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.
Your head hurts. Again. The first step in foiling your frequent headaches is determining what type of headache you have. Sometimes headaches are a symptom of another disease or condition; sometimes there's no clear cause.
Take a close look at your headache signs and symptoms. Keeping a headache diary might help determine your headache type. Note when your headaches occur, your symptoms, and potential triggers, such as food, stress or changes in sleep.
There are many types and sub-types of headaches. Chronic daily headaches, which occur 15 days or more a month, are one sub-type. Tension-type headaches and migraines are also common sub-types of headaches. They can both be chronic, though they aren't always. Other types of chronic daily headaches include:
- Hemicrania continua, a one-sided headache that can feel like a migraine
- Primary stabbing headaches, which last for a few seconds and can occur several times throughout the day
- Primary exertional headaches, caused by exercise
- Chronic paroxysmal hemicranias, sharp, one-sided headaches that can cause tearing or a congested nose
- Medication overuse headaches, which occur from overusing pain medications for headaches for at least three months. These headaches occur at least 15 days out of the month.
Other headache types include:
- Cluster headaches, which cause severe pain on one side of the head and occur off and on for weeks over the course of a few months. Cluster headaches are associated with one or more signs and symptoms, such as tearing, nasal congestion and nasal discharge. These occur on the same side as the pain.
Tension-type headaches
Tension-type headaches, the most common variety of headaches:
- Might be felt as a tight band of pain around your head, a dull ache or pressure
- Might cause mild to moderate pain on both sides of the head
- Vary widely in frequency
- Can be occasional
- May occur more than 15 days a month (chronic)
- Last from 30 minutes to a week
Treatment
Most occasional tension-type headaches are easily treated with over-the-counter medications, including:
- Aspirin
- Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others)
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)
Daily prescription medications, including tricyclic antidepressants, might manage chronic tension-type headaches. Alternative therapies aimed at stress reduction might help. They include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Biofeedback
- Massage therapy
- Acupuncture
Migraines
Migraines are another common type of headache. They affect three times more women than men. Migraines typically:
- Cause pain that is moderate to severe
- Pulsate
- Cause nausea, vomiting, or increased sensitivity to light or sound
- Affect only one side of your head, but can affect both sides
- Worsen with activity such as climbing steps
- Last from four to 72 hours without treatment
Treatment
Migraine treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms and preventing additional attacks. If you know what triggers your migraines, avoiding those triggers and learning how to manage them can help prevent migraines or lessen the pain. Treatment might include:
- Rest in a quiet, dark room
- Hot or cold compresses to your head or neck
- Massage and small amounts of caffeine
- Over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and aspirin
- Prescription medications including triptans, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex) and zolmitriptan (Zomig)
- Preventive medications such as metoprolol (Lopressor), propranolol (Innopran, Inderal, others), amitriptyline, divalproex (Depakote), topiramate (Qudexy XR, Trokendi XR ,Topamax) or erenumab-aooe (Aimovig)
Recognize emergency symptoms
Seek emergency care if you have:
- A very severe, sudden headache
- Headache after a head injury or fall
- Fever, stiff neck, rash, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking
- Pain that worsens despite treatment
These symptoms suggest a more serious condition, so it's important to get a prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Take control
Almost everyone gets headaches, and many are nothing to worry about. But if headaches are disrupting your activities, work or personal life, it's time to see your doctor. Headaches can't always be prevented, but your doctor can help you manage the symptoms.
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox
Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.
To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.
May 10, 2019
- Headache information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Headache-Information-Page. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- Headache diary: Keeping a diary can help your doctor help you. National Headache Foundation. https://headaches.org/resources/headache-diary-keeping-a-diary-can-help-your-doctor-help-you/. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS). The international classification of headache disorders, 3rd edition. Cephalalgia. 2018;38:1.
- Bajwa ZH, et al. Evaluation of headache in adults. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- Kasper DL, et al., eds. Headache. In: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 19th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2015. https://www.accessmedicine.mhmedical.com. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- Taylor FR. Tension-type headache in adults: Pathophysiology, clinical features, and diagnosis. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- Tension-type headache. American Migraine Foundation. https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/understanding-migraine/tension-type-headache/. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- May A. Cluster headache: Treatment and prognosis. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- May A. Cluster headache: Epidemiology, clinical features, and diagnosis. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed June 26, 2018.
- Headache: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Hope-Through-Research/Headache-Hope-Through-Research. Accessed June 26, 2018.
See more In-depth
Products and Services
See also
- Medication-free hypertension control
- Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?
- Alpha blockers
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers
- Antiphospholipid syndrome
- Anxiety: A cause of high blood pressure?
- Beta blockers
- Beta blockers: Do they cause weight gain?
- Beta blockers: How do they affect exercise?
- Blood pressure: Can it be higher in one arm?
- Blood pressure chart
- Blood pressure cuff: Does size matter?
- Blood pressure: Does it have a daily pattern?
- Blood pressure: Is it affected by cold weather?
- Blood pressure medication: Still necessary if I lose weight?
- Blood pressure medications: Can they raise my triglycerides?
- Blood pressure readings: Why higher at home?
- Blood pressure tip: Get more potassium
- Caffeine and hypertension
- Calcium channel blockers
- Calcium supplements: Do they interfere with blood pressure drugs?
- Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure?
- Central-acting agents
- Choosing blood pressure medicines
- Chronic daily headaches
- Chronic pain: Medication decisions
- CT scan
- Diuretics
- Diuretics: A cause of low potassium?
- EEG (electroencephalogram)
- High blood pressure and exercise
- Free blood pressure machines: Are they accurate?
- Home blood pressure monitoring
- Headaches and hormones
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High blood pressure and cold remedies: Which are safe?
- High blood pressure and sex
- High blood pressure dangers
- What is hypertension? A Mayo Clinic expert explains.
- Hypertension FAQs
- Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms?
- Isolated systolic hypertension: A health concern?
- L-arginine: Does it lower blood pressure?
- Managing Headaches
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Prevent migraines with magnetic stimulation
- Mayo Clinic Minute: Weathering migraines
- Medications and supplements that can raise your blood pressure
- Menopause and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
- Migraine
- What is a migraine? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
- Migraine medicines and antidepressants
- Migraine FAQs
- Migraine treatment: Can antidepressants help?
- Migraines and gastrointestinal problems: Is there a link?
- Migraines and Vertigo
- Migraines: Are they triggered by weather changes?
- Alleviating migraine pain
- MRI
- Nasal congestion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Nighttime headaches: Relief
- Occipital nerve stimulation: Effective migraine treatment?
- Ocular migraine: When to seek help
- Pain Management
- Picnic Problems: High Sodium
- Pulse pressure: An indicator of heart health?
- Red eye
- Resperate: Can it help reduce blood pressure?
- Runny nose
- Seeing inside the heart with MRI
- Sleep deprivation: A cause of high blood pressure?
- Stress and high blood pressure
- Stress symptoms
- Integrative approaches to treating pain
- Nutrition and pain
- Pain rehabilitation
- Self-care approaches to treating pain
- Toxoplasmosis
- Urinalysis
- Vasodilators
- How to measure blood pressure using a manual monitor
- How to measure blood pressure using an automatic monitor
- MRI
- What is blood pressure?
- Can a lack of vitamin D cause high blood pressure?
- White coat hypertension
- Wrist blood pressure monitors: Are they accurate?
.