suffering everyday with a headache that never goes away. He takes Notriptyline and Propanalol for the pain which is constantly at best a 2-3 pain and worse 6-7 which can affect his day to day life. His dose could be increased but this makes him feel like a zombie. He has now been referred to a headache specialist neurologist in London but the appointment isn’t until March 2025. Has anyone else experienced these long term daily headaches, any advice would be greatly appreciated
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Hi @Clare29 welcome to the forum. I’ve had a headache which is constant but bearable for 3½yrs since my stroke. I started taking Magnesium Glycinate with added B6 after reading about it helping with migraines. It seems to work a treat, I take it daily for a couple weeks and then a couple weeks off. The headache does come back so it’s not a cure all. And maybe it works for me because mine are more bearable than your husband’s perhaps. But in for a penny and all that, its worth giving it a try. Mention it to your gp if you do, or better yet the specialist neurologist when you get to see them.
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Ah but only the areas I have personal experience of. I take a back seat on things like cpsp which I have no experience of at all fortunately…not so fortunate for those that do 
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Thanks Simon I’ll take a look 
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Great thanks I’ll look at this too
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Thanks EmeraldEyes will take a look at your previous posts
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Thanks, that’s interesting, I will speak to GP and ask their advice
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Hi @Clare29 and welcome to the community.
I too had a stroke caused by a dissected carotid artery & headaches & fuzzy / woozy heads were a big part of my life for the first 9 months or so post stroke. I thought they were never going to go away. I wasn’t given any specific meds & just took paracetamol but they really didn’t help.
I regularly asked my husband if he could get me a new head a la Wurzel Gummidge (for those old enough to remember).
Mine did eventually start to ease but they have never completely gone but as time has moved on I have learnt to manage them.
I was once told that Clopidogrel can xause headaches. Is your husband taking this? It might be worth exploring ?
Best wishes
Ann
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Clare,
years before my stroke I had a patch of continuous headache for 2 years. Eventually it went away ; it helped that I drank much water; my body needed it, and retained it. Not sure if that helps, the causes are many. good luck, Roland
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Thank you for all you replies, it’s so reassuring that others have experienced the same and found ways of managing. Note your advice @pando, drinking water is something he does more of now than he ever did before, apart from him complaining about constantly visiting the bathroom he certainly appreciates the benefits in other ways but unfortunately doesn’t really help much with the headache, but possibly could be worse if he wasn’t drinking more.
@Mrs5K, paracetamol also didn’t help hubby, he was told by one neurologist that he was suffering from medication overuse with the paracetamol hence why was advised to stop and start taking Propanalol. He does take Clopidogrel so will definitely be exploring this too, and it’s funny you should say about Worzel Gummidge, he says the same thing.
I’ve been relaying all your messages on to him and he has for the first time felt that he’s not the only one out there struggling which gives him and me hope that this can be managed in the future. I registered on this site shortly after his stroke and wish now that I had joined the community chat earlier, in just one evening you have already made us feel like we are not on our own, so thank you
Clare
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Clare,
hi, if all else fails, I would concentrate on rebuilding his gut bacteria. There is a strong connection between gut and brain. Eliminate stress, get a good diet, vegetables, good fats (building blocks of the brain). This topic is endless, and my favourite resource is brain rehab https://www.brain.rehab/ It has helped me over and over
good luck, Roland
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And in the mean time, he could also try an icepack on his head or back of neck which can also help I believe.
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Thank you Roland, will look at the link
Clare
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Yes, he does find that this helps a little when the headache has worsened before the next meds are due
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I used to have an emergency list of things to try to cure headaches
I remember eating a banana was a great improvement (for a friend)
It’s worth a try and a good experiment
Good luck, Roland
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I too stopped taking paracetamol as I wondered if I was taking too much. I don’t think it made any difference but didn’t make it worse either.
Good to hear that you both feel more pisitive after posting on here. I know when I first had my stroke I found it invaluable.
Best wishes to you both
Ann
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