Occipital Neuralgia: What treatments work for you?

Ive known the problems of occ neuralgia very well for 22 Yrs, unfortunately. I had the block on this nerve several times and they ended up damaging the nerve which caused it to hurt 10 times worse. Nerves don’t like foreign substances touching them. Also, there’s always the risk that the dr will hit the nerve with the needle and damage it.
My advice is to avoid foods that aggravate the Occ Nerve - caffeine, chocolate, hot pepper, spicy foods, sugary foods, msg, food additives. Don’t color ur hair. Avoid letting your hair brush touch it. Be so so gentle when u wash ur hair. Wear a warm neck wrap that covers the nerve, in cold weather.
I wish both of us some healing there.

Thank you. No mention of that. I believe h/a caused by meningioma. Had MRI 3 days ago and results received yesterday. I now have a second meningioma. I also have facial paresthesia and intermittent earaches. But headache relief is huge for me. Thanks again!

Sorry to hear this. Has your Dr ever mentioned this can be caused due to nerve root issues in your upper cervical spine?

Had my third one yesterday. I have been getting them every 3 months. They’re not too bad - a pinch at the start. They seem to be about 90% effective for about 3 weeks then I start getting breakthrough headaches. I have a meningioma. The headache is 24/7 and ranges from a 3 to a 7. Those 7s peak and go back to a 3. I take Topamax at night. God luck!

Had my first nerve block yesterday. I hope it works. I couldn’t tolerate gabapentin side effects. Too many meds I will keep you posted

How did the pillow work out?

Hello! I was diagnosed with ON a few months ago. I started physical therapy two weeks ago. That helps for a few hours.
Now I believe that the pillow I bought about 6 months ago is the culprit. I wake up with headaches, shoulder pain and scalp pain.
I bought a new pillow today that is supposed to be good for someone with ON.
Praying for some relief.

@mary45. I only had occipital neuralgia for 3 months but platelet rich plasma injections and occipital nerve blocks have stopped it for about 4 months now. Not sure if this would be helpful to you or not but thought I’d share.

I think whatever the problem is the headache sounds like Occipital Neuralgia that might be due to the Occipital never compression. I have heard that Occipital Nerve decompression surgery is a very promising fix to that problem as well as the Trigeminal Neuralgia. Sometime that would help your neck and possibly shoulder pain and muscle spasm. Good luck

Life certainly does change. I'm not thrilled about how my life has changed either. Sometimes acceptance is difficult to come by but with every change in life we have two choices - we either make the most of what we do have by working on stress-management, coping skills and finding joy, or we stay where we are and let our negative mindset keep us stagnant. It takes work, but can be worth it. Treatments, procedures and medications may help, but they can't do it all.

Have you scheduled an acupuncture appointment yet? Do you mind sharing a bit more about what you have tried and how long you have been on your pain journey?