Headaches aren’t just caused by crying kids, irritating people, or a bad day.
If you have persistent headaches, it can seem like you can’t catch a break. If you’re experiencing headaches 15 days or more a month and you’ve been experiencing them for over three months, you’re suffering from chronic or persistent headaches.
You may become so used to having headaches that you don’t know when it’s time to see your family medicine provider about it. Here are some signs to be aware of to help you determine when it’s time to seek medical help for your headaches.
3 Primary Types of Head Pain
There are three main categories of head pain that you may experience.
The most common type of headache are tension headaches. These can cause mild, moderate, or severe pain in the head, neck, and behind the eyes. The pain can feel like a tight band around the head, or it may be focused at the base of the skull, just atop the neck. These headaches may seem to come out of nowhere and stay for a few days.
One of the most recognizable forms are migraine headaches. It’s commonly felt on one or both sides of the head. It can take the form of painful or unpleasant pulsing or throbbing sensations that are moderately to severely painful. It may be accompanied by nausea, and sensitivity to light.
Cluster headaches typically occur on one side of the head only. These headaches occur in patterns or clusters, and the pain can be excruciating. It may be centered around one eye, and the pain of a cluster headache can wake you from sleep.
When To See a Family Medicine Provider
While it may be inconvenient or you may feel a bit foolish seeing a family medicine provider about your headaches, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Any unusual, significant, or persistent headache pain warrants a visit with your primary care provider. At the very least, seeing your family medicine provider can alleviate any anxiety about whether the headaches indicate a more serious disorder.
These symptoms indicate that you should make an appointment to see your family medicine provider about your headaches: If you experience three or more headaches per week, the headaches keep getting worse and won’t go away, you need to take a pain reliever every day or almost every day to combat the pain or are taking more than two to three doses of over-the-counter pain reliever medications per week to feel better and are noticing the headaches affecting your daily routines or ability to be with your family, work or social life.
If your headaches are accompanied by symptoms such as sudden weakness, dizziness, loss of balance and falling, numbness or tingling, you should seek urgent medical attention.
Difficulty speaking, sudden confusion, seizures, and personality or behavioral changes, blurry vision, double vision, or blind spots all constitute a medical emergency.
If you’re dealing with moderate to severe headaches, whether chronic or occasional, you can get the help you need from the friendly staff at Advanced Medical Clinic. We are ready to help bring you pain relief. Learn more about our primary care services by calling our office at (561) 434-1935. Schedule your appointment over the phone or use our secure online appointment request form.
