Have Migraines And Tension Headaches. Concerned About Aneurism And Death ?

Posted on Wed, 13 Jun 2012

Question: hello i wrote to u many time i do have an anxiety condition, which is making every pain and ache worse. i do have horrible headaches almost on a daily basis, i was diagnosed woith migraines and tension headache. my fear is aneurim. every time i have aheadache i think i will die. i did have a cat scan in ceptember it was normal no tumors no as they said aneurisms. i go to doctors alot because of my anxiety so far this year i went 14 times. i heard that mri sees everything better but its a costly procedure i dont know if i need it. my history is no high blood pressure, nobody in my family had aneurisms, no kidney deseases., i dont smoke. my mom has migraines. plus with all my fears i was elbowed in my head on saturday during the concert. it itencified my fears

Answered by Dr. Ashish Mittal (1 hour later)

Hello,

Thanks for your query.

I appreciate your efforts for medical consultation in so much distress.

Important aspects of your query are:
•     32 year old female
•     Known case of anxiety and migraine
•     Concern related to brain Aneurysm in spite of normal investigation (CT scan)

In current situation your main symptom is headache but the thing which is troubling you most is not headache. It is anxiety and fear of brain aneurysm.

Anxiety is associated with excessive worry related health, family and finances. In your case you are having excessive worry related to headache leading to fear of brain aneurysm. Type of fear differ patient to patient and depend on childhood development and knowledge. If anxiety is severe then fear does not removed only by reassurance or negative investigation. So MRI is not a solution of your current fear.

You already mention about negative investigation. There is no family history for brain aneurysm too. So if your physician does not want to investigate further then it is better to follow him.

Same time, you may need treatment with Psychiatrist to treat your anxiety and fear. It is not clear if you received any treatment in past. As you are having multiple symptoms then combined treatment in form cognitive behaviour therapy and drug therapy will be best in your case.

In drug treatment two types of medicine used. For immediate relief of anxiety, Benzodiazepines group of medicines are used and for long term relief most commonly SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are used. SSRI takes around 3-4 weeks to show its effect and cognitive behaviour therapy also takes weeks to show its effect.

I hope this information has been both informative and helpful for you. In case of any doubt, I will be available for follow ups.

Regards,

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Jyoti Patil