How Can Chronic Headaches Be Treated?

Posted on Thu, 31 Aug 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 31 Aug 2017 Answered on

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been experiencing headaches every day for 3 years. I have been to many doctors, have had many tests, MRIs, etc. with no explanation for the headaches. They say it's not migraines and I don't think it is. I cannot believe that no one can have a clue as to what is causing this. I want to find a doctor who will concentrate on just my headaches and not every other part of my body.

Answered by Dr. Ishu Bishnoi (41 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Cause of headache and need more information

Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX, thanks for asking from HCM.

I can understand your concern. You are suffering from headache for last 3 years. As mentioned, most of the investigations were normal and not suggesting anything. To suspect something, I need to know more about your headache -

- What is the exact site? forehead or vertex or occiput, one side or both sides, eye pain!

- Is there any band like sensation around forehead and occiput?

- Are there any aggravating factors like sunlight, mental stress, study, heat, excessive sweating, season?

- Any relieving factors like sleep, rest, head massage, sunglasses use, tea/coffee?

- Is there visual blurring, watering from eyes, flashes in front of light?

- Any history of vomiting, tingling or numbness in limbs along with headache?

- What is the frequency of headache? Does it occur daily along with heaviness or occur on irregular basis with complete relief intermittently?

Answers of above questions will help me at reaching few differential diagnosis. At your age, common causes of headache are

- Stress or tension headache

- Migraine

- Sinusitis headache

- Eye disease like cataract, glaucoma

- Mass lesion in brain like tumor, vascular malformation, abscess

- Eye muscle spasm due to poor vision, sunlight, continuous reading.

- Temporal arteritis headache

Hope you will understand my point. Let me know the answers, then I will help you further. If any doubts, do let me know.
Thanks. Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng