Headache | Types and Modern Remedies

By Alishba Fatima
A headache (𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒈𝒊𝒂) is a pain in the head, back head, neck, above eyes and ears. According to 𝙒𝙃𝙊, headaches are the third-highest cause of time lost to ill health in the world. It affects people of all ages, races, income levels and geographical areas.
The 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 identifies almost 150 different types of headaches according to the,
-intensity
-location
-frequency
-cause
They are mainly divided into 3 categories: primary, secondary and other. I am discussing here the first two types as they are the most common among people.
𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬: Those which are not caused by any other condition but are their reasons.
𝐿𝑜𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: The brain can't feel the pain so the pain comes from inflammation sensitive part of the body in and around the head and neck region including nerves, blood vessels and muscles.
𝒞𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒𝓈: Many emotional, environmental, physical and medical factors.
𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬: Those are a sign of any other serious underlying condition. They are more serious than primary headaches.
𝐿𝑜𝒸𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃: These headaches typically start out of nowhere and excruciating.
𝒞𝒶𝓊𝓈𝑒𝓈: They may be because of a tumor, aneurysm, meningitis, any neck or brain injury, pregnancy, hypothyroidism, cranial, intracranial or cervical vascular disorder.
Elaborating primary headaches as they are more prevalent these days, I will discuss their subtypes here which may be chronic or episodic.

1-𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲: A migraine headache may involve pulsating, throbbing pain. It often occurs on one side of the head but may switch sides.
During an episode, a person may also experience:
-lightheadedness
-sensory disturbances, such as changes in vision, known as an aura
-sensitivity to light or sound
-nausea, possibly with vomiting
Migraine headaches are the second most common form of primary headache. They can significantly impact the quality of life.
A migraine episode may last from a few hours to 2–3 days. The frequency of episodes can vary greatly; they may occur from once a week to once a year.
Beyond the headache, a person may experience:
-neck pain
-restlessness
-a feeling of nasal congestion
-reduced sleep quality
Symptoms can vary, and the pain may change from day to day.
𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙:
1-OTC drugs like paracetamol, caffeine
2-Triptans: zolmitriptan (Zomig)etc
3-Ergotamine (Cafergot, Ergomar, Migergot).
4-Lasmiditan (Reyvow)
NOTE: It is three times most common in females than in males
2-𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲(𝗧𝗧𝗛): It is generally a diffuse, mild to moderate pain in your head that's often described as feeling like a tight band around your head. A tension headache (tension-type headache) is the most common type of headache, and yet its causes aren't well-understood.
𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙:

1-OTC drugs like ibuprofen, aspirin.
2-If not cured then use indomethacin,ketorolac,naproxen,opiates.

3-𝗛𝘆𝗽𝗻𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲:It is a rare type of headache that wakes people from sleep. They’re sometimes referred to as alarm-clock headaches.
Hypnic headaches only affect people when they’re sleeping. They often occur around the same time several nights a week. As with all headaches, the main symptom of a hypnic headache is pain. This pain usually throbs and spreads across both sides of your head. While the pain can range from mild to severe, it’s usually bad enough to wake you up when you’re sleeping.
These headaches usually occur at the same time of night, often between 1 and 3 a.m. They can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours.
About half of the people who experience hypnic headaches have them every day, while others experience them at least 10 times a month.
Some people report migraine-like symptoms during their hypnic headaches, such as:
-nausea
-sensitivity to light
-sensitivity to sounds
𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙:There’s no standard treatment for hypnic headaches, but consuming caffeine just before bed seems to work well for some cases.
4-𝗖𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲(𝗧𝗔𝗖𝘀): These headaches usually last between 15 minutes and 3 hours, and they may occur one to eight times per day. Cluster headaches may arise frequently for 4–12 weeks, then disappear. They tend to happen at around the same time each day.
Between the clusters, the person may have no symptoms. These remission periods may last months or years.
Cluster headaches often involve:
-brief but severe pain
-pain around one eye
-tearing or redness in the eye
-a drooping eyelid
-a blocked or runny nose
-a smaller pupil in one eye
-facial sweating
𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙:
1-Oxygen
2-Triptans: The injectable form of sumatriptan (Imitrex). Another triptan medication, zolmitriptan (Zomig), can be taken in nasal spray form for relief of cluster headache.
Oral medications are relatively slow to act and are often not useful for the acute treatment of cluster headaches.
3-Octreotide: Octreotide (Sandostatin), an injectable synthetic version of the brain hormone somatostatin.
4-Local anaesthetics: The numbing effect of local anaesthetics, such as lidocaine.
5_Dihydroergotamine: The injectable form of dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45) may be an effective pain reliever for some people with cluster headache.

5-𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲(𝗡𝗗𝗣𝗛): It is a chronic headache developing in a person who does not have a history of headaches. The headache begins acutely and reaches its peak within 3 days.
It is important to exclude secondary causes, particularly headaches due to alterations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure and volume. A large proportion of NDPH sufferers have migraines features to their headache and should be managed with treatments used for treating migraine. A small group of NDPH sufferers may have intractable headaches that are refractory to treatment.
𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙:To use caffeine to manage your hypnic headaches, try one of the following before going to bed:
-drinking a strong cup of coffee
-taking a caffeine pill.
6-𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰h𝗲:It is characterized by transient, sharp, jabbing pains. The pains occur anywhere in the head, often in extra trigeminal regions, and frequently cause the patient to wince. They appear suddenly either as single stabs or in volleys of mild to intense stabbing pain. The individual stabs typically last for a few seconds and occurs at irregular intervals ranging from rare attacks to more than one attack each day. One study of 23 children reported that the stabs lasted 1 to 15 minutes, and there is another report of "icepick status," with prolonged attacks lasting up to one week.

𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙:Drugs to consider include:
1-Indomethacin.
2-Melatonin (N-acetyl-5 methoxy tryptamine).
3-Gabapentin.
7-𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲: (coin-shaped cephalgia) has an unusual distinct feature: it is characterized by mild-to-moderate pressure-like pain exclusively felt in a rounded or elliptical area typically 2-6 cm in diameter. Although any region of the head may be affected, the parietal area is the common localization of nummular headache. The pain remains confined to the same symptomatic area which does not change in shape or size with time. The pain is continuous but lancinating exacerbations lasting for several seconds or gradually increasing from 10 mins to 2 h may superimpose the baseline pain. The temporal pattern is either chronic or remitting. Pseudo remissions may be observed when the pain reaches a very low grade or only discomfort (not pain) in the affected area is reported
𝕿𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙:Many different medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and Neurontin (gabapentin) may be used to try and relieve a person's nummular headache. Tricyclic antidepressants like Elavil (amitriptyline) may also be helpful.
8-𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵,𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗲,𝘀𝗲𝘅𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲
NOTE: ALL MEDICINES SHOULD BE USED UPON PRESCRIPTION.