11 Signs of Headaches That Should Never be Ignored
Headaches are one of the most prevalent forms of pain. They can affect anyone regardless of their age. Sometimes, it is a primary headache, implying the problem is the headache itself. For this, you can get a migraine prescription online, and the prescribed treatment can cure your pain. However, at other times, a headache indicates an underlying medical condition. This is known as a secondary headache. Here are some headache signs you must never ignore.
Temple pain or tenderness
In people aged over 50 or older, a throbbing headache concentrated around one’s temples might indicate temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis), meaning the blood vessels in the head are inflamed. A few more signs of this disorder include fatigue, tenderness of the temples or the scalp, trouble chewing or jaw pain, vision changes, and flu-like symptoms. The condition is more prevalent in women than in men. Typically, the headache from giant cell arteritis aggravates over time or might go away and recur. Regardless, it is vital to get it checked. It can result in sudden vision loss if one fails to get it treated in time.
Fever
It can be concerning if the headache is accompanied by a fever and might imply an infection in the brain, like meningitis, or encephalitis. In some people, fever and headaches are a sign of an altered mental state, making them act unlike themselves or forget things and people.
Head injury
Headache following a head trauma might indicate a brain injury like a hemorrhage or concussion. Usually, such headaches will start a few days from the injury date. They can be more concerning if they linger even after the injury. Sometimes, even a minor bump or a fall to the head might lead to a potential life-threatening hemorrhage. A few related signs of brain injury coupled with headache include weakness, vomiting, loss of consciousness, compromised mental state, impaired vision, or memory loss.
Intense and sudden pain
Headaches can vary in location and severity. For instance, if one has a migraine headache, it will cause migraine symptoms like throbbing or intense sensation on one side of the head, coupled with increased sensitivity to smells, light, and sound. For this, it is not necessary to go to an ER. You can book a consultation with your general physician and avail of remedies for migraine relief online. However, keep a tab on your migraine symptoms and understand your triggers to keep them in check.
On the contrary, occipital headache commences at the nape of your neck and spreads to the side, back, and front of the head or behind the eyes. Even though you can get relief from these headache conditions with professional treatment, a sudden and severe headache might also indicate a leaking aneurysm causing bleeding within the brain. It is a potentially life-threatening condition. If it is like your usual migraine headache, you can seek migraine relief online, but if it feels like the worst headache you have had, one should consult with a doctor immediately.
Persistent headaches
Sometimes a headache might last for several days. If that happens, it is not normal. Although it might not indicate a fatal health disorder, it might indicate an underlying problem or a headache disorder, such as the temporomandibular disorder. You must not ignore it and discuss this with your doctor.
Headaches with vision and speech changes
If the headache comes with troubled speech, vision changes, weakness in one side of the body, and inability to walk, it might indicate an ischemic stroke. It is a prevalent occurrence resulting from a blood clot in a blood vessel that cuts the blood flow to the brain.
Headaches that aggravate over time or come and go when you stand up
It could indicate low or excessively high blood pressure in the head. If you have a headache that aggravates over time, it could mean that various other issues are also persistent. Hence, it is best to get it assessed. Typically, any chronic pain must never go unmonitored.
Sudden, severe headaches
This type of headache is known as thunderclap because its intensity peaks within the first minute of the onset and is usually very unexpected. However, it is a dangerous headache sign, and you must not ignore it even if you start feeling fine a little while later. Usually, thunderclap headaches indicate a brain hemorrhage or bleeding in the brain resulting from a head injury, stroke, or aneurysm. Such headaches demand immediate medical evaluation.
Headache following a new treatment
Some therapies might not suit you. As a side effect, one may suffer from a headache. Many patients do not realize it, and their immediate instinct is to fix it with a headache or a migraine prescription online. This is not ideal, as episodes of such headaches will be routine, and you will experience them every time you take that treatment. So, speak to your doctor anytime you develop a headache after starting any prescription. However, unless your doctor advises against continuing a prescription, one should not stop it. Some prescriptions that usually result in headaches include those meant for erectile dysfunction or heart disease.
Headache coupled with face and neck pain
Breakage in one of the carotid arteries responsible for supplying blood to the head, ears, face, and neck can be responsible for such headaches. These can result in strokes. They usually come as intense and sudden headaches.
Headache that affects sleep
If the pain from your headache is so intense that your sleep gets hampered, it indicates a severe health condition. Furthermore, if your headache intensifies at night, that can be concerning too. Typically, headaches aggravate when you sleep because the lower jaw falls backward at night. It amplifies the pressure on the nerves and blood vessels, resulting in head pain.
