Have you ever noticed signs of chronic headache? Some people experience headaches that come and go and do not recover after a long time. That is, they experience more frequent headaches over several years. After taking medications, they recover, but soon after they begin to experience headaches again. This keeps happening to the point that some people are worried about brain cancer. Therefore, we should first get to know what the symptoms of chronic headache are like and what types of headaches are dangerous.
Why do you have chronic headache? Why won’t it go away?
Chronic headaches are headaches that occur for more than 15 days per month for at least 3 months consecutively. They might be caused by stress. For example, work stress can cause the muscles to become so tense that a headache develops. Otherwise, it might be migraine or be caused by drug overdose or improper use of pain medications, which contribute to more severe chronic headache symptoms. In addition, there is a possibility that there might be other diseases such as hypertension, sinusitis and brain tumor, etc.
How many types of chronic headaches are there?
The primary symptoms of chronic headaches are divided into 2 types according to severity as follows:
- Harmful chronic headaches like those caused by brain aneurysm and hypertension.
- Benign chronic headaches that disrupt daily life such as headaches caused by stress, thoughts and sitting at work for a long time with inadequate lighting, muscle tenseness. Sometimes nausea might also be present. Although these chronic headaches cannot be cured, they can be prevented or alleviated. Some people think that buying medications to take or receiving a massage is enough to treat them. However, these chronic headaches might be the result of complications from how they treated themselves without consulting a doctor. For example, they might be due to drug addiction or overdose, which affects the liver and kidneys. In addition, excessively firm massages may cause muscle and blood vessel injuries.
See a doctor when you have these headaches!
- Severe and acute headache that occurs suddenly.
- Headache that is accompanied by fever and stiffness of the neck.
- Headache accompanied by neurological disorders such as weakness of the limbs, confusion and personality changes.
- Increasingly severe headaches that do not go away even after taking medications.
Can chronic headaches be treated?
Treatment of chronic headaches depends on their severity. If a chronic headache is benign, the doctor will prescribe pain medications along with a muscle relaxation or anti-depressant and might recommend ways to avoid stimuli. On the other hand, for harmful chronic headaches, it is necessary to consult a medical specialist in order to receive treatment according to the disease, such as brain tumor or hypertension.
Good self-care is the best way to prevent and alleviate headaches.
You should regularly observe yourself to determine what triggers you to feel headaches. This is because each person responds differently to stimuli. Upon learning about them, you should avoid these stimuli and provide basic self-care upon having symptoms as follows:
- Take pain medications only as required. That is, take paracetamol (500mg) by 1 to 2 tablets 4-6 hours apart, and avoid taking the drug for more than 3 days consecutively. If the headache does not go away afterwards, you should consult a doctor.
- You should not treat headaches by going for intense massages.
- You should appropriately modify your behaviors. For example, if you are an office worker, you should adjust your chair or desk to have the appropriate height according to your physiology in addition to providing adequate lighting.
- You should undergo regular eye check-ups. If you have vision abnormalities, you should wear glasses.
- Rest sufficiently.
- Refrain from drinking tea and coffee and smoking or consuming alcohol.
- Avoid situations or stimuli that might lead to stress.
