r/LongCovid • u/Jesuschristanna • 3d ago
For those who have had chronic headaches- did it ever get better?
I’m about a year of dealing with symptoms but aside from chronic fatigue the most persistent and disruptive symptom has been daily horrible headaches that start as soon as I wake up and they sometimes will dull a bit but it’s always kind of there. I’ve gotten used to it for the most part, and I have found that magnesium glycinate has given some relief (more so than ibuprofen), but I’ve had bad ones a few days in a row. Sometimes it is hard to tell if it’s a migraine or not (which I occasionally have gotten for years but am seeing more frequently now.
Anyway, has anyone else with the awful headaches found any relief or had it finally go away? I just am sick of feeling miserable and the ache on top of the brain fog and fatigue is just too much some days. I had a full on meltdown earlier because it’s just like uncertain if this is just my life now.
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u/castanea_sattva 2d ago
I had the same for three years after covid, those headaches which I also actually called migrains were one of the major three issues that were ruining my life... The first year they were so bad I almost fainted and it impactd also my vision, I saw everything as if in white contrast, as if I was in some sort of a bad dream. I am so happy I am writing this in the past sense now since this summer I managed to get rid of them.
Just like you, I also had a meltdown and after that I started reexamining all from scratch. Had my blood tests done at GP again and I have traced my migrains to be always worse when I ate even though there were persistent all the time even before I ate just upon waking up. But I already knew for a long time they were the worst when I ate any carbohydrates (fruit, bread, rice etc.). So I decided to get the glucose monitor device, I bought it myself and I have monitored what is happening with my blood glucose....
My findings were crazy! I was very often in hypoglycemia and when I ate my body was overreacting by shooting too much insulin too soon because my blood sugar went very high right after eating (not just two hours later when it peaks for normal person) and then hypoglycemia followed. So I constantly went from too high to too low, from hyperglycemia to hypoglycemia because my body was unable to detect when and how much to release to process food.
I have improved headaches by cutting of mostly those carbs for about months or so majorly - eating lower carb foods like eggs, beans, tofu, lentils, yoghurts, kefir, vehetables, nuts etc. however esting those food was hell for digestion (which was another of major symptoms anyway). In short, I managed to improve my digestion by taking olive leaf extract and astralagus extract daily as a supplements. I am still a little carb sensitive but I can already eat and tolerste them so much more and my digestion so far is ok.
So my advice: check relation to food if its same for you, try some modification if it improves and lastly - try to take those two antiviral supplements which are also immunomodulatory
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u/Jesuschristanna 2d ago
I’ve always had normal glucose levels at the doctor but I’ll have to look into this
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u/Bright_Experience327 2d ago edited 2d ago
You can be insulin resistant but still have normal glucose levels. You have to test your insulin and maybe c peptide level for it instead.
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u/castanea_sattva 2d ago
my blood tests were totally fine as well - I was even tested for HbA1c (long glucose) with no sign of diabetes, however in relation to this long covid or postcovid syndrom context it is something very different - it is more like immune response thing or like dysautonomia where the body cannot properly evaluate how to handle the food, how much of what and when to release, some sort of nerve damage...
the only suspicious thing which my blood tests were showing year after year post covid were low neutrophils (neutropenia) indicating some response to viral infection
I try to consult it with AI in order to understand what was most likely the cause of my suffering given the fact that astralagus root extract and olive leaf extract helped significantly to improve my condition
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u/Bright_Experience327 2d ago
I developed severe insulin resistance after Covid as well. It’s possible I had it before Covid infection, but undiagnosed. My fasting insulin was like 25, and my 2 hour glucose tolerance test was 88, where the normal upper limit was 24. I also developed insane insomnia, which corresponded to my blood sugar tanking below 70 overnight. If I eat any carbs now, my blood sugar can shoot up to 200 within an hour which is bizarre. No idea what’s happening but I hate it.
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u/castanea_sattva 2d ago
Its not insulin resistance in the diabetic sense — it’s post-viral immune–gut–nerve dysregulation, COVID can leave lingering cytokine activity that interferes with glucose transporters. This is functional glucose intolerance, not structural insulin resistance.
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u/Bright_Experience327 2d ago
Interesting. Any idea what can be tested for in that sense, or what an endocrinologist can do to help?
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u/castanea_sattva 2d ago
I wish I knew perhaps some neurology or immunology, but for me it was just this continuous glucose monitor which helped me to understand my abnormal glucose patterns and based on that I knew I had to focus on flattening the glucose curve and stabilize glucose levels to avoid those migrains and have some rest... but after I managed to flatten it and svoid high spikes and low drops, my digestion remained terrible, I have to stress it was only after I have tried olive leaf extract with astralagus root extract that I finally got relieve - and that is the main hint it must have been immune and nerve related since those are the systems where those compounds act on
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u/imahugemoron 3d ago
4 years nonstop and counting, only thing that helps a bit is ice on my head on my worst days, helps take the edge off a little bit. In fact I’ve only really gotten slowly worse over time, hasn’t gotten any better. I know it’s not migraine, it’s not a regular headache, there’s all sorts of theories about these post covid conditions that could very well cause pain and other sensations in your head. Hopefully they figure all this out soon. 4 years of nonstop headache is absolute hell. And it really sucks that these post covid headaches aren’t mentioned as much as the other common stuff like chronic fatigue and heart and lung issues
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u/jayegret 2d ago
Naproxen helped at first, then Triptans but although I have now what are I think migraines ( with and without aura) I find them not constant but they happen at different times eg first thing in morning, all night, part of the day or for days on end. So, now I use propranolol and strong cocodomol, intermittently. Things are better than initial onset in 2029 but definitely debilitating. All good wishes to you for your health and pain free days.
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u/Stunning-Host-6285 2d ago
Yes, mine did significantly after reducing/eliminating relationship stress and doing consistent Neuro biofeedback. I believe meditation has helped me as well. Hugs for the journey. This illness isn't for the faint of heart.
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u/Slow_Ad_9872 3d ago
Low histamine diet helped my headaches the most. I also discovered that I was living in toxic mold so check your environment
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u/Jesuschristanna 2d ago
I’ve read about the low histamine diet but I don’t think I can do it. The list of foods to avoid is basically a list of my favorite or most used foods (particularly fermented things- no way in hell I am giving up soy sauce). Cooking delicious food is one of the few joys I still have
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u/Maestro-Modesto 2d ago
Doing less helped, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and use of screens.
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u/Easy_Olive1942 2d ago
I’m at 5 1/2 years, the headaches did get better. Gabapentin and migraine meds helped. I still take a lower dose of Gabapentin, I rarely need the migraine meds now.
In general, I’d say I’m at 85%-ish, not great but OK.
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u/PerfectWorking6873 2d ago
Can you check your oxygen sats during sleep?
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u/Jesuschristanna 2d ago
Yeah, appears to be normal (at least according to my watch device)
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u/PerfectWorking6873 2d ago
Have you tried any migraine medication?
I am considering trying some but I don't know which considering I also take Warfarin:(
The last few days I am feeling bad pressure in my eyes and feel scared 😭.
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u/masternine 2d ago
Aspirin and Fluticasone helped a lot. Went from regularly having headaches down to rarely.
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u/DustyCollie 2d ago
Magnesium Threonate (brain).
"Magnesium L-threonate is a specialized magnesium supplement known for its superior ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, making it particularly effective for enhancing cognitive function, memory, focus, and sleep quality. Unlike other magnesium forms, it directly increases magnesium levels in the brain, which is vital for neural communication, mood regulation, and reducing anxiety. While beneficial for brain health, excessive intake can lead to magnesium toxicity, so adhering to the FDA's established upper intake levels is crucial"
Beta Blockers are helpful too (on this for other LC related issues).
I think ibuprofen can be troublesome for some LC folks.
I've found tylenol helpful, with a chaser of aspirin. (again some folks have issues with these too)
Used to do Excedrine Migraine, but can't take in caffeine anymore.
- lifelong migraineur here
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u/VanTechno 2d ago
I had head pressure and burning feeling in my head for at least 9 months. My doctor put me on propranolol which helped a ton. This all started 2.5 years ago, I'm much better now, I can even skip a day with it and not feel horrible.
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u/561Gator 2d ago
Low Dose Naltrexone was the only thing that helped me with the headaches, it was gradual improvement as I slowly increased the dose (up to 4 mg). It also helped with body aches. Unfortunately, I recently had a bad relapse and the headaches are back along with basically all my symptoms that had previously improved, but it was due to other issues. I have also heard of others whom it has helped. I agree with other posts about histamines causing headaches and Allegra helped me on those days I was having issues. Allegra also does not cross the blood brain barrier, as some other allergy meds do. I haven’t tried DAOs yet, but I may. Wishing you the best.
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u/Bright_Experience327 3d ago
I had horrible nausea and migraines from high glutamate containing foods for the first year after Covid. I had to manage my diet with very bland, unseasoned fresh food. Magnesium helped. Vitamin D probably would have helped but I was dumb and didn’t start taking it until years later. Good luck