On Again Off Again Headache in One Spot

Understanding what causes headaches and finding treatments to save the pain

About everyone has had headache pain, and most of us accept had it many times. A small headache is picayune more than a nuisance that'due south relieved by an over-the-counter pain reliever, some food or coffee, or a short rest. Only if your headache is astringent or unusual, you might worry nearly stroke, a tumor, or a blood clot. Fortunately, such issues are rare. Still, you should know when a headache needs urgent care and how to control the vast majority of headaches that are non threatening to your health.

What causes headaches?

Doctors don't fully understand what causes most headaches. They do know that the encephalon tissue and the skull are never responsible since they don't have fretfulness that annals pain. But the blood vessels in the head and neck can signal pain, equally can the tissues that surround the brain and some major nerves that originate in the brain. The scalp, sinuses, teeth, and muscles and joints of the neck can also cause head pain.

When to worry near a headache

You tin take care of many types of headaches by yourself, and your medico tin can requite you lot medication to command most of the tougher headaches. But some headaches phone call for prompt medical care. Hither are some warning signs for when you should worry about headaches:

• Headaches that first develop after age l
• A major change in the blueprint of your headaches
• An unusually severe headache
• Caput hurting that increases with coughing or movement
• Headaches that get steadily worse
• Changes in personality or mental office
• Headaches that are accompanied by fever, stiff neck, defoliation, decreased alertness or retention, or neurological symptoms such every bit visual disturbances, slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or seizures
• Headaches that are accompanied by a painful cherry middle
• Headaches that are accompanied by pain and tenderness most the temples
• Headaches after a blow to the head
• Headaches that foreclose normal daily activities
• Headaches that come on abruptly, especially if they wake you up
• Headaches in patients with cancer or impaired immune systems

Types of headaches

At that place are more 300 types of headaches, simply simply nearly ten% of headaches have a known cause. The others are called principal headaches. Here is a rundown on some major main headaches.

Tension headaches

Occurring in about 3 of every 4 adults, tension headaches are the about common of all headaches. In near cases, they are mild to moderate in severity and occur infrequently. But a few people get severe tension headaches, and some are troubled by them for three or four times a week.

The typical tension headache produces a boring, squeezing pain on both sides of the head. People with stiff tension headaches may feel like their caput is in a vise. The shoulders and neck can also ache. Some tension headaches are triggered by fatigue, emotional stress, or problems involving the muscles or joints of the neck or jaw. Most last for twenty minutes to two hours.

If y'all get occasional tension-type headaches, you can take care of them yourself. Over-the-counter pain relievers such every bit acetaminophen (Tylenol, other brands) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, naproxen (Aleve, other brands), or ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, other brands) oft do the trick, but follow the directions on the characterization, and never take more than than you should. A heating pad or warm shower may help; some people experience better with a brusk nap or light snack.

If you get frequent tension-type headaches, effort to identify triggers so you can avoid them. Don't get overtired or skip meals. Learn relaxation techniques; yoga is specially helpful because information technology can relax both your mind and your neck muscles. If you lot clench your jaw or grind your teeth at dark, a bite plate may help.

If you need more aid, your dr. may prescribe a stronger pain medication or a musculus relaxant to command headache pain. Many people with recurrent tension-blazon headaches can prevent attacks past taking a tricyclic antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil, generic). Fortunately, most people with tension-type headaches will do very well with simpler programs.

Migraine

Migraines occur less often than tension headaches, merely they are usually much more astringent. They are two to three times more than common in women than men, but that'due south small consolation if you are among the 6% to 8% of all men who accept migraines. And since a Harvard study of xx,084 men historic period 40 to 84 reported that having migraines boosts the take chances of heart attacks by 42%, men with migraines should take their headaches to heart.

Neurologists believe that migraines are caused by changes in the brain's blood flow and nervus jail cell activity. Genetics play a function since 70% of migraine victims have at least one close relative with the problem.

Migraine triggers.  Although a migraine can come on without warning, it is often set off by a trigger. The things that set off a migraine vary from person to person, only a migraine sufferer commonly remains sensitive to the same triggers. The table lists some of the near mutual ones.

Major migraine triggers

• Changing weather condition: rising humidity, heat
• Lack of sleep or oversleeping
• Fatigue
• Emotional stress
• Sensory triggers: vivid or flickering lights, loud noises, strong smells
• Dietary triggers:
  • missing a meal
  • alcohol, especially ruby wine
  • chocolate
  • nitrates in cured meats and fish
  • aged cheese
  • an increase or decrease in caffeine
  • MSG (frequently present in Asian and prepared foods)

Migraine symptoms.  Migraines often begin in the evening or during sleep. In some people, the attacks are preceded by several hours of fatigue, depression, and lethargy or by irritability and restlessness. Because migraine symptoms vary widely, at least half of all migraine sufferers call back they have sinus or tension headaches, not migraines.

About 20% of migraines begin with one or more neurological symptoms called an aura. Visual complaints are near common. They may include halos, sparkles or flashing lights, wavy lines, and even temporary loss of vision. The aura may also produce numbness or tingling on one side of the trunk, especially the face or hand. Some patients develop aura symptoms without getting headaches; they often think they are having a stroke, non a migraine.

The majority of migraines develop without an aureola. In typical cases, the hurting is on one side of the head, oft first effectually the center and temple before spreading to the back of the head. The pain is frequently severe and is described equally throbbing or pulsating. Nausea is common, and many migraine patients have a watering eye, a running nose, or congestion. If these symptoms are prominent, they may pb to a misdiagnosis of sinus headaches. One way to remember the features of migraine is to use the word POUND

P is for pulsating pain
O for 1-day elapsing of astringent untreated attacks
U for unilateral (one-sided) hurting
Due north for nausea and airsickness
D for disabling intensity.

Without effective treatment, migraine attacks usually last for four to 24 hours. When you're suffering a migraine, fifty-fifty four hours is far too long — and that's why early handling for a migraine is and so important.

Migraine treatment.  If yous spot a migraine in its very earliest stages, you may exist able to control information technology with nonprescription pain relievers. Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and a combination of hurting medications and caffeine are all effective — if you accept a full dose very early on in the attack.

When prescription drugs are needed, most doctors turn to the triptans, which are available as tablets, nasal sprays, or every bit injections that patients can acquire to requite to themselves. Examples include sumatriptan (Imitrex), zolmitriptan (Zomig), and rizatriptan (Maxalt). Triptans provide complete relief within 2 hours for upward to seventy% of patients; the response is best if treatment is started early. Some patients crave a second dose within 12 to 24 hours. Patients with cardiovascular disease and those who take a high dose of certain antidepressants need to talk over the risks of using them with their doc.

Work with your doctor to find the migraine treatment that works all-time for you. Remember, though, that overuse tin can lead to rebound headaches and a vicious cycle of drugs and headaches. So, if y'all need treatment more than 2 or three times a week, consider preventive medications.

Migraine prevention.  Some people tin prevent migraines only by avoiding triggers. Others do well with prompt therapy for occasional attacks. But patients who suffer frequent migraine attacks ofttimes benefit from preventive medications. Effective prescription drugs include beta blockers (such as propranolol, nadolol and atenolol), certain antidepressants (such as amitriptyline), and certain antiseizure medications (such topiramate and valproate). Difficult cases may benefit from referral to a headache specialist.

Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches are uncommon but very severe headaches, and they occur five times more than oftentimes in men than women. Although anyone can become cluster headaches, the typical patient is a middle-anile homo with a history of smoking.

The trouble gets its name because the headaches tend to come in clusters, with one to 8 headaches a day during a one- to three-month menses every year or ii, often at the same time of year. The pain e'er strikes one side of the caput and is very severe. The eye on the painful side is red and watery, the eyelid may droop, and the nose runs or is blocked. The attack starts abruptly and lasts for thirty to hr. Nearly sufferers get restless and agitated during the assail; unable to sit nevertheless, they pace, jog in place, or vanquish their head against a wall. Nausea and sensitivity to lite and sound may accompany the pain.

Inhaling loftier flow oxygen soon after the onset of the headache can often stop the assail. Sumatriptan is often effective for cluster headaches, particularly when given by injection. Other triptans may too help. Some patients favor lidocaine nose drops, dihydroergotamine injections, or other treatments. The most effective medication for preventing cluster headache attacks is verapamil, a calcium-aqueduct blocker. Other drugs that may help include divalproex, topiramate, and lithium.

Other types of headaches

Doctors have diagnosed hundreds of conditions associated with headaches. Hither are just a few:

Medication headaches.  Many drugs number headaches among their side effects. And although it seems paradoxical, many medications used to treat headaches can as well crusade medication overuse headaches or rebound headaches. Migraine sufferers are particularly vulnerable to a vicious cycle of pain leading to more than medication, which triggers more pain. If you have frequent headaches and use medication, OTC or prescription, or both, for more than 10 to fifteen days a month, you may have medication overuse headaches. The way to find out is to discontinue or taper your medication — but ever consult your dr. first. A corticosteroid such as prednisone may help control pain during the withdrawal period.

Sinus headaches.  Astute sinusitis causes hurting over the forehead, around the olfactory organ and eyes, over the cheeks, or in the upper teeth. Stooping forward increases the pain. Thick nasal belch, congestion, and fever pinpoint the trouble to the sinuses. When the acute infection resolves, the pain disappears. Sinusitis is not a common cause of chronic or recurrent headaches.

Water ice cream headaches.  Some people develop abrupt, sudden headache pain when they consume anything cold. The hurting is over in less than a infinitesimal, fifty-fifty if you keep eating. If you are bothered by ice cream headaches, try eating slowly and warming the common cold food at the front of your mouth before you swallow it.

Headache from high blood force per unit area.  Except in cases of very high blood force per unit area, hypertension does not cause headaches. In fact, almost people with loftier blood pressure don't take any symptoms at all, and a study of 51,234 people reported that hypertension was associated with areduced incidence of headaches. But that's no reason to neglect your blood pressure. Hypertension leads to strokes, heart attacks, eye failure, and kidney illness, so all men should have their pressure level checked, and so take steps to correct abnormalities.

Headache from practice and sexual practice.  Sudden, strenuous practice can bring on a headache. Gradual warm-ups or treatment with an anti-inflammatory medication before practise can assist. Sexual intercourse may also trigger headaches; some men annotation only tiresome pain, but others suffer from severe attacks called orgasmic headaches. Some people tin foreclose orgasmic headaches past taking an NSAID 30 to 60 minutes before intercourse.

Headache testing

Modern medicine depends on tests to diagnose many bug. For nearly headaches, though, a skillful onetime-fashioned history and physical will practice the job. In fact, CT scans, MRIs, and EEGs (brain wave tests) look normal in tension-type headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches. Still, these tests can be vital in patients with warning signs or other worrisome headaches.

Living with constant headaches

For most of us, an occasional headache is nothing more than a temporary speed bump in the course of a busy day. Withal, almost men can ease the trouble with simple lifestyle measures and nonprescription medications. Relaxation techniques, biofeedback, yoga, and acupuncture may also help. But for some of united states, headaches are a large problem. Learn to recognize warning signs that call for prompt medical intendance. Piece of work with your doctor to develop a programme to prevent and treat migraines and other serious headaches. And don't fall into the trap of overusing medications; for some gents, rebound headaches are the biggest hurting of all.

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Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/headache-when-to-worry-what-to-do

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