Occipital Neuralgia: What treatments work for you?

I, too, was diagnosed with occipital neuralgia after suffering for 2 months with extreme, flaming pain that started at the back of the head and radiated to the crown. The pain was so bad that the crown of my head was tender to the touch. The neurologist prescribed Qlipta, Nurtec, and Ubelvy; none worked. I had to sleep upright with an ice pack. This went on for two months without relief; the night was always worse. I was referred to a headache specialist who identified the symptoms as classic occipital neuralgia. A nerve block was administered, and I had temporary relief for four days, and then the pain returned. I was prescribed a low dose of Gabapentin. Once the dose was increased to 300 mg, I had good pain relief for 3 weeks, and then the pain returned. I have been on 600 mg for 1 month now, and the pain, while still present, is tolerable. I would say it's 2/3 on a scale of 1-10. I am scheduled for another nerve block next month, and I am hoping that, along with the current dose of Gabapentin will eliminate the pain. I also did 4 weeks of PT which has provided some relief.

I have finally been diagnosed with occipital neuroligia, go for nerve blocks soon. I have all of your symptoms and pain in ear , cheek, eyes.
I'll let you know if it works ok.
Cindi from Massachusetts

Had it ever since I contracted mono in my 20s… it was almost overnight after the high fever. I’m 61 now… have had nerve blocks don’t work the actual injection caused a nodule/swelling at insertion sites at either side of occiput - took weeks to finally absorb. I live w it and can’t sleep on my back… occipital area and neck were never the same after mono as well as upper back and joints. I take Advil once in a while, am on Cymbalta for fibromyalgia finally diagnosed but it doesn’t help. Also have Menieres and tinnitus. Good luck, everyone is different, maybe you’ll find something that works. Stress contributes greatly but I believe there must’ve been some EBV (Epstein Barr virus that causes mono) nerve damage when I had mono.

I've been diagnosed with Occipital Neuralgia. I want to hear from others about this painful conditionn.

I haven’t seen any posts about occipital neuralgia, which causes frequent severe pain on one or both sides of the head. I’ve had it 10+ years, but normally it should resolve in a few weeks. We’ve tried everything I’ve read about, from Botox to ablation. I wear a Nalu neurostimulator with two electrodes, which gives some relief, and take two meds plus several Tylenols/day.I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced this, or who can recommend non-traditional methods for relief.

I’m glad you’re getting relief! I also have supraorbital pain, though not as severe as the occipital. I have a Nalu nerve stimulator with probes near both nerves, and it gives some relief.
Now my doc wants to implant an Abbot neurostimulator, which is usually for the trunk and limbs. I’m hesitant.

I haven’t seen any posts about occipital neuralgia, which causes frequent severe pain on one or both sides of the head. I’ve had it 10+ years, but normally it should resolve in a few weeks. We’ve tried everything I’ve read about, from Botox to ablation. I wear a Nalu neurostimulator with two electrodes, which gives some relief, and take two meds plus several Tylenols/day.I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced this, or who can recommend non-traditional methods for relief.

I haven’t seen any posts about occipital neuralgia, which causes frequent severe pain on one or both sides of the head. I’ve had it 10+ years, but normally it should resolve in a few weeks. We’ve tried everything I’ve read about, from Botox to ablation. I wear a Nalu neurostimulator with two electrodes, which gives some relief, and take two meds plus several Tylenols/day.I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced this, or who can recommend non-traditional methods for relief.

I haven’t seen any posts about occipital neuralgia, which causes frequent severe pain on one or both sides of the head. I’ve had it 10+ years, but normally it should resolve in a few weeks. We’ve tried everything I’ve read about, from Botox to ablation. I wear a Nalu neurostimulator with two electrodes, which gives some relief, and take two meds plus several Tylenols/day.I’d love to hear from anyone who has experienced this, or who can recommend non-traditional methods for relief.