How To Treat Occipital Neuralgia

Rest In A Quiet Room

Occipital neuralgia is often caused by pinching or injury to the occipital nerves. The condition can also be related to infection, inflammation, arthritis, or tumors. None of these things can be fully treated through rest alone, though pinching does tend to heal itself over time. However, loudness and bright lights can sometimes exacerbate headache symptoms. If an individual is dealing with a lot of sensory stimuli at once, it can cause their head to pound. When added to already-existing occipital neuralgia, this kind of headache can seem unbearable. One way to address this is through rest in a quiet room. They should also turn off the lights, block out the noise, close their eyes, and relax their muscles as much as possible.

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Anticonvulsants

Anticonvulsants may be prescribed if at-home treatments and remedies don't work. These might be prescribed in conjunction with other pain-relieving or muscle-relaxing medications. There are multiple kinds of anticonvulsant medications that function in different ways, and some may be more helpful than others for occipital neuralgia. One potential way the medications work is by altering the electrical activity in the neurons and cells through changing the ion channels, which can help relieve nerve pain in the occipital nerves. Other anticonvulsant medications affect neurotransmitters in the brain. These may not be so helpful for this kind of pain because they don't affect the nerves directly.