Nearly every one of you has experienced headaches, and most of you have experienced them several times. Minor headaches are nothing more than an annoyance that can be relieved by over-the-counter pain relievers, some food or coffee, or a short rest. But if your headache is severe or unusual, you may be concerned about a stroke, tumor, or blood clot.
Fortunately, such problems are rare. However, you should know when headaches need immediate treatment and how to control most headaches that don’t threaten your health.
A headache typically triggers pain in the head, face, or neck area. Get medical attention if you have severe, unusual pain or other signs and symptoms. Your headache may be a symptom of an underlying illness or health condition.
Your headache pain may be serious if you have:
- sudden, very intense headache pain
- a stiff neck and fever
- dizziness or loss of balance
- severe or sharp headache pain for the first time
- a fever higher than 102 to 104°F
- a nosebleed
- fainting
- pain that worse when you change position
- pressure in the back of your head
- pain that wakes you from sleep
- face tingling and auras that last longer than an hour
- double or blurred vision or auras (light around objects)
- droopiness on one side of the face
- confusion or difficulty understanding speech
- slurred or garbled speech
- weakness on one side of the body
- hearing issues
- hard walking
- pain that starts after coughing, sneezing, or any type of exertion
- muscle or joint pain
- constant pain in the same area of the head
Even though normally harmless, a headache might the sign an emergency situation. If you are not sure whether or not your headache is a symptom of a serious or life-threatening condition, you should find emergency medical attention. A doctor can check your condition and suggest treatments to reduce your headache causes and address any underlying causes.
