Treatment and Prevention
Since tension headaches are caused by factors such as neck strain, stress
and anxiety, treatment involves eliminating the stressful situation, if possible.
Taking an over-the-counter painkiller such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen,
relaxing, resting, correcting poor posture and exercising can all help to relieve
and prevent headache pain.
Cluster headaches respond poorly to over-the-counter medications. Oxygen
therapy and prescription medications such as lithium,* calcium channel blockers
(used to treat high blood pressure), steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs, and some anti-migraine drugs, as well as others, can help in many cases.
If you suspect that you have cluster headaches, you should check with your doctor.
Sinus headaches usually require antibiotics or other treatments to clear
up the infection. Once the infection is gone, the headache will go away, too.
Until the infection gets better, taking an over-the-counter painkiller can help
ease the pain.
Migraines can be treated with over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen if the headaches are mild.
Stronger medications may need to be prescribed if the headaches are more
severe. These can be divided into two groups:
1) Acute treatments:
- pain relievers containing codeine or meperidine
- NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)
2) Preventive treatments:
- antimigraine drugs like sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan,
and almotriptan
- beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers
- low-dose antidepressants such as amitriptyline
- anti-seizure drugs like valproate, gabapentin, and topiramate
- anti-migraine drugs like methysergide or pizotifen
*All medications have both common (generic) and brand names. The brand name
is what a specific manufacturer calls the product (e.g., Tylenol®).
The common name is the medical name for the medication (e.g., acetaminophen).
A medication may have many brand names, but only one common name. This article
lists medications by their common names. For more information on brand names,
speak with your doctor or pharmacist.