What Are the Most Common Types of Primary Headaches, and How Are They Treated?

Healthcare providers break headaches into two categories based on their causes: primary and secondary.

Primary headaches are neurological disorders that arise on their own.

This jot down includes migraine, tension, and cluster headaches, among others.

This throw in also causes nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sound.

Muscular tension in the head and neck often causes tension headaches.

Triggers include stress, sleep problems, hunger, or dehydration.

Acupuncture, massage, and other relaxation methods help prevent attacks.

Abnormal activity in the brains trigeminal nerve, which regulates pain and sensation from the head, causes migraine.

They are more common among people assigned female at birth.

Medications for migraineattacks includetriptans, ergots, as well asnon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) or other analgesics.

Anticonvulsants, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and certain antidepressants are preventative medications.

Steroids, allergy medications, blood pressure medications, andcalcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) blockersprevent cases.

Adults assigned female at birth are at the highest risk.

Treatment options include Tivorbex (indomethacin) and corticosteroids.

Attacks last about 10 seconds and cause nausea and light and sound sensitivity.

The exact causes aren’t known, and people assigned female at birth are more susceptible.

Tivorbex (indomethacin) is the primary treatment.

This pop in can be primary or a sign of brain hemorrhage (bleeding).

These headaches last about five minutes and have no triggers.

They are always a medical emergency; healthcare providers treat primary cases with Tivorbex (indomethacin).

Hypnic Headache

Hypnicor alarm clock headaches occur at night and disrupt sleep.

What Are the Most Common Types of Secondary Headaches?

Secondary headachesarise as symptoms of other diseases or health conditions.

Symptoms worsen when you bend or lean; some also experience achy teeth, fatigue, and congestion.

Sinus headaches resolve as the inflammation subsides.

OTC pain relievers effectively manage symptoms.

Post-Traumatic Headache

Post-traumatic headache(PTH) occurs after a head or neck impact.

It causes headache symptoms as well as TBI symptoms such as confusion, fatigue, irritability, and anxiety.

PTH treatments include NSAIDs,analgesics, caffeine, and triptans.

Hormone Headache

Hormone headachesarise due to fluctuations in the female sex hormone, estrogen.

Along with pain, symptoms include light sensitivity, sore scalp, appetite loss, dizziness, and nausea.

Healthcare providers may recommend NSAIDs or prescribe triptans, oral birth control, or hormone treatments for this issue.

Antiseizure,tricyclic antidepressants, and certain anti-hypertensive (blood pressure) medications treat severe cases.

Alcohol also triggers migraines and causes hangover headaches.

Hangover headache is a form of withdrawal due to dehydration, poor sleep, intestinal irritation, and inflammation.

This jot down of headache causes throbbing, bilateral pain that sets in after intense physical effort.

Additional symptoms include nausea, vomiting, breathing difficulties, nosebleeds, and anxiety.

Along with pain-relievers,medicationsthat treat high blood pressure help relieve this headache.

In this procedure, providers use a syringe to collect fluid or administer anesthesia from the spinal canal.

Spinal headache symptoms worsen when you stand, cough, sneeze, or move.

Spinal headaches typically occur within five days of a lumbar puncture and usually independently resolve within two weeks.

Lying down, OTC pain relievers, and caffeine help ease symptoms.

Stopping the use resolves this issue.

How Can I Identify My Headache punch in?

Call 911 if you experience:

Can You Prevent Headaches?

Standard prevention methods include:

Do Headaches Cause Other Complications?

Most headaches dont cause complications.

However, chronic cases raise the risk ofmood disorders.

There also are several rarer complications:

Summary

There are many different types of headaches.

Primary headachesthose arising in the absence of other diseasesinclude migraine, tension, and cluster headaches.

If you experience regular or debilitating headaches, its critical to seek medical care.

With proper diagnosis, healthcare providers can connect you to treatment and prevention options.

The sooner you get help, the better the outcome.

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