Occipital neuralgia
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What is occipital neuralgia?
Occipital neuralgia is a distinct type of headache characterized by piercing, throbbing, or electric-shock-like chronic pain in the upper neck, back of the head, and behind the ears, usually on one side of the head.
Common symptoms reported by people with occipital neuralgia
Common symptoms
How bad it is
What people are taking for it
Reports may be affected by other conditions and/or medication side effects. We ask about general symptoms (anxious mood, depressed mood, fatigue, pain, and stress) regardless of condition.
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Treatments taken by people with occipital neuralgia
Treatment name(s)
Type
How many have tried
Tried for
Treatment name(s)
Occipital Nerve Block
Type
Procedures
How many have tried
4
Tried for
pain
(3)
occipital neuralgia
(1)
Data from patients with occipital neuralgia, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
Last updated:
Compare treatments taken by people with occipital neuralgia
Treatment name(s)
Perceived effectiveness
Side effects
Total evaluations
Tried for
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (2 evaluations)
Side effects
drowsiness
Total evaluations
4
Tried for
pain
(2)
anxious mood
(1)
1 more
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (4 evaluations)
Side effects
excessive dry mouth
weight gain
Total evaluations
4
Tried for
pain
(4)
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (1 evaluation)
Side effects
nausea and vomiting
Total evaluations
3
Tried for
occipital neuralgia
(2)
pain
(2)
Treatment name(s)
Occipital Nerve Block
Perceived effectiveness
for pain (4 evaluations)
Side effects
pain
Total evaluations
4
Tried for
pain
(3)
occipital neuralgia
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
for occipital neuralgia (1 evaluation)
Total evaluations
3
Tried for
occipital neuralgia
(2)
pain
(2)
Perceived effectiveness
for depressed mood (1 evaluation)
Side effects
Total evaluations
1
Tried for
pain
(2)
depressed mood
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
No evaluations
Side effects
No evaluations
Total evaluations
0
Tried for
anxious mood
(2)
depressed mood
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
for anxious mood (2 evaluations)
Side effects
drowsiness
Total evaluations
5
Tried for
anxious mood
(2)
occipital neuralgia
(1)
Perceived effectiveness
for depressed mood (4 evaluations)
Total evaluations
4
Tried for
depressed mood
(3)
anxious mood
(1)
- Major
- Moderate
- Slight
- None
- Can't tell
- Severe
- Moderate
- Mild
- None
Data from patients with occipital neuralgia, who reported starting treatments within the last 5 years.
Last updated:
Who has occipital neuralgia on PatientsLikeMe?
- 491 patients have this condition
- 5 new patients joined this month
- 247 say occipital neuralgia is their primary condition
| Age | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| <20 | 1 | |
| 20s | 24 | |
| 30s | 66 | |
| 40s | 141 | |
| 50s | 142 | |
| 60s | 50 | |
| 70+ | 31 |
| Age at first symptom | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| 0-19 years | 11 | |
| 20-29 years | 42 | |
| 30-39 years | 42 | |
| 40-49 years | 44 | |
| 50-59 years | 16 | |
| 60-69 years | 4 | |
| 70+ years | 2 |
Distribution of sex
| Sex | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 69 | |
| Female | 389 |
| Diagnosis status | Proportion | # of patients |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnosed | 192 | |
| Not Diagnosed | 12 |
These charts show data from occipital neuralgia patients who have completed their condition history
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