Episodic headaches usually don't last longer than a week. People with chronic tension-type headaches can have symptoms that last for months at a time. Pain may stay at the same level of discomfort for days. While uncommon, these headaches can take a toll on your quality of life.
If your headache persists for longer than 72 hours, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. The same is true for headaches that come and go but continuously occur in the same spot.
Your headache comes on suddenly and is explosive or violent. Your headache is "the worst ever," even if you regularly get headaches. You also have slurred speech, a change in vision, problems moving your arms or legs, loss of balance, confusion, or memory loss with your headache. Your headache gets worse over 24 hours.
A persistent headache can result from an injury or a structural problem in the spine, such as arthritis. It can also affect people who have migraine or have had a stroke. The overuse of pain relief drugs can also cause an ongoing headache. Headaches are common neurological conditions.
Headaches that get steadily worse. Changes in personality or mental function. Headaches that are accompanied by fever, stiff neck, confusion, decreased alertness or memory, or neurological symptoms such as visual disturbances, slurred speech, weakness, numbness, or seizures.
A cluster headache is brief, but it comes on fast and strong. It's sometimes described as “explosive.” The pain may peak within 10 to 15 minutes and vanish within 15 minutes to 2 hours. It may last longer, but that's uncommon. Migraines tend to build up slowly and last a long time.
Also go to the ER right away if you or a loved one have a new or severe headache with any of the following: High fever, stiff neck, numbness, muscle weakness, confusion, double vision, or vision loss. Trouble walking or speaking clearly. Loss of consciousness, or uncontrolled nausea or vomiting.
The good news is that 90 percent of headaches are "benign." That means they aren't harmful or dangerous to you. The bad news is that 10 percent of headaches are a sign of a serious condition which requires an emergency evaluation.
Go to hospital now
Serious and urgent causes of headaches include infection, bleeding, clots and tumours. Don't hesitate to go straight to hospital (via ambulance, or with a trusted driver) if you notice one or more of the following: sudden onset of the worst headache you've ever had.
ER doctors are not specialists in headache and Migraine, and their goals are to make sure there is no serious, life-threatening problem and help reduce suffering. Different ER doctors have different ways to treat acute headaches and Migraine: there is no universal protocol for emergency treatment of headache disorders.
The pain is usually like a dull ache, but it can also be sharp. You may have a throbbing (pounding) headache, or the pain might be constant. The pain might get worse when you bend over, shake your head or move around. Other dehydration symptoms usually occur along with headache pain.
Tension headaches usually cause pain behind both eyes and a feeling of pressure around the forehead. They can occur at any time and can last from 30 minutes to several hours.
Silent migraines, also called acephalgic migraines or migraine without headaches, are the types of migraines that do not involve the typical head pain. Instead, people with silent migraines experience other symptoms such as aura (visual disturbances), dizziness, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm usually begin with a sudden agonising headache. It's been likened to being hit on the head, resulting in a blinding pain unlike anything experienced before. Other symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm also tend to come on suddenly and may include: feeling or being sick.
If this doesn't help, or if your migraines become more frequent or severe, ask your doctor about a stronger prescription drug. Common options include triptans, such as rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig).
Tension headaches, which typically occur with anxiety and depression, can cause mild to intense pain in your neck, behind your eyes, and around your head. While they can impair your quality of life, aren't always disruptive to your daily routine and may improve fairly quickly.
If you develop any unusual or particularly severe symptoms, call for medical help right away. Even if headaches have become part of your routine, talk to your doctor. Your doctor can get you started on a treatment to relieve your aching head and finally stop headaches from interfering with your life.
Taking OTC pain relievers too often, or at a higher dose than advised, could cause more problems. Once the drug wears off, withdrawal symptoms start. This leads to more head pain and the need for more medicine. Doctors call this a rebound headache.
Simple pain relievers available without a prescription are usually the first line of treatment for reducing headache pain. These include the drugs aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) and naproxen sodium (Aleve).
Migraine headaches are often described as pounding, throbbing pain. They can last from 4 hours to 3 days and usually happen one to four times a month. Along with the pain, people have other symptoms, such as sensitivity to light, noise, or smells; nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; and upset stomach or belly pain.
Have you ever experienced a headache that lasted for several days? If so, this is not normal. Although this isn't a sign of a serious or life-threatening health problem, it is a sign that you may have a headache disorder or an underlying problem such as TMJ disorder.
What does a thunderclap headache feel like? The main symptom of a thunderclap headache is sudden and severe pain in your head. This pain reaches its most intense point within 60 seconds and lasts at least five minutes.