Nearly everyone suffers from occasional constipation or headaches, and they may even occur at the same time. But if you experience both headaches and constipation frequently, you're right to think they may be related. Since several different medical conditions can cause headaches and constipation, check in with your physician to explore the reasons and to rule out more serious problems.
Symptoms
If you normally have a bowel movement fewer than three times per week, you have chronic constipation, according to the National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Most people go once per day, but it's not abnormal to go three times a day, three times a week or anywhere in between. Meanwhile, headaches are pretty common, too -- nearly everyone has experienced a tension headache at one time or another, according to MedlinePlus. Sinus headaches also occur commonly, while migraine headaches are less common and are typically more painful.
Potential Causes
If you experience a headache with constipation, you shouldn't assume they're related unless the situation happens repeatedly. If both conditions occur together frequently, it's time to think about what might be causing them. For example, you might have started a new medication recently that has both constipation and headache as side effects, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Statins, which are used to lower cholesterol, list both as potential side effects, and some prescription medications for diabetes and depression also can cause both headaches and constipation. If you suspect a new medication is the cause of your discomfort, your physician may be able to change your prescription.
More Potential Causes
Some illnesses might present initially with symptoms of headache and constipation. For example, if you have undiagnosed celiac disease, which renders you unable to digest the protein found in wheat, barley and rye, you might suffer from headaches and constipation, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Fibromyalgia, which causes intense muscle pain, also can lead to headaches and constipation, although you might find your constipation alternating with diarrhea. Further, irritable bowel syndrome sufferers also complain of headaches in conjunction with their symptoms.
Considerations
To determine the cause of your chronic headaches and constipation, you'll probably need to schedule a checkup with your physician. Of course, it's possible the two symptoms could be unrelated, or they could result from simple stress. You also can treat the symptoms separately -- for example, you can consider taking an over-the-counter pain killer to treat your headache, and boosting your fiber intake in an effort to get your digestive system moving again.
