What to do with a headache?
Last reviewed: 19.11.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Headache is not just an unpleasant symptom. When the head hurts, the world seems to stop - it becomes impossible to work, study, do household chores, does not bring pleasure even ordinary rest. Why does it happen, how to deal with it and what to do with a headache?
The causes of pain can often be excessive mental stress, muscle fatigue, osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae, a lowered tone of the cerebral vessels, sleep disorders, lack of nutrition and much more. Sometimes a headache is an irradiation of pain caused by otitis or dental disease.
Violations of blood pressure, nerve stress, migraine, increased intracranial pressure - how many factors can trigger a headache.
Who to contact?
What to do if you have a severe headache?
First, you need to find out the possible cause of the headache and eliminate it:
- colds and ARVI - should take drugs that relieve cerebral edema and analgesics (paracetamol, analgin, aspirin, tempalgin, sedalgin);
- diseases of the cervical vertebrae - the massage of the neck-collar zone, the therapeutic gymnastics of the muscles of the neck and the shoulder girdle are good. From the drugs will help cigar, oxygene, nimesil, nimesulide;
- low blood pressure - sometimes it's enough just to make yourself a cup of coffee or strong tea, eat a chocolate or drink hot cocoa. If it does not help, you can swallow two tablets of Citramonum, Ascophene, Calfaginum, Pharmadol;
- high blood pressure - if you are convinced that you have high blood pressure indicators, and those have arisen for the first time - you need to exclude from the diet coffee drinks, coca-cola and salty foods, alcohol. Be sure to lie down, put a cold compress on the forehead. It is good to drink calming tea, it is possible with the addition of motherwort, mint. Of the drugs will help indapamide, captopril, enalapril, losartan. This pill should be taken once, you can start with a half, but not more than one! In the absence of effect and with repeated headaches, it is better to consult a doctor and not take any independent treatment. You can drink pressure-lowering tablets only after measuring blood pressure with a tonometer;
- stressful and psycho-emotional situations - in this case it's better to lie down, try to calm down and relax, light an aromatic candle, turn on light music. You can drink soothing: tincture valerian, corvalolus, motherwort, novopassit, fitosed.
What to do with constant headaches?
What to do if you have a headache, if she is constantly tormented? The answer to this question is straightforward: you should consult a doctor to determine the root cause of the problem. After all, the head hurts not just because of it, but because of something. The doctor can measure your blood pressure, examine the fundus, check the intraocular pressure. In addition, he can ask you some leading questions that will help him to clarify the situation:
- how frequent are headaches?
- concretization of pain: in which part of the head is soreness observed?
- daily dependence of pain: when it hurts? In the morning, in the evening, at night?
- what other symptoms appeared along with pain in the head?
- does it make you sick during the seizure?
- are there any simultaneous problems with vision?
- Is there a feeling of weakness, is not the head spinning?
- does the irritation cause sharp light?
- what medications have you taken recently or are taking now?
- Have you had a recent cold or flu?
- Did you get a head injury?
- maybe nervous or conflicted?
- Do you have depression?
- how do you think yourself, why can you have a headache?
In unclear situations, when it is not possible to determine the cause of the headache, a magnetic resonance or computed tomography procedure may be prescribed. These are photographs of various parts of the brain that provide complete information and help to identify the problem.
What if I have headaches?
Periodic and severe headaches can be caused by migraine attacks . Often migraine is hereditary in nature, it can manifest itself in one family in several people.
The pain in migraines can pulsate and be one-sided, reaching a peak with physical and motor loads. Seizures can last for one or several days.
A person with migraine becomes sensitive to light, sharp taste, smell or sound. Sometimes it may be nausea, and even vomiting.
Migraine attacks can be triggered by lack of sleep, the characteristics of the menstrual cycle in women, the change in weather and atmospheric pressure, stressful situations or overwork.
Recommended medications for migraine:
- Sumamigren is an effective remedy for migraines, it helps in half an hour after taking. Take a half or whole tablet (100 mg), but not more than two tablets per day;
- Immigran is an antimigraine drug based on sumatriptan. Can be used in tablets and spray. Single dosage - 50 mg or 100 mg, taken no more than twice a day;
- Aspekard - sold in conventional tablets of 0.1 grams, or in effervescent soluble. Take half or whole pill up to five times a day, effervescent tablet is diluted in a glass of water and drunk;
- Zolmitriptan - take 2.5 mg, once a day. If there is no effect, you can take 5 mg, but not earlier than 2 hours later. The drug is periodic: the greatest effect is achieved with the first symptoms of migraine.
What to do with a terrible headache?
What to do if you have a headache, when you are reluctant to take pills, and a banal cold compress does not help?
You can try alternative means, because they really help many:
- if the pain in the head is associated with PMS, you can apply to the temples of the circles of the cut bulb, lightly massaging their skin;
- The aromatic lamp with lemon oil helps a lot: you can simply lay the lemon skins around the apartment and breathe their aroma;
- you can brew peppermint or melissa tea and make of it a cold frontal compress;
- brew and take tea from thyme;
- fill in the thermos the same number of flowers of hawthorn and lemon grass, pour boiling water. This infusion should be drunk 0.5 cup several times a day;
- good effect gives ginger tea, you can add to it oregano and lemon;
- By the way, the lemon can also be used separately: cut the "crusts" from the lemon and apply them to the temples with a soft side, for at least 20 minutes;
- a relaxing and analgesic effect is provided by a hot bath with the addition of lemongrass and melissa oils. To enhance the action before the procedure, you can brew a cup of special Oriental tea: a glass of boiling water should be filled with an anise star, half a cinnamon stick and a pinch of cumin. You can drink tea directly or directly with a bath. After the procedure, do not immediately run on business: relax and rest for at least half an hour, to fix the effect;
- It is useful to get rid of headaches to drink freshly squeezed juice from carrots, spinach and dandelions (3: 1: 1);
- also carrot-cucumber juice is effective;
- Elder flowers can be poured boiling water at a rate of 1:10, insist half an hour and drink a third cup before meals, you can with honey;
- at elevated pressure it is useful to brew in the thermos 2 table. Spoonfuls of calyx berries for 0.5 liters of boiling water, drink like tea throughout the day. It is possible to prepare and a kaline jelly;
- it is good to apply a fresh cabbage leaf to your head, you can fix it and leave it for the night.
Alternative agents can be used alone or in combination with traditional therapy methods, as well as for the prevention of seizures.
What to do with a terrible headache?
Headache, in addition to analgesic drugs, is well cut off by distracting procedures, namely physiotherapy methods.
Depending on the form of migraine, you can use hot or cold compresses. Not bad reviews from the use of hot baths: foot and hand, it is possible with a gradual heating of water to 45 ° C. The duration of reception of such baths is about 20 minutes. The contrast shower also removes seizures.
In the period of pain relief, it is possible to use diadynamic currents on the upper cervical sympathetic nodes. The effect is used daily for four days, then every other day.
The use of electrophoresis of the collar zone with antispasmodics or sedatives is conducted in a course of 10-14 sessions.
Darsonvalization is a therapy technique carried out by high-frequency impulse current. The exposure lasts about 8 minutes, treatment lasts for two weeks.
A good effect is observed from the procedures of hirudotherapy and from the sessions of manual massage of the cervical-collar zone. Professional massage provides relaxation of spasmodic muscles and the removal of fatigue, it relieves pain in the head, relieves nervous tension, normalizes the blood supply to the head. It is useful in the destabilization of blood pressure, osteochondrosis, favorably affects the movement of blood in the collar area.
A positive effect with a headache is the use of acupressure, which has a soothing effect. Each specific point is massaged within five minutes; symmetrical points are massed simultaneously. Here are the most basic points for impact during headache attacks:
- The first point is located on the outside of the forearm, just above the wrist. This point needs to be massaged sitting alternately on the left and right hand;
- the second point is located in the temporal region, next to the hair growth boundary. The point is massed simultaneously on two temples;
- the third point is located near the external corner of the eye, also massaged from two sides.
During a massage, it is recommended to include light music and close your eyes.
If the headache occurs only occasionally and manifests itself not very intensively, then it is possible to use conventional drug preparations or alternative agents. Constant and prolonged headaches require consultation of a doctor who will find the cause of this not quite pleasant state. We hope that we answered the question: "What to do with a headache?". Take care of your health!
More information of the treatment