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Do you take aspirin or acetaminophen for all your
headaches? For some types of headaches, that's not the best approach.
Here's why.
Your head hurts. Again! The first step in thwarting 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. To aid in diagnosis, your doctor may suggest you keep a
headache diary in which you note when your headaches occur, what your
signs and symptoms are and any triggers you can identify.
Are the headaches dull and achy?
Tension-type headaches, the most common variety of headaches:
Often feel like a tight band around your head
Usually cause mild to moderate pain on both sides of the head
May be triggered by stress, neck strain, missed meals, depression,
anxiety or lack of sleep
May occur occasionally or more than 15 days a month (chronic)
Can last from 30 minutes to an entire week
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Treatment
Most intermittent tension-type headaches are easily treated with
over-the-counter medications, including:
Aspirin
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)
In addition, alternative therapies aimed at stress
reduction may help. They include:
Meditation
Relaxation training
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Biofeedback
Massage
Are the headaches throbbing and severe?
Migraines affect three times more women than men.
Migraines:
Often are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or increased 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 treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing
additional attacks. If you know what triggers your migraines, avoiding
those triggers will help prevent headaches. Treatment 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
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Do the headaches recur for weeks at a time?
Cluster headaches, which are rare, occur off and on for weeks at a time.
At least one episode usually occurs at the same time of day or night.
During a cluster period, which can last for several months, you may
experience one or more cluster headaches a day. These headaches, which
occur more often in men than in women and more often in smokers:
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, rocking or head rubbing because most people feel restless during
a cluster headache
Do you have headaches nearly every day?
Chronic daily headaches are headaches that occur 15 days or more a
month. The term encompasses different types of headaches that are
characterized by their frequency and duration. The signs, symptoms and
time frame vary depending on the type of headaches you have, and the
pattern of signs and symptoms may change over time. 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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Do you take aspirin or acetaminophen for all your headaches? For some
types of headaches, that's not the best approach. Here's why.
Your head hurts. Again! The first step in thwarting 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. To aid in diagnosis, your doctor may suggest you keep a
headache diary in which you note when your headaches occur, what your
signs and symptoms are and any triggers you can identify.
Are the headaches dull and achy?
Tension-type headaches, the most common variety of headaches:
Often feel like a tight band around your head
Usually cause mild to moderate pain on both sides of the head
May be triggered by stress, neck strain, missed meals, depression,
anxiety or lack of sleep
May occur occasionally or more than 15 days a month (chronic)
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 IB, others)
Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)
In addition, alternative therapies aimed at stress reduction may help.
They include:
Meditation
Relaxation training
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Biofeedback
Massage
Are the headaches throbbing and severe?
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Migraines affect three times more women than men.
Migraines:
Often are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, or increased 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 treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing
additional attacks. If you know what triggers your migraines, avoiding
those triggers will help prevent headaches. Treatment 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 you take pain medication more than 2 or 3 days
a week?
Medication-overuse headaches can affect anyone who has migraines,
tension-type headaches or other chronic headaches and uses pain
relievers several times a month. Sometimes called rebound headaches,
medication-overuse headaches:
Are often described as dull, achy, throbbing or pounding
May awaken you early in the morning and continue throughout the day
May be most severe at first, when the medication begins to wear off
Occur daily or nearly daily
May involve nausea or irritability
Treatment
The only way to stop medication-overuse headaches is to reduce or stop
taking the medication that's contributing to these headaches. Talk to
your doctor about whether you should quit taking the medication or taper
off gradually.
Do the headaches follow a specific activity?
Uncommon primary headaches, also known as exertional headaches, can
occur as a result of exercise, sex, bouts of coughing or other
activities. Before diagnosing an uncommon primary headache, your doctor
may recommend tests, such as an MRI, to determine that nothing serious
is causing your headaches. Each type of exertional headache has its own
set of characteristics.
Exercise-induced headaches:
Are often described as throbbing
Affect both sides of your head
May last from several minutes to 48 hours
Cough headaches:
Are typically sharp and stabbing in quality
Affect both sides of your head
May last from a few seconds to a few minutes
Treatment
Uncommon primary headaches are unusual, but if your headaches are
predictable or chronic, your doctor may prescribe preventive medicine.
Recognize emergency symptoms
Seek emergency evaluation if any of the following features are present.
Sudden onset of severe headache
Onset after a head injury or fall
Fever, stiff neck, rash, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness,
numbness or difficulty speaking
Pain worsens despite rest and over-the-counter pain medication
These symptoms suggest a more serious underlying condition, so it's
important to get prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Take control
Almost everyone gets headaches, and most are nothing to worry about. But
if headaches are disrupting your daily activities, work or personal
life, it's time to take action. Headaches can't always be prevented, but
your doctor can help you manage the symptoms. |