Headaches: Managing a Headache

Overview

You can reduce how many headaches you get and how bad they are when you do get them. Try to:

• Find and avoid triggers that cause your headaches.
  • Tension Headache Triggers
  • Migraine Headache Triggers
• Carry your medicine with you so you can treat a headache right away when you feel one starting. This is especially important if you get migraines.
• Don't take over-the-counter pain relievers more than 3 times a week, because you may get rebound headaches. These headaches usually occur after pain medicine has worn off. This prompts you to take another dose. After a while, you get a headache whenever you stop taking the medicine.
• Take drugs that cause the fewest side effects, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (for example, aspirin and ibuprofen).
• Exercise regularly, eat well, and reduce stress.
• Work with your doctor to find the best treatment for your headaches.

How do you manage a headache?

Stopping headaches

You can try several things to stop a headache after it starts:

• Stop what you are doing, and begin treatment. Don't wait for the headache to get worse.
• Apply a cold, moist cloth or ice pack to your forehead and temples.
• Rest in a quiet, comfortable, dark room.
• Take your medicines exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
• Begin stress-relief methods as soon as your headache starts.
• Have a massage to relax tense muscles in your head, neck, temples, face, or jaw.

Preventing headaches

You can do things every day to help prevent headaches:

• Find and avoid your headache triggers by using a headache diary
• Sit and stand with good posture to avoid muscle tension.
• Live a healthy lifestyle. Get regular sleep, eat healthy foods at regular times, avoid alcohol and drugs, and avoid foods that may trigger your headaches.
• Don't get too tired from hard physical activity.
• Don't take over-the-counter pain relievers more than 3 times a week, because you may get rebound headaches.
• Try to reduce stress and headache pain with one or more of these treatments:
  • Biofeedback is a relaxation method to help you learn to control a body function—such as muscle tension—that you normally don't control.
  • Acupuncture involves putting very thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body. Research shows that acupuncture can help prevent some headaches.¹
  • Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) uses a mild electrical current to reduce pain.
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy or problem-solving therapy. Counseling with these methods can help with headaches. For more information, see Stop Negative Thoughts: Choosing a Healthier Way of Thinking.
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Peppermint oil or menthol. Some research shows that peppermint oil rubbed on your temples or on the tight muscles in your head, neck, and shoulders may help relieve headache pain.²

Preventing migraines

Other treatments that may help prevent migraines include:³

• Feverfew. This is an herb that—some small studies show—may help prevent migraines in some people.
• Magnesium. Studies have found that some people with migraines have low levels of magnesium in the brain. Taking magnesium may help prevent migraines.
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2). This vitamin may help prevent migraines.
• Coenzyme Q10. This supplement worked to reduce the number of migraines some people had in a small study.

References

Citations

1. Linde K, et al. (2016). Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (3). DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001218.pub3. Accessed July 22, 2016.
2. Haghighi AB, et al. (2010). Cutaneous application of menthol 10% solution as an abortive treatment of migraine without aura: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossed-over study. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 64(4): 451–456.
3. Holland S, et al. (2012). Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults: Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. Neurology, 78(17): 1346–1353.

Credits for Headaches: Managing a Headache

Current as of: October 20, 2022

Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine
E. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal Medicine
Martin J. Gabica MD - Family Medicine

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