Do You Suffer From Constant Headaches?

Aaron Chy, BSc General, PharmD Student

Headaches are one of the most common complaints related to pain. They can vary in severity from dull, tolerable aches to a mind-splitting, tear-jerking agony. For the most part, headaches go away on their own and aren’t typically a cause for concern. However, other cases can be more serious, and may actually warrant seeing a professional instead of “toughing it out”.

Tension-Type Headaches

These are your common, run-of-the-mill type headaches. These headaches generally last a few hours to a few days at most, and generally present as:

A pressing/tightening feeling¹
Mild to moderate intensity¹
Occur on both sides of the head¹
Not worsened by physical activity¹

Interestingly enough, the cause of regular tension headaches isn’t well-understood, although, unsurprisingly, they’re proven to be more common in individuals who sleep less, stress more and have difficulty relaxing after work. They typically go away on their own, but you can help manage the pain with over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®). Generally speaking, if a headache were to consistently not respond to these medications, or didn’t go away on its own, that would be a sign of something more complicated that might warrant seeing a care provider.

When Should You Go Seek Care?

There are many other types of headaches including migraines and cluster-type headaches that are more serious. These types of headaches typically don’t respond to over-the-counter medication and are unique in the way they present. If you experience headaches characterized by any of the following, it would be a good idea to see a healthcare provider.¹

Very sudden onset
Pain in only one place, or one side of the head
Throbbing, pulsating feeling
Very severe pain
Headaches that start to happen more often, or become more painful each time
Fever, trouble focusing, stiff neck and feeling sick overall
Abnormal sensations, or visual experiences preceding the headache

Medication Overuse Headache

Is it possible to over-treat headaches? Yes, it is. Medication Overuse Headache (also called Rebound Headache) can occur when using pain medications – regardless of what the medication is – for more than 15 days of the month, or longer than three months straight.² As a general rule of thumb, it’s recommended to avoid going over these limits. If you get headaches this frequently to begin with, there may be something else going on, and a visit to your healthcare provider may be warranted.

We hope reading this wasn’t a pain! As always, feel free to reach out to us at ask@orbishealth.ca with any questions or concerns.

RESOURCES

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