What to do for a severe headache: causes and remedies

Causes of severe headaches

Most often, severe pain in the head indicates problems with blood vessels, which:

• Too compressed. The main reasons for excessive compression of blood vessels are oxygen starvation, lack of nutrients (they haven’t eaten or drunk for a long time), weak venous tone;
• They expand too much. A disease in which blood vessels regularly dilate excessively is called migraine. This type of neurological disorder affects about 10% of the population.

When looking for a doctor who treats headaches, go to the neuropathology department. In most cases, it is the neurologist who makes the diagnosis and prescribes a treatment regimen. If you have pain in the maxillary sinuses, nose, or ears, make an appointment with an otolaryngologist. Sinusitis, sinusitis, otitis, and other diseases of the ENT organs can also provoke pain throughout the head.

Prevention methods

According to statistics, adults often have headaches due to acquired disorders. Common causes are poor diet, stress and lack of rest, and excess weight. Today, many people, including young people, lead a sedentary lifestyle, which also negatively affects the general condition of the body. Doctors at the Clinical Institute of the Brain have several tips on how to provide timely prevention of headaches at home:

• regularly measure blood pressure, especially at the age of 40 years or more;
• perform simple exercises for the neck and head every day, including during the working day;
• consume sufficient amounts of vitamins and microelements;
• give up bad habits, smoking and drinking alcohol, as well as fatty foods high in cholesterol.

If a person has a headache for several days or even weeks, it is worth contacting the Clinical Brain Institute. Doctors will develop an individual program for diagnosing and treating chronic pain. The scheme will include only the necessary informative techniques that will allow you to quickly make an accurate diagnosis and select the most effective course of treatment, including at home.

Migraine:

Migraines can be triggered by smell or taste.
Features of migraine:

• severe pain is localized in the same part of the head each time;
• before an attack, changes in taste, color, smell, and hallucinations appear (the so-called aura);
• during an attack, a person completely loses working capacity for 2–72 hours;
• pain – throbbing;
• intolerance to sounds, photophobia;
• vomiting, nausea, neurological disorders;
• the presence of a triggering factor (for example, a migraine attack can be triggered by the smell of bananas or the meowing of a cat).

Understanding whether you have a migraine or not is very simple. With migraines, the attacks are clearly expressed, and between them the head does not hurt at all. If your head aches constantly, then it is not a migraine.

Researchers claim that in 90% of cases, painful sensations develop due to overstrain of the muscles of the neck, eyes, face, forehead, and various parts of the head. Pain due to muscle strain and migraine are called primary. You can get rid of them by acting directly on the cause of their occurrence (for example, by performing a neck massage, doing eye exercises, drinking an antispasmodic). The localization of sensations is different. Sometimes it is a girdling headache, in other cases the whole head, or part of it (the back of the head, temples) hurts.

The safest drugs for headaches are Ibuprofen and Paracetamol.

Secondary headaches develop due to pathological processes occurring in the neck or head. They are caused, for example, by osteochondrosis, vegetative-vascular dystonia, and hypertension. Pain can be localized with painkillers. The underlying disease needs to be treated, then the headache will go away on its own.

A severe headache that pills do not help get rid of is a serious reason to visit a doctor. This condition is among the signs of stroke, neurological disorders and requires emergency medical care.

Severe pain in the head is sometimes provoked by diseases of the ENT organs

Sometimes very severe headaches develop after taking high-dose headache medications. Such painful sensations are called abuse. Therefore, the principle “the more the better” does not work here.

Sudden severe headache is a sign of a stroke or cranial neuralgia. For patients with diabetes, kidney failure and cancer, this is a signal of the development of metabolic imbalance.

A severe headache may be a sign of stress or a stroke

Painful sensations in the head area can be a side effect when taking medications. If this is the case, coordinate further actions with your doctor.

And painful sensations await people during a hangover. Here's what to do if you have a terrible headache:

• 6 hours after the last drink, take Aspirin (can be replaced with Picamilon, Mexidol, Pantogam);
• take a contrast shower;
• drink a lot of water (this will not be difficult) and any diuretic (Diacarb, Triamten, Veroshpiron). Strong diuretics (for example, Lasix, Furosemide, Hypothiazide, Oxodoline) do not need to be used.

Citramon P or Paracetamol should not be taken. They overload the liver, which at this moment is already working “at high speed.”

What to do if your head hurts often?

Of course, in the case of chronic pain, when the headache is frequent and severe, because of which a person is forced to constantly increase the dose of painkillers, it is also necessary to go to the doctor. Otherwise, there is a high risk of acquiring a drug-dependent headache. Such a headache will not go away on its own; it will require an increasingly larger dose of pills. And they, in turn, can provoke complications from the cardiovascular system, for example, a tendency to thrombosis, or cause an exacerbation of peptic ulcer disease, in severe cases even gastrointestinal bleeding.

Here again there is a clear criterion. If you take more than 15 tablets a month specifically for headaches (this can be calculated from the purchased packages), it means that you have developed a dependence on medications. You should definitely contact a neurologist or cephalgologist: this is also a neurologist who has undergone special training in the treatment of headaches. Young working women with a family often come to our clinic with a similar problem: they cannot afford to endure a headache, but do not have time to take care of their health, start taking painkillers, and even go so far as to take several tablets a day. However, the headache continues to hurt, sleep is disturbed, and overall health worsens. In this case, a detoxification course is carried out for a week, sometimes with the installation of intravenous drips, and special medications are prescribed to relieve headaches. As a result, the dosage of painkillers is gradually reduced, and over time the headache itself stops.

They treat and cripple. Why are painkillers dangerous for the human body? Read more

First aid for headaches

What to do when a headache takes you by surprise and there are no suitable medications at hand? The first thing you need to do is to retire, lie down, darken the room, muffle the sounds, remove all irritating factors (especially if you feel a migraine attack approaching). Relaxing eye exercises will help relieve pain caused by vascular spasm. If there is spasm of blood vessels, you can take a warm shower; if they are overly dilated, you can take a cool shower. Going to the bath is dangerous - there is a high chance of feeling bad.

When your head hurts badly, try to lie down

You should not take a contrast shower. Temperature changes cause blood vessels to alternately contract and expand. If the problem is caused by spasm or excessive dilation of blood vessels, this will inevitably increase the pain.

If possible, give a light head massage. Try not to overload your body on this day - do not overeat, eliminate alcohol and physical activity. In some cases, these measures help relieve an incipient attack or use “lighter” drugs. Smooth adjustment of the diet and light physical activity (regular walks in the fresh air are suitable) in the long term will help to avoid attacks or significantly reduce their pain.

A heating pad with ice can help ease the condition during a migraine attack.

What should pregnant women drink for headaches?

As you know, pregnant women cannot do everything - endure painful sensations and take medications against them. However, a way out can be found. Typically, headaches are provoked by changes in hormonal balance and an unusual increase in blood volume for the body. If the expectant mother quickly gains weight, problems are added. Those who know exactly why their headaches hurt can take No-shpa, Paracetamol, Citramon. If the sensations appear for the first time or seem suspicious, immediately go for an examination to a specialist.

Pregnant women are contraindicated:

• tryptamine-based medications – Amigrenin, Antimigraine;
• Nurofen, Aspirin, Propranolol, Ergotamine. These drugs can provoke bleeding, premature birth, and disrupt fetal development.

What to drink “from the head” for pregnant women, it’s best to ask your doctor

Diagnostic methods

If a person has had a headache for a week, it is important to determine why the symptom is occurring. To do this, the doctor prescribes a set of examinations, depending on the results of the examination. These include:

• EEG (electroencephalography) – examination of the brain, which will identify various diseases;
• MRI is a modern, informative technique, prescribed for suspected tumors, cerebrovascular accident, stroke;
• Ultrasound of the vessels of the neck and head with the addition of a contrast agent (Dopplerography) - allows you to determine areas where blood circulation is impaired;
• laboratory blood tests are prescribed to determine inflammatory processes, the concentration of cholesterol and other substances, and disruption of the functioning of individual organs and systems.

Determining the cause of the headache is the first stage of successful treatment. The Clinical Brain Institute has high-quality equipment that allows you to visualize the full picture of the disease. All examinations can be completed in our center, including complex modern techniques.

What to take for headaches?

To choose the right drug, you need to know the cause of the headache.

Recommended drugs:

• For any pain in the head, neck, or elevated temperature - Ibuprofen, Nurofen, Burana, Mig, Faspik. Their active ingredient is considered the safest in terms of benefit/side effects ratio.
• To neutralize mild and moderate pain, which occurs rarely, - Panadol, Paracetamol, Calpol, Askofen-P, Koficil, Citramon, Tempalgin, Sedalgin. Medicines are prohibited in cases of liver dysfunction and after drinking alcohol, along with other drugs that are metabolized in the liver.
• Acetylsalicylic acid will help relieve pain caused by inflammation.
• For severe pain - Migrenol (a combination of paracetamol and diphenhydramine). It causes drowsiness, so it is better to drink it before bed and should not be taken if you are going to drive.

If you are prone to headaches, always carry “your” medication in your pocket or bag

• If the headaches are extremely severe and you don’t know what to do (conventional medications don’t help), Pentalgin, Piralgin, Sedal, Sedalgin. These are powerful combination medications that even contain phenobarbitals. Use them as a last resort, preferably on the advice of a specialist. They cause drowsiness and provide positive results in doping tests, so drivers and athletes are prohibited from drinking them.
• When the headache does not go away and is accompanied by fever - Analgin, Baralgin. The drugs also help with toothache. The active ingredient, metamizole sodium, reduces the production of leukocytes, so these drugs must be taken with extreme caution.
• Painful sensations in the head area caused by vasospasm - Bral, Trigan-D, Maxigan, Novigan, Spazmalgon, Spazgan, Revalgin. These drugs also help with monthly women's pain. It is not advisable to drink them on an empty stomach.
• For headaches that are accompanied by a cough (for example, during acute respiratory infections), Solpadeine and Caffetin help. These drugs are prescribed only to adults. You can take up to 6 tablets per day.
• When you have a headache with low blood pressure - Migrenol, Panadol, Solpadeine Fast, Askofen, Koficil, Citramon, Tempalgin. These medications contain caffeine and are therefore contraindicated for hypertensive patients.
• When you have a headache and conventional medications do not work, you can take Next, Brustan or Ibuklin - a combination of ibuprofen and paracetamol.

If you drive, avoid drugs containing phenobarbital and codeine. The presence of these substances in the blood during an accident is regarded as a state of drug intoxication. In order for them to be completely eliminated from the body, you need to wait 72 hours.

To find out the cause of your headaches, get tested

So, now you know what to do for headaches of various origins. If you have not yet been to a doctor, be sure to consult. It is likely that painful sensations signal the onset of problems in the body that can develop into a serious problem. Take action in time and don’t get sick!

How to choose painkillers?

Everything here is individual. For some people, regular paracetamol or ibuprofen helps with headaches. For others they are useless. There are more modern drugs that do not have such a negative effect on the wall of the gastrointestinal tract and generally cause fewer side effects.

The most reasonable approach is to choose a painkiller together with your doctor, especially if you have, for example, chronic gastritis, if the patient is over 40 years old.

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