Chronic Daily Headaches & Fibromyalgia

Published: // Updated: March 14, 2021

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If you have fibromyalgia and get chronic daily headaches, you are not alone. Recurrent migraine and/or tension-type headaches are seen in 70% of fibromyalgia patients.

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I have been getting daily headaches as long as I can remember. Headaches can make fibromyalgia even harder to deal with. They can make the pain more intense and increase fatigue and depression.

Types of Headaches

People with fibromyalgia tend to suffer from three different types of headaches; tension headaches, migraines, and combination headaches.

  • Tension Headaches – These headaches often feel like a band tightening around your head and can range from moderate to severe. Tension headaches are caused by muscle contractions that occur in your head, neck, shoulders and upper back.
  • Migraines – Migraine headaches are caused by constriction of the blood vessels and arteries. The blood vessels in your head and neck begin to constrict and then dilate causing severe pain, nausea, dizziness and eye pain. There are three types of migraines:
    • Migraine Without Aura – This is the most common. You could have intense pain on one or both sides of your head, nausea, vomiting, and light or sound sensitivity. Migraines without aura can be accompanied by fatigue, anxiety or depression.
    • Migraines With Aura – Migraines with aura cause visual disturbances along with the other migraine symptoms. You might see lights that look like stars or dots, zig-zagged lines or other distorted vision. Sometimes other senses can be affected. You could have ringing in the ears, notice a strange odor or your sense of taste or touch could seem off.
    • Silent Migraine – This one is considered a medical oddity. I am including it because I sometimes get them. A silent migraine is a migraine with aura, but without the headache. I didn’t know there was such a thing until my doctor told me that’s what I was having.
  • Combination Headache – A combination headache is having a tension headache and a migraine at the same time. I get these, too.

Causes of Headaches in Fibromyalgia

There are many similarities between the symptoms of fibromyalgia and migraines, in particular. It is believed that so many people with fibromyalgia have chronic headaches because the same dysfunction that causes fibromyalgia also causes migraine headaches.

  • Sleep Disorders – Migraines and tension headaches may affect people with fibromyalgia because of disordered sleep that FMS causes. Studies have shown that migraine sufferers sleep patterns are disturbed.
  • Low Serotonin Levels – Studies on people with migraines show low serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to communicate pain signals to different parts of the brain. Fibromyalgia has also been linked to low levels of serotonin.
  • Low Magnesium LevelsMagnesium is also found in low levels in both migraine sufferers and people with fibromyalgia. Studies support that these low magnesium levels may actually be a cause for migraine headaches and fibromyalgia.
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD) – A large percentage of people with fibromyalgia also suffer from another disorder referred to as TMJD. This disorder causes muscle and joint pain in the face, jaw, and neck, and often causes severe migraine headaches.

As you can see, there are many causes and symptoms that overlap between chronic headaches and fibromyalgia.

If you suffer from headaches, you might want to read the following:

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12 thoughts on “Chronic Daily Headaches & Fibromyalgia”

    • I’ve been having awful pain from spinal stenosis, one of the many problems I have since being diagnosed with Fibromyalga. I do have a neuro stimulator that the doctor attribute to the pain. Thank you for the heads up. I had no idea this was one of the symptoms. Best to you!

      Reply
      • Hi Melody, I don’t understand.I too have a spinal stimulator, do you mean that the stimulator makes your pain better or worse? Because I have terrible pain and I’m considering having stimulator removed. I’d appreciate your input. Thank you Chris

        Reply
  1. I have had fibro for years. I am 58 and I don’t seem to bounce back from the symptoms as well as I used to. Some days it really takes its toll on me.

    Reply
    • Unfortunately I’ve had fibro for yrs also. As I get older I don’t bounce back either. Unfortunately I think its age and just being drained from the every day battle

      Reply
      • Same here. Medication losing effectiveness, little legs getting a bit stiff and also wobbly, on top of general Fibro paininess. Feeling rather whiny!

        Reply
  2. Has anyone looked into or talked to their doctor about having a service dog for fibro, spinal stenosis, DDD etc.? Any info would be much appreciated!

    Reply
  3. Yes there is a FB page called Migraine Dogs that is very helpful in educating yourself about the possibilities and challenges in training one to alert to the subtle changes in Migraine sufferers.

    Reply
  4. i have found a remedy for my severe headaches that would last for several weeks at a time. it sounds crazy, but it works for me. i take a rolling pen and firmly roll around my head and neck for as long as i can take the pain. it may take several times during the day; for a couple of minutes each time, but by the next morning my headache is greatly reduced and by the day after that, my headache is gone. i know that it is painful, but the next time you have a headache try it. this makes sense because whatever the root cause, most headaches are the result of tight muscles.

    Reply
    • Hi, Lynda. You are right, it does make sense because of the tight muscles. I use a tennis ball or a foam roller to release the tension in my neck. A rolling pin is also good to use on calf muscles.

      Reply

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