Headaches can be complicated. Different kinds can have their own set of symptoms, causes, and need different treatments.

Not all headaches are the same. Many headaches also cause other unwanted symptoms, including nausea and vomiting.

For secondary headaches, another disease or condition is the cause. The headache is a symptom.

Where your head hurts isn't a foolproof way to diagnose, but the location of your headache can be a starting point.

The back of your head may hurt due to various causes, from poor posture to different types of headaches.

Pain on the top of your head could mean a number of things, and you’ll want to watch for other symptoms.

If you feel pain behind your eyes, there could be many causes. There's a chance it could be a specific type of headache.

Headache and nausea are common. Dehydration, migraine, or other conditions can cause headache and nausea to occur together.

Migraines or caffeine withdrawal can trigger a throbbing headache. Drinking too much alcohol can cause one, too.

Most of us have caffeine in what we drink and eat. It’s possible for caffeine to both cause and cure a headache.

Recommendations from your regular doctor may not be enough for your headaches. You may need someone with extra expertise.

When it comes to headache remedies, medications and and some devices can help prevent headaches from starting.

Many medications are over-the-counter, or available without a doctor's prescription. Other drugs require a prescription.

Some people with migraines like to go “all natural” to find relief. There is some evidence these supplements may help.

There are several things you can do to ease headache pain without a trip to the doctor. Try these tips to feel better.

If you get one headache or migraine after another and over-the-counter pain relief doesn’t help, you do have options.

Along with traditional headache medications, other drugs can help you have fewer and less-severe headaches.

You might worry that your child's headache is a sign of a serious problem. But that’s untrue for most childhood headaches.

Migraine is a neurologic disorder that often causes a strong headache. In many people, it happens in stages.

There are key features that make migraine distinct from tension headaches and cluster headaches, which are rare.

if you have the condition known as chronic migraine, you get headaches 15 or more days a month for at least 3 months.

These headaches happen more than 15 days each month for at least 3 months. They can be migraine or tension headaches.

If you get migraine attacks anywhere between 10 to 14 times a month, you might have high-frequency episodic migraine.

These are migraines that happen in cycles. They’re sometimes called cluster migraines, but that’s not correct.

A migraine with aura can happen along with dizziness, ringing in the ears, zigzag lines in vision, or light sensitivity.

If you have a silent migraine, it means you get any of the typical migraine symptoms except for one: pain.

Migraines can last for a few hours to a few days. But status migrainosus is a migraine that lasts for more than 72 hours.

Most people get migraine without aura. But there are less common kinds of migraine that show up in other ways.

Hemiplegic migraine is a rare and serious type of migraine headache. Many of its symptoms mimic those common to stroke.

Migraine with brainstem aura (formerly called basilar migraines) are headaches that start in the lower part of the brain.

Abdominal migraines aren't headaches. They make your belly ache instead and can cause nausea, cramps, and vomiting.

A vestibular migraine is a nervous system problem that causes vertigo in people who have a history of migraine symptoms.

Ocular migraines can cause vision loss or blindness for a short time. It happens before or along with a migraine headache.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine is a nervous system problem. This condition causes headaches and pain around the eyeballs.

Retinal migraine is a rare type of migraine that causes visual disturbance in only one eye before the headache comes on.

Older people have fewer headaches than younger ones. But some headaches in older age can indicate a serious condition.

A migraine may include symptoms such as tingling sensations, flashing lights, weird sounds, and blurred or lost vision.

Along with head pain, your body will send you other signs of migraine, from mood changes to feeling sick to your stomach.

Migraines can also make your nerves sensitive. Even the slightest touch can hurt. It's called allodynia, or "other pain."

Nausea and throwing up lessen the effectiveness of oral medications to treat migraine. That’s where antiemetics come in.

Migraine often gets better over years, but not always. One way migraine can get worse is when it becomes chronic.

Know your personal migraine headache symptoms -- what’s normal for you and what’s not, and when you need emergency help.

There’s no cure for migraine, but you can take steps to ease the pain and make your attacks happen less often.

Doctors aren’t sure what causes migraine headaches. They think imbalances in certain brain chemicals may play a role.

Dehydration and head pain can go hand and hand. If you get migraines, you’ll want to make sure to prevent this trigger.

In some people, certain foods and drinks can trigger a migraine. One well-accepted migraine trigger is tyramine.

If you're prone to migraine headaches, drinking even a small amount of alcohol can bring on an attack.

Many things, from genetics to imbalances in the brain, play roles in causing headaches. Could weather also play a role?
 

A quarter of patients in one study said migraine headaches changed the quality of sexual intimacy and also the frequency.

Pain that starts in temporomandibular joints or the muscles around them can travel to your skull and lead to a migraine.

When it comes to migraine headaches, some studies suggest fewer than half of the people get the right diagnosis.

Most people who go to the ER for migraine pain are just having a migraine attack, not a medical emergency.

If you have headaches or migraines, a doctor may use a spinal tap to look for signs of what could be causing your pain.

Your doctor may order an EEG to look for signs of seizures, which can cause symptoms similar to those seen in migraine.

Your doctor might recommend an MRI if you're getting headaches daily or almost every day.

You might need a CT scan if you have headaches daily or almost every day or have a sudden onset severe headache.

People of color and other underserved groups face hurdles in getting proper migraine care.

Your primary care doctor may refer you to a neurologist if they think your head pain could be something more serious.

Getting the most helpful treatment depends on good communication between you and your doctor.

You and your doctor have a range of treatment options, either to stop a migraine attack or to prevent it from starting.

Learn how Emgality helps prevent migraines and treat cluster headaches, with tips on use, side effects, and cost support.

You may not need a prescription to treat your migraines. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications work well for some people.

A migraine cocktail is a combination of medications that you may use at home to treat a migraine headache.

If you get severe migraines frequently, choose what works, use it first, and use it fast. This is called acute treatment.

Migraine is a condition where you have intense headaches, usually with throbbing pain on one side. Zavzpret  is used to treat acute migraine attacks with or without aura. 

Doctors think Botox works for migraines because it blocks neurotransmitters that carry pain signals from your brain.

Migraines can interfere with daily living and can affect quality of life. Studies have shown that Botox can reduce migraine days by up to 50%. 

In some cases, OTC pain relievers may help migraines. But if they don't, your doctor may suggest you try a triptan drug.

A drug that is used to treat hypertension can lessen headaches for some people. These drugs are called beta-blockers.

Ergot alkaloids are headache medicines that are used only to treat severe headaches like migraine and cluster headaches.

Trigger point injections are among the options your doctor may use to ease your pain from migraine headaches.

Excessive use of migraine medicines actually can do the opposite of what you want. It can cause even more headaches.

If you have a migraine diagnosis and treatment doesn’t help, nerve decompression surgery may be an option for you.

 Therapy advances include new drugs and delivery systems that may work better, with fewer side effects than older migraine drugs.

Migraine is a condition where you have intense headaches, usually with throbbing pain on one side. The active ingredient in Nurtec is rimegepant. You may also hear it called a “gepant" can help relieve pain during a migraine attack and can help prevent future attacks.

CGRP inhibitors bind to the CGRP receptor on nerve endings that generate migraine pain and block CGRP from binding. This, in turn, stops your migraine symptoms.

OTC and prescription medications can ease migraine, but complementary and alternative treatments may help, too.

Medication is a common way to prevent and treat migraine headaches. Some research suggests massage therapy may help.

Physical therapy techniques can help temporarily lessen your pain during a migraine attack.

Biofeedback therapy has been found to be an effective treatment to reduce intense migraine attacks.

Some research shows that marijuana may help ease migraine symptoms or possibly keep them from starting.

Daith piercings have become increasingly popular. One reason may be claims that these piercings can treat migraine.

Scientists aren’t sure if magnesium supplements stifle migraines. But there’s enough evidence to pose it's worth a try.

The ideal approach: Stop a migraine before it starts. To do that, your doctor may consider certain prescription drugs.

Ubrelvy (you-brel'-vee) was approved in 2019 as the first CGRP antagonist taken by mouth to treat acute migraine. The active ingredient in Ubrelvy is ubrogepant. CGRP is a protein that causes blood vessels to widen and can lead to pain and inflammation during a migraine. CGRP may also have a role in causing migraine.

Today's migraine treatments target what we know play a role to help stop an attack before one even starts.

Qulipta (kew-LIP-tah) was approved in 2021 to prevent episodic migraine. In 2023, it was approved as the first CGRP antagonist to prevent all frequencies of migraine – including both episodic and chronic migraine.

When stress persists, the body begins to break down and illnesses, like headaches and migraines, can occur.

If migraines are a regular part of your life, you may want to tweak your sleep schedule.

Migraine complications can be serious enough to send you to the hospital or leave you simply uncomfortable or queasy.

You’ve probably wondered if migraines affect the brain. Migraines can cause brain lesions, which are areas of damage.

When you have migraines, there are certain other conditions you might be at higher risk for.

Migraine and sinus headaches can be confused. They share symptoms, like a pounding head, sinus pressure, and stuffy nose.

Studies show that some folks who get migraines are also more likely to have strokes and heart attacks.

If you have epilepsy, you’re more than twice as likely to get migraines as someone who doesn’t.

Research shows that people with MS tend to have more headaches, including migraines, than others.

If you have an ischemic stroke during a migraine with aura attack, doctors call that a “migrainous infarction.”

Migraines are a lot to manage. If you need treatment for them, you’ll need to keep an eye on your bank balance as well.

There's never a good time to get a migraine headache. But it could be unsafe if it strikes while you’re behind the wheel.

No one wants to be waylaid by a migraine while traveling. You can do things to help keep your next trip migraine-free.

With lifestyle changes and planning, it’s possible to live with migraines and enjoy time with your friends.

According to a small group of studies, diets that focus on low-fat, plant-based foods hold promise for managing migraine.

You may be eager to find exercises that don’t trigger or worsen your migraine headache pain. One good option is yoga.

Certain types of headaches are linked to changing levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone in your body.

If you're pregnant and experience migraines, you might be glad to know that pregnancy eases migraines for many women.

For many women, menopause brings a welcome end to these headaches.

Cluster headaches are a series of relatively short but very painful headaches every day for weeks or months at a time.

It’s possible to have both migraine and cluster headaches, but your treatment depends on which one is causing your pain.

Tension headaches are also called stress headaches, and they’re the most common type for adults.

The symptoms you get, how long they last, and how intense they are can be different for migraines and tension headaches.

A few different types of headaches can cause pain in your temples.

This rare type of continuous headache doesn't stop. It causes pain on one side of your face or head.

Hypnic headache syndrome is a disorder that happens only while you’re asleep and mostly affects women over 50.

Ice pick headaches feel like someone’s stabbing your face with an ice pick. They're also called stabbing headaches.

New daily persistent headaches (NDPH) begin without warning and go on for 3 months or longer.

Ever notice that if you cough a little too hard, your head hurts for a bit? That’s a cough headache.

Headaches that most frequently occur due to exercise or over-exertion include jogger's headache and orgasmic headache.

An ice cream headache, a cold stimulus headache, or “sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia,” is a familiar sensation.

Paroxysmal hemicrania is painful headaches on one side of your head that don’t last long but happen several times a day.

When you're in the mountains to ski, hike, or take in the view, you could get head pain called an altitude headache.

If a headache is related to a problem in your neck, there's a good chance it's a cervicogenic headache (CH).

If you get a new headache within 7 days of a head injury you may have a condition called "post-traumatic headache."

Low-pressure headaches and high-pressure headaches are caused by a change of pressure inside your skull.

A spinal headache is the name for a type of headache that follows a procedure like a spinal tap or an epidural block.

Thunderclap headaches are rare and come on suddenly. They can cause intense pain and often nausea and vomiting.

Occipital neuralgia can cause intense pain that feels like a sharp electric shock in the back of the head and neck.

The build-up of pressure in your sinuses causes pain that feels like a headache.

Headaches and nasal congestion are also symptoms of migraine. So how can you tell the difference?

Clogged sinuses can impart pain and pressure above your nose and between your eyes. The right treatment can bring relief.

When a headache strikes, you might take an OTC pain pill. These same medicines could also give you a rebound headache.

All medications have side effects, and sometimes a headache is one of them.

Whether you're newly diagnosed with migraine or already in treatment, learn how to make the most of your doctor appointment.