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Headaches: Treatment depends on your diagnosis and symptoms
Are the headaches dull and achy?
Are the headaches throbbing and severe?
Do you have headaches nearly every day?
Do the headaches recur for weeks at a time?
Do you take pain medication more than 2 or 3 days a week?
Content
Tension-type headaches
Migraines
Recognize emergency symptoms
Take control
Do the headaches recur for weeks at a time?
Cluster headaches occur off and on for weeks at a time over the course of a few months. These headaches are rare, but most often affect men and smokers. Cluster headaches:
- Begin and evolve quickly, becoming intense within minutes
- Tend to develop at the same time of day or night
- Can occur several times per day during a cluster period
- Usually affect one side of your head, often behind an eye
- May occur with tearing, redness or swelling of the eye on the affected side of the head
- Cause a runny or stuffy nose
- Typically last from 15 minutes to three hours
- May cause agitation or a restless feeling
Treatment
Cluster headaches tend to subside quickly, so treatments need to be fast-acting. Treatments may include:
- Injectable medications, such as sumatriptan (Imitrex, Sumavel Dosepro, others), for quick relief during an attack
- Prescription triptan nasal sprays, such as zolmitriptan (Zomig NS) or sumatriptan (Imitrex Nasal Spray)
- Oxygen therapy (breathing pure oxygen via mask)
- Preventive medications, such as verapamil (Verapamil HCL, Verelan, others)
