What’s giving you a headache?
Sometimes a throbbing head is caused by more than too much vino the night before, or the kids being rowdy. Here’s how to identify the six most common headaches, and more importantly, how to treat them
TENSION HEADACHE
Feels like: A general tightness all over the scalp or a tight band around the head.
What causes it? ‘These are very common,’ says GP Dr Roger Henderson. ‘They’re caused by tension in the back and neck, which is brought on by stress or injury, causing muscles to spasm.’
Get rid of it: ‘The best thing is neck and shoulder exercise,’ says Roger. ‘Learn basic ones at yogasite.com/neckandshoulders.’ A gentle massage also helps, or a hot wheat bag like Aromahome Lavender Neck warmer, £19.99, draped around the neck. The heat will cause the muscles to relax. Taking an anti-inflammatory pain killer such as ibuprofen is very effective on muscle pain headaches. Try fast acting Nurofen Express, £3.99 for 16 tablets.
MIGRAINE
Feels like: Often a flash or glow in front of your eyes, followed by a severe headache, usually on one side above the eye. It’s often accompanied by nausea and dislike of strong light, sounds or smells.
What causes it? A migraine is a neurological condition where the brain responds abnormally to pain, light or sound. Unfortunately, some people are prone to migraines, but triggers include stress, tiredness, eye strain, hormones, and even exercise. Chocolate, cheese or red wine can also start an attack (all the fun stuff, then).
Get rid of it: ‘Keep a diary of your migraines to help identify triggers, so you can avoid them,’ says GP Dr Paul Stillman. ‘Unfortunately, once an attack hits, paracetamol won’t make much impact, but over-the-counter painkillers – Migraleve, £4.49 for two tablets, and Imigram Recovery, £7.82 for two tablets – are designed specially for migraine sufferers. These contain codeine (the strongest over-the-counter painkiller), so they should have more of an effect, but often have more pronounced side effects such as drowsiness. If they still don’t work, your GP will be able to prescribe something stronger.’ If you’re looking for something more natural, sufferers also find that talking feverfew regularly can work as a preventative.
CLUSTER HEADACHES
Feels like: ‘Cluster headaches are excruciating when they hit,’ says trustee of cluster headache charity OUCH, Mike Pollack. ‘They feel like you’ve been bashed round the head and can last 40 mins to three hours. You’re likely to feel agitated or restless, and suffer from a watery eye, runny or blocked nostril or droopy eyelid on the same side as the pain.’ Episodic sufferers have ‘clusters’ of attacks for a few weeks or months, then nothing for a couple of years. Chronic sufferers have attacks all the time.
What causes them? No one knows the exact cause, but it’s thought it could be due to an abnormality of the brain.
Get rid of them: Neurologists can prescribe Verapamil as a preventative, but once an attack has hit, the only thing that’ll stop it is Imigram injections or inhaling pure oxygen. GPs can prescribe these too, although they can be reluctant to. Direct your GP to the ouchuk.org link on the NHS site if he hasn’t heard of the condition. As a last ditch solution, try a high-energy drink like Red Bull when an attack hits as the caffeine and taurine can stop it in its tracks.
PAINKILLER HEADACHE
Feels like: A moderate to severe headache all over your head when you stop taking painkillers, after taking them for a few days.
What causes it? ‘It’s a bigger problem than people realise,’ says Dr Henderson. ‘When people get a headache, they start popping painkillers to keep it away. But it can only take a few days before you start getting a withdrawal headache as soon as the levels of painkillers start dropping in your body.’ It’s most common with codeine painkillers, but can happen with paracetamol or ibuprofen too.
Get rid of it: ‘If you’ve been having to take painkillers continuously for more than a couple of days, go to the doctor and get checked out,’ says Dr Stillman. But if you’re already hooked, brace yourself for a rough couple of days. ‘When people are in this situation,’ says Dr Henderson, ‘I tell them to prepare to struggle for the next day or two. Ironically, the headache you get from painkiller withdrawal is often much worse than the one you had originally. But once the painkiller is washed out of your system, you’ll feel fine.’
EYE STRAIN HEADACHE
Feels like: A frontal headache, usually behind the eyes. It can be difficult to differentiate from a tension headache.
What causes it? Straining your eyes by trying to focus.
Get rid of it: Get your eyes checked at the optician. If you’re lucky, the cause of an eye strain headache will be obvious because you’ll only get it when you’re doing close-up work, but if you’re getting a regular headache and you’re not sure of the cause, it’s always worth getting your eyes checked to rule out this possibility.
SINUS HEADACHE
Feels like: Pressure across the cheekbones and under the eyes, which gets worse when you lean forward. Sufferers also describe feeling like their front teeth are loose.
What causes it? Blocked sinuses brought on by allergies or a cold.
Get rid of it: By inhaling steam or taking an over-the-counter decongestant like Sudafed Dual Relief Max, £3.69.
SOMETHING MORE SERIOUS?
‘It’s rare for a headache to be a symptom of something more serious,’ says Dr Stillman. ‘Ask yourself whether there’s an obvious reason for the headache – a cold, a temperature, have you hurt your neck, are you stressed, tired or dehydrated? If you only get the occasional headache that goes away on its own, then you don’t have to worry. If it’s severe enough to stop you sleeping, lasts longer than six hours and is accompanied by other unusual changes, such as ear problems, go to your GP.’
YOUR PAINKILLER ARSENAL
Paracetamol
Your first port of call, as it’s the mildest form of painkiller. It can also be taken on an empty stomach.
Ibuprofen
Slightly stronger than paracetamol (so only take it with food). It’s best for muscular aches and pains. Be cautious if you have asthma or stomach ulcers, as it can make them worse. If neither paracetamol nor ibuprofen gets rid of the pain, try overlapping them: have one, then the other two hours later, for a double hit.
Paracetamol and Codeine compounds
Super-strong painkillers like Solpadeine, Migraleve or Imigram. They’re great for getting rid of a migraine, but should be used with caution, and only when you’ve tried paracetamol and ibuprofen.
Aspirin
The oldest form of painkiller, it often gets a bad rep because it can irritate the stomach. But if you’ve tried paracetamol and ibuprofen, it might be the solution you’re after. Sometimes it’s just that different things work for different people.
Soluble painkillers
Most painkillers come in a form that dissolves in water. It’s the fastest-acting way to take painkillers, because you have to wait for tablets to dissolve in your stomach, whereas these already have, so they’re absorbed quicker.
By Anna Jury
mirror.co.uk