Alternative medicine (2)
- Biofeedback
- Chiropractic adjustment
Lifestyle and home remedies (3)
- Headaches: Reduce stress to prevent the pain
- Migraines: Simple steps to head off the pain
- Tension-type headaches: Self-care measures for relief
Risk factors (1)
- Stress symptoms: Effects on your body, feelings and behavior
Treatments and drugs (1)
- Headaches: Treatment depends on your diagnosis and symptoms
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Headaches: Treatment depends on your diagnosis and symptoms
Do you take aspirin or acetaminophen for all your headaches? For some types of headaches, that's not the best approach. Here's why.
By Mayo Clinic staffYour head hurts. Again! The first step in developing a plan to combat your recurring headaches is to determine what type you have. Sometimes headaches are a symptom of another disease or condition. In other cases, no clear cause can be found. To better understand your headaches, take a close look at your signs and symptoms.
Are the headaches dull and achy?
Tension-type headaches, the most common variety of headaches:
- Often feel like a tight band around your head
- May be triggered by stress, neck strain, missed meals or lack of sleep
- Can last from 30 minutes to an entire week
Treatment
Most intermittent tension-type headaches are easily treated with over-the-counter medications, including:
- Aspirin
- Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others)
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)
Are the headaches throbbing and severe?
Migraines affect three times more women than men and:
- Often are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light or sound
- May affect only one side of your head
- May include pain that worsens with routine activity
- Untreated, typically last from four to 72 hours
Treatment
Migraine treatments may include:
- Over-the-counter medications
- Prescription medications
- Rest in a quiet, dark room
- Hot or cold compresses to your head or neck
- Massage and small amounts of caffeine
Do the headaches recur for weeks at a time?
Cluster headaches, which are rare, occur off and on for weeks at a time. During a cluster period, which can last for several months, you may experience one or more cluster headaches a day. These headaches:
- Typically begin quickly without warning and reach maximum intensity within minutes
- Usually affect just one side of your head
- May be accompanied by tearing or redness of the eye or a droopy eyelid on the affected side of the head and a runny or stuffy nose
- Typically last from 15 minutes to three hours
- May cause a sense of agitation
Treatment
Because the pain of a cluster headache strikes suddenly and may subside quickly, over-the-counter pain relievers aren't effective. Steps that may help include:
- Preventive medications
- Injectable medications, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex, Sumavel Dosepro, others), for quick relief during an attack
- Prescription triptan nasal sprays, such as zolmitriptan (Zomig) or sumatriptan (Imitrex)
- Inhalation of 100 percent oxygen through a mask
- Pacing or rocking, because most people feel restless during a cluster headache
Do you have headaches nearly every day?
Chronic daily headaches are headaches that occur more than 15 days a month. The term encompasses different types of headaches that are characterized by their frequency. The signs, symptoms and time frame vary depending on the type of headaches you have. An accurate description of your headache symptoms will help your doctor diagnose your condition and determine the best course of treatment.
Treatment
Treatment for any underlying diseases or conditions often stops chronic daily headaches. When no underlying diseases or conditions are present, treatment focuses on preventive medication.
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- Bajwa ZH, et al. Pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of migraine in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 8, 2010.
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- Goadsby PJ, et al. Headaches. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2890365. Accessed Feb. 9, 2010.
- Garza I. Medication overuse headache: Etiology, clinical features, and diagnosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 8, 2010.
- Cutrer FM. Primary exertional headache. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 8, 2010.
- Cutrer FM. Primary headache associated with sexual activity. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index/html. Accessed Feb. 9, 2010.
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