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What could be causing my constant feeling of head pressure?

Posted by xavier99 @xavier99, Aug 15, 2025

I have a constant feeling of head pressure 24/7 that has lasted for months. The pressure is all over my head except the back. It improves a bit when laying down. I also have dizziness, brain fog, and severe fatigue probably related to this. Brain MRI scans show no issues. Has anyone had this issue, and what was the cause and solution?

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organizedchaos04 | @organizedchaos04 | Jul 27 9:46am
In reply to @rnlorena "xavier99 I got very lucky today. I have a morning appt on 8/20 for a neurologist..." + (show)
Profile picture for rnlorena @rnlorena

xavier99 I got very lucky today. I have a morning appt on 8/20 for a neurologist that deals with things I have experienced. I was out and about with my brother today and I got a phone call. I now have an appointment to see a Neuro-Opthalmologist on 8/20 in the afternoon. They originally made me a first available for September 29th and I told the girl that I had been going through this head pressure for 6 months. I told her I drove from Florida and it would be hard for me to be gone that long. ( If push comes to shove I would do it) Thankfully I will see both doctors on the same day. I will let you know what the neuro-ophthalmologist says about head pressure and your eyes and vision. I will be prepared for both visits. @rnlorena

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@rnlorena Can you update us on the outcome of your appointments? How are you feeling now? I hope you are doing much better.

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tj | @tjanet | Jul 28 6:11pm

I had constant head pressure/pain a few years ago and it was to do with my ears. So I took some antibiotics and the head pain went away. I didn't have any ear pain.

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9yearspast | @9yearspast | Jul 30 2:37pm

I had one of 26 which is relatively normal but when they went up into my brain, the pressure was very high and I had surgery. So my lumbar puncture wasn’t done properly and that’s just with what goes on where I live so that’s why mine was as low as it was and then I still had problems. But when they went up into my brain to measure the pressure differential, it was off the chart. I had surgery because my eyes were being destroyed by the pressure. I wish you all the best and hope things get better. I hope you find the care that you need and want and I hope that you get all the respect you deserve. It’s horrible to have this disease. People just don’t understand what we go through. I wish you all the best again.

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jmcooper5 | @jmcooper5 | Jul 31 3:32pm

12+ days of persistent left-sided head pressure/heaviness behind the eye after heavy drinking, labs and imaging mostly normal, looking for anyone who's dealt with something similar

21M, no major prior health issues besides severe obstructive sleep apnea (diagnosed by sleep study in 8/2025, untreated until now due to CPAP cost, starting BiPAP today). Writing this out because I'm 12+ days into head pressure that hasn't gone away, and I'm hoping someone out there has experienced something similar or has ideas on what to bring up at my next appointment.

Timeline:

- 7/17 – Had a night of heavy drinking
- 7/18 – Had a couple shots of homemade peach moonshine
- 7/19 – Started feeling off: heaviness in my head and behind my eyes, fatigue, some confusion/dizziness. Initially one-sided, has mostly stayed left-sided since
- 7/23 – Went to the ER for confusion and headache. They looped in poison control given the moonshine, ran labs and a CT. CT head was clear (no acute pathology, only some mild sinus mucosal thickening bilaterally). Labs mostly normal except hemoglobin 16.6 (high) and hematocrit 49% (high). Osmolality was slightly elevated at 296 (range 270-295). EtOH, TSH, magnesium, kidney/liver panel all normal. Poison control ultimately felt toxic alcohol poisoning was less likely. Discharged with no clear cause identified.
- 7/28 – Symptoms persisted and I developed shortness of breath, so I went back to the ER. Full cardiac/PE workup this time: troponins negative x2, BNP normal, D-dimer negative, chest X-ray clear, EKG normal sinus rhythm. Repeat CBC showed hemoglobin/hematocrit had normalized. Given a "headache cocktail" and discharged.
- 7/28 (same day) – Also saw a new primary care doctor for a hospital follow-up. She felt the head pressure was probably tied to the alcohol episode plus possibly the sinus thickening seen on CT, deferred MRI given a reassuring exam and improving symptoms, started a saline/fluticasone nasal spray, and referred me for CPAP/sleep medicine follow-up since untreated OSA may be contributing to the headaches and my blood pressure (home readings have been running high, averaging around 149/84 in July).
- Today, 12+ days in – Head pressure is still there daily. It's a steady heaviness on the left side of my head with heaviness behind my left eye, present throughout the day, not clearly tied to lying down vs. sitting/standing, and not clearly worse in the morning vs. evening. Less intense than it was at onset but hasn't resolved. Just started using the BiPAP tonight for the OSA.

No fever, no vision changes, no numbness/weakness, no neck stiffness, and the gait and neuro exam have stayed normal throughout.

My questions for anyone reading:

Has anyone dealt with head pressure like this that dragged on for this long after a drinking episode, with imaging and most labs coming back clean? Did OSA/CPAP or BiPAP make a difference for you, if that was part of your picture? And for anyone who's been in a similar spot, what did you end up asking your doctor for next, or what was the actual answer for you? My next follow-up is a physical on 8/14, and I want to make sure I'm asking the right questions when I get there.

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