STEROID INJECTION - HEADACHE ??

My consultant injected my knee with steroids and pain relief yesterday. i suffered a dreadful dreadful headache during the night that kept me awake til 5am is this a side affect of the injection does anyone know ? Thank you

Depends what else was in the injection. May have been some epinephrine which acts as a blood vessel constrictor so the medication (steroid) doesn't dissipate so rapidly but stays in the area longer. You may be sensitive to the epinephrine which can cause rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure and headaches. Do you ever have the same problem when you go to the dentist and he injects a local anaesthetic? They often contain epinephrine also for the same reason.

The steroids are the known culprit for the insomnia..it won't last.

I had steroid injections a year ago. Not sure how effective they were in removing knee pain (I have since had a TKR) but my chronic lower back pain disappeared for five days. They did not cause me to have any headaches.

yes steroids can keep you awake I have the same problems after a steroid injection.

Thanks for your comments guys, no improvement yet, but evil headache gone.

Just before being wheeled into the OR for C Spine Epidural, surgeon said headache was a side effect and boy oh boy did I have a 3 day headache! Along with bowel incontinence (go figure) for about 10 days.

me too Janice, to be honest i didnt connect the two. nasty.