Treatments for Headache
Treatments for Headache
The list of treatments mentioned in various sources
for Headache
includes the following list.
Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Headache: Is the Diagnosis Correct?
The first step in getting correct treatment is
to get a correct diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis list for Headache may include:
Hidden causes of Headache may be incorrectly diagnosed:
Headache: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Headache:
Curable Types of Headache
Possibly curable types of Headache may include:
Headache: Research Doctors & Specialists
- Nerve Specialists:
- Pain Specialists:
- Arthritis & Joint Health Specialists (Rheumatology):
- more specialists...»
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
Drugs and Medications used to treat Headache:
Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any prescription drug, OTC drug, medication, treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Headache include:
- Belladona, Phenobarbital and Ergotamine Tartrate
- Bellamine S
- Bel-Tabs
- Bellergal Spacetabs
Latest treatments for Headache:
The following are some of the latest treatments for Headache:
Hospital statistics for Headache:
These medical statistics relate to hospitals, hospitalization and Headache:
- 0.3% (37,798) of hospital consultant episodes were for headache in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 86% of hospital consultant episodes for headache required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 39% of hospital consultant episodes for headache were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 61% of hospital consultant episodes for headache were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- more hospital information...»
Medical news summaries about treatments for Headache:
The following medical news items
are relevant to treatment of Headache:
Discussion of treatments for Headache:
NINDS Headache Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)
Not all headaches require medical attention. Some result
from missed meals or occasional muscle tension and are easily remedied. If
the problem is not relieved by standard treatments, a headache sufferer
may be referred to an internist, a neurologist, or a psychologist. Drug
therapy, biofeedback training, stress reduction, and elimination of
certain foods from the diet are the most common methods of preventing and
controlling migraine and other vascular headaches. Regular exercise can
also reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches. Temporary
relief can sometimes be obtained by using cold pack or by pressing on the
bulging artery found in front of the ear on the painful side of the head.
(Source: excerpt from NINDS Headache Information Page: NINDS)
Headache - Hope Through Research: NINDS (Excerpt)
Not all headaches require medical attention. Some result from missed
meals or occasional muscle tension and are easily remedied. But some types
of headache are signals of more serious disorders, and call for prompt
medical care. These include:
- Sudden, severe headache
- Sudden, severe headache associated with a stiff neck
- Headache associated with fever
- Headache associated with convulsions
- Headache accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness
- Headache following a blow on the head
- Headache associated with pain in the eye or ear
- Persistent headache in a person who was previously headache free
- Recurring headache in children
- Headache which interferes with normal life
(Source: excerpt from
Headache - Hope Through Research: NINDS)
Buy Products Related to Treatments for Headache
Book Excerpts: Treatment of Headache
Treatments of Headache: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the treatments of Headache.
Headache:
Treatment
(In a Page: Signs and Symptoms)
-
Tension-type headache: Regular exercise, stress management, tricyclic antidepressants, analgesics
-
Migraine headache: Avoid triggers; serotonin agonists (e.g., sumatriptan), NSAIDs, ergotomines
-
Temporal arteritis: High-dose corticosteroids
-
Meningitis: Search for and treat the primary source (e.g., pneumonia, sinusitis, neoplasm)
–Urgent antimicrobial administration for infections
–Treat inflammatory causes with steroids
-
Subarachnoid hemorrhage requires attention to airway, breathing, and circulation, and management of increased intracranial pressure (maintain normal blood pressure; hypertension may cause the aneurysm to rebleed, hypotension may cause cerebral ischemia); administer nimodipine to prevent cerebral vasospasm, seizure prophylaxis with IV phenytoin, surgery
-
Cluster headache: Oxygen inhalation for 5–10 minutes; serotonin agonists, ergotamines, and/or methysergide
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In a Page: Signs and Symptoms, 2004
Headache:
Treatment
(In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms)
-
Explanation and reassurance alone may provide relief
-
Avoid triggers
–Trauma, sunlight, insomnia, stress, diet, dehydration
-
Symptomatic treatment:
–Acetominophen, NSAIDs, Midrin, Fioricet, Fiorinal
–Selective serotonin-1 receptor agonists
–Dihydroergotamine (DHE); Migranal nasal spray
–Antiemetics
-
Prophylaxis
–NSAIDs, β-blockers, tricyclic antidepressants,
cyproheptadine, calcium channel blockers,
antiepileptic drugs, biofeedback
-
Cluster headaches
–Treated with inhalation of oxygen; sumatriptan
-
Pseudotumor
–Weight reduction, Diamox
–Optic nerve sheath decompression or shunting
>>
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms, 2007
Encephalitis:
Treatment (Tx)
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Anticonvulsants, acyclovir (if viral), glucocorticoids, mannitol, furosemide, supportive care (mild analgesics, bed rest, seizure precautions)
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
West Nile encephalitis:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
There is no specific therapy utilized to treat West Nile encephalitis and no known cure. Treatment is generally aimed at controlling the specific symptoms. Supportive care, such as I.V. fluids, fever control, and respiratory support, is rendered when necessary.
There is no vaccine present to prevent the transmission of West Nile encephalitis. Research trials are underway to determine if ribavirin, an antiviral drug, may be helpful.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Headache:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Depending on the type of headache, analgesics — ranging from aspirin to codeine or meperidine — may provide symptomatic relief. Other measures include identification and elimination of causative factors and, possibly, psychotherapy for headaches caused by emotional stress. Chronic tension headaches may also require muscle relaxants.
For migraine headaches, ergotamine alone or with caffeine may be an effective treatment. The Food and Drug Administration allows labeling of various analgesic preparations that include caffeine to state that they’re for the treatment of migraine headaches. Remember that these medications can’t be taken by pregnant women because they stimulate uterine contractions. These drugs and others, such as metoclopramide or naproxen, work best when taken early in the course of an attack. If nausea and vomiting make oral administration impossible, drugs may be given as rectal suppositories.
Drugs in the class of sumatriptan are considered by many clinicians to be the drug of choice for acute migraine attacks or cluster headaches. Drugs that can help prevent migraine headaches include antidepressants (such as nortriptyline or fluoxetine), beta blockers (propranolol), and calcium-channel blockers (verapamil). Corticosteroids provide short-term relief for some patients with cluster headaches.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Encephalitis:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
The antiviral agent acyclovir is effective only against herpes encephalitis. Treatment of all other forms of encephalitis is entirely supportive.
Drug therapy includes phenytoin or another anticonvulsant, usually given I.V.; glucocorticoids to reduce cerebral inflammation and edema; furosemide or mannitol to reduce cerebral swelling; sedatives for restlessness; and aspirin or acetaminophen to relieve headache and reduce fever.
Other supportive measures include adequate fluid and electrolyte intake to prevent dehydration and antibiotics for an associated infection such as pneumonia. Isolation is unnecessary.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
West Nile encephalitis:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
No specific therapy is used to treat West Nile encephalitis, and no known cure exists. Treatment is generally aimed at controlling the specific symptoms. Supportive care, such as intravenous fluids, fever control, and respiratory support, is rendered when necessary.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Headache:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
Depending on the type of headache, treatment interventions range from relaxation techniques, massage, and biofeedback to pharmacologic agents. Tricyclic antidepressants, beta-adrenergic blockers, and anticonvulsants may be prescribed for headache prevention; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), combination NSAIDs with caffeine, ergotamines, and dopamine antagonists may be used for abortive measures. Narcotic agents are generally avoided or may be limited to twice weekly.
Abortive therapy using the synthetic form of serotonin (sumatriptan) is available in an oral form and as a nasal spray and can easily be carried for immediate use.
Other measures include identification and elimination of causative factors, stressors, or stimuli that might trigger an attack such as in the migraine-type headache. Diet history and examination of lifestyle patterns may help identify causative agents.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Headache:
Patient counseling
(Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses)
Teach the patient and his family or caregiver how to recognize signs of reduced LOC and seizures. Discuss ways to maintain a safe, quiet environment and reduce environmental stress, if indicated. Discuss the use of analgesics to ease the headache.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses, 2007
Headache:
Nursing considerations
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)
▪ Monitor the patient's vital signs and LOC.
▪ Watch for a change in the headache's severity or location.
▪ To help ease the headache, administer an analgesic, darken the patient's room, and minimize other stimuli.
▪ Prepare the patient for diagnostic tests, such as skull X-rays, a computed to-mography scan, lumbar puncture, or cerebral arteriography.
Patient teaching
▪ Explain all procedures and treatments to the patient.
▪ Discuss the signs of reduced LOC and seizures that the patient or his caregivers should report.
▪ Explain ways to maintain a safe, quiet environment and reduce environmental stress.
▪ Discuss the proper use of analgesics.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms, 2007
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