Chronic Headache: Everything You Should Know About the Disease

Chronic Headache: Everything You Should Know About the Disease

Awareness about a disease is necessary if you want to get the proper treatment on time. Chronic headache is a very common disease which could be found nowadays. Most people have headaches, but in case you are getting constant headache more days than usual then it might be a sign of chronic headache. Well, chronic headache is not like the normal headache and it has many different types. Chronic refers to how often the headaches occur and how long the condition lasts. The constant nature of chronic daily headaches makes them one of the most disabling headache conditions. Aggressive initial treatment and steady, long-term management might reduce pain and lead to fewer headaches.

Symptoms

signs and symtomsSymptoms of chronic headache are easy to find. If we will go according to the definition chronic daily headaches occur 15 days or more a month, for longer than three months. There are short lasting and long lasting chronic headaches. If a headache lasts more than four hours then it is long lasting headache. The most important types of chronic headache are:

  • Chronic migraine

  • Chronic tension-type headache

  • New daily persistent headache

  • Hemicrania continua

Chronic Migraine

If a person has a history of episode migraine then he is most likely to get the chronic migraine. The most common symptoms of this is:

  • Affect one side or both sides of your head

  • Have a pulsating, throbbing sensation

  • Cause moderate to severe pain

These may cause nausea or vomiting or both. Sensitivity to light and sound are other symptoms of this type of chronic headache.

Chronic tension-type headache

If you have got this headache then it will tend to:

  • Affect both sides of your head

  • Cause mild to moderate pain

  • Cause pain that feels pressing or tightening, but not pulsating

New Daily Persistent Headache

People who have a history of headache get this headache usually. This type of headache comes in a sudden. Within the three days of first headache, they become constant. The main symptoms of this headache are:

  • Often affect both sides of your head

  • Cause pain that feels like pressing or tightening, but not pulsating

  • Cause mild to moderate pain

  • Might have features of chronic migraine or chronic tension-type headache

Hemicrania Continua

It is important to learn and know about these types of migraine. These migraines tend to affect the human body in the worst manner. The main symptoms of this headache are:

  • Affect only one side of your head

  • Are daily and continuous with no pain-free periods

  • Cause moderate pain with spikes of severe pain

  • Respond to the prescription pain reliever indomethacin (Indocin)

  • Can become severe with development of migraine-like symptoms

Apart from these symptoms, the Hermicrania Continua has been associated with few other important symptoms as well. The symptoms are mentioned here:

  • Tearing or redness of the eye on the affected side

  • Nasal congestion or runny nose

  • Drooping eyelid or pupil narrowing

  • Sensation of restlessness

When to Consult Psychiatrist for Chronic Headaches

Definitely, headache is not something that you should ignore. You should always keep a Consult Psychiatristconstant watch and analyze if you have the problem of chronic headache. Depending on the symptoms the chronic headache has been divided into four categories which we have already mentioned above. If you find that your headache is matching with any of these symptoms from above then do consult a psychiatrist. If you find any of the signs and symptoms which are mentioned below then surely you need to consult a psychiatrist for the same.

  • If you have two or more headaches a week

  • If most of the time you are taking pain reliever for headache

  • If you need more than the usual dose of over-the-counter pain relief to relief your headache

  • If you are continuously noticing changes in the headache patter and the pain is worsening day-by-day

  • In case your headache is disabling you from the other works

Apart from these signs, if you are getting the extreme signs of chronic headache then you definitely need to seek the prompt medical aid. The symptoms are mentioned below:

  • Severe and sudden headache

  • Headache which is followed by a fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking

  • In case there is a head injury

  • If the situation is getting worst despite the regular medication

Chronic headache is one of the worst situations. You need the immediate cure, if you are suffering from the disease. Instant medical aid is required for the same. I would suggest contacting Dr. Shashi Bhushan. He is a trusted psychiatrist in Delhi and has been recommended by many for chronic headache treatment.

get well soon by consulting a psychiatrist

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