Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
close window
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffIf no underlying structural or vascular problem is causing your exercise headaches, your doctor may recommend medications to take regularly to help prevent the headaches.
- Indomethacin (Indocin), an anti-inflammatory drug, is commonly prescribed.
- Propranolol, (Inderal, Inopran XL) a blood pressure medication, also is used to preventive exercise headaches.
If your exercise headaches are predictable, you may be able to take a medication an hour or two before a scheduled event, such as a tennis match or a hike at high altitude. Medications your doctor might prescribe include indomethacin and triptans (Imitrex, Relpax, others), which are commonly used to treat acute migraine headaches. If your exercise headaches are frequent or unpredictable, you might need to take the preventive medicine every day.
References
- Headache: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/detail_headache.htm#142883138. Accessed Jan. 31, 2012.
- Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9094791. Accessed Jan. 31, 2012.
- Lange SE. Primary headache disorders in the emergency department. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal. 2011;33:237.
- Pasqual J. Other primary headaches. Neurologic Clinics. 2009;27:557.
- Primary exertional headache. International Headache Society. http://ihs-classification.org/en/02_klassifikation/02_teil1/04.03.00_other.html. Accessed Jan. 31, 2012.
- Wong WS, et al. The "other" headaches: Primary cough, exertion, sex and primary stabbing headaches. Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2010;14:41.
- Exertional headaches. National Headache Foundation. http://www.headaches.org/education/Headache_Topic_Sheets/Exertional_Headaches. Accessed Jan. 31, 2012.
- Evers S, et al. Treatment of miscellaneous idiopathic headache disorders (group 4 of the IHS classification) — report of an EFNS task force. European Journal of Neurology. 2011;18:803.
- Bartleson JD (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 13, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on