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Pain - head; Rebound headaches; Medication overuse headaches
Keep a headache diary to help find the source or trigger of your symptoms. Then change your environment or habits to avoid future headaches.
When a headache occurs, write down:
After a period of time, you may begin to see a pattern.
You may relieve a headache by resting with your eyes closed and head supported. Relaxation techniques can help. A massage or heat applied to the back of the upper neck can help relieve tension headaches.
TAKING HEADACHE MEDICATIONS AT HOME
Try acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen for tension headaches. Do NOT give aspirin to children because of the risk of Reye syndrome.
Migraine headaches may respond to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or migraine medications that contain a combination of drugs.
If over-the-counter remedies do not control your pain, talk to your doctor about possible prescription medications.
People who take pain medications regularly for 3 or more days a week may develop medication overuse, or rebound headaches. All types of pain pills (including over-the-counter drugs) can cause rebound headaches. If you think this may be a problem for you, talk to your health care provider.
Prescription medications used for migraine headaches include:
Sometimes medications to relieve nausea and vomiting are helpful for other migraine symptoms.
If you get headaches often, your doctor may prescribe medication to prevent headaches before they occur. It is important to take these medicines every day as prescribed, even when you are not having a headache.
Take the following symptoms seriously. If you cannot see your health care provider right away, go to the emergency room or call 911 if:
See your health care provider soon if:
Your health care provider will take a medical history and will perform an examination of your head, eyes, ears, nose, throat, neck, and nervous system.
The diagnosis is usually based on your history of symptoms. A "headache diary" may be helpful for recording information about headaches over a period of time. Your doctor may ask questions such as:
Diagnostic tests that may be performed include the following:
If a migraine is diagnosed, you may be prescribed medications that contain ergot. Temporal arteritis must be treated with steroids to help prevent blindness. Other disorders are treated as appropriate.
The following healthy habits can lessen stress and reduce your chance of getting headaches:
Boes CJ, Capobianco DJ, Cutrer FM, et al. Headache and other craniofacial pain. In: Bradley WG, Daroff RB, Fenichel GM, Jankovic J, eds. Neurology in Clinical Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Butterworth-Heinemann; 2008:chap 73.
Kwiatkowski T, Alagappan K. Headache. In: Marx JA, Hockberger Rs, Walls RM, et al, eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier;2009:chap 101.
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