Sinus Headaches...Help

christy- I'm in the same boat... everythingi try to take makes me dizzy and i feel like I'm high....(Claritin) I've been taking Tylenol PM just so I can sleep...

I take Aleve Sinus and Headache (there are 2 names, same formula- there is also Cold and Sinus, I think. One's a blue box and one's a green box). It works pretty well for me. My mom, who's a nurse, also told me that naproxen works better for women. (That's the painkiller in Aleve).

I read something interesting in Glamour this month too, that 90% of women who think they have sinus headaches actaully have migraines. I am wondering if that is what mine is.

I thought I had 'sinus headaches' for years and I got them all the time! The only thing that worked for me was Advil Cold & Sinus- I tried everything else and they either didn't work or made me woozy. For example, a lot of people I know swear by Tylenol cold & sinus but it did nothing for me at all. Alieve cold & sinus made me so loopy I had to go home from work. Everyone reacts differently to different medicine so I suggest trying one kind each time you get a headache to see what works best. I know that sounds like a long process but it's the only way to know what works best for you. As I said, I swear by Advil Cold & sinus. Another remedy that works for me is 1 Excederin and 1 Advil. Somehow, the combination of the caffeine and pain reliever works!

But what the above post said is exactally true. While I am sure that I get allergy/sinus headahces sometimes, the majority of my headaches were actually migraines. Because those headaches typically hit in the sinus region, many people assume that they are sinus related when in fact, they are really migraines. The article was very interesting and after many months of getting horrible headaches that knocked me out for 2 days, I decided to go to a neurologist who specalizes in headaches and she told me that I did have migraines. Now, I have the proper medicine and it's a whole new world!

So, if you're sure that you have sinus headaches and not migraines, try over the counter meds. If you think it might be migraines, go see a doctor.

Good luck & feel better! I know what it's like and it sucks!

I have had two sinus surgeries to releave sinus pressure. I used to have really BAD migraines. Now things are better but I have learned to live with a constant headache and congestion during this season.

If you are congested, steam also helps drain sinuses. Fill up a sink or large bowl with hot water, stand over it and cover your head with a towel. You can also add the vapor stuff they use for babies to the water.