Notice: Users may be experiencing issues with displaying some pages on stanfordhealthcare.org. We are working closely with our technical teams to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience.
 

Learn about the flu shot, COVID-19 vaccine, and our masking policy »

Stanford Health Care

Headache Treatment and Headache Relief

Headache Treatment and Headache Relief

A treatment plan is important for chronic headache sufferers. Stanford's Headache College can help you create a plan tailored to your specific needs.

The main treatment plan categories used to manage headaches include:

  • Rescue: Treatment when a headache is staring you in the face
  • Prevention: Treatments aimed at keeping headaches from developing
  • Lifestyle modification: Strategies to identify, modify, and eliminate triggers that can contribute to headache
  • Complementary medicine strategies
  • Inpatient care

Chronic headache pain can be both frustrating and debilitating. Identifying your type of headache pain is the first step is managing the pain and finding successful treatment options.

Types of headaches include:

Each type of headache has different treatment methods that can be effective in treating headache pain. However, treatment for headache pain is as much an art as it is a science. Two patients that describe their headache pain the same way will not necessarily find relief from the same headache treatment. We often need a process of trial and error to find effective treatment options.

Headache Relief and Treatment for Migraine Headaches

The pain from migraine headaches can be a severe, throbbing pain that can last for many days. Many people that suffer from migraines have a family history of migraine headaches. Effective treatment for migraine headaches include:

  • Rest in a quiet, dark room
  • Hot or cold compresses
  • Massage
  • Tricyclic antidepressants 
  • Transcranial magnetic stimulation, a therapy that uses electrical currents to stimulate nerve cells in the brain

Headache Relief and Treatment for Tension Headaches

Tension headaches are also known as "hatband" headaches. This is because the pain from these headaches is located around the back of the head, the temples and forehead. They can last from a few hours to a few days. Some treatment options that are effective for tension headaches include:

  • Physical therapy
  • Muscle relaxants
  • Over the counter pain relievers (aspirin, ibuprofen)

Headache Relief and Treatment for Cluster Headaches

A cluster headache is a type of headache that is relatively short-lived, lasting usually between 20 minutes and two hours. Symptoms include a stuffy nose and tearing. Effective treatment options for cluster headaches include:

  • Injectable medications
  • Prescription nasal sprays
  • Oxygen therapy (breathing pure oxygen via mask)
  • Preventive medications

Headache Relief and Treatment for Hypnic Headaches

Hypnic headaches predominantly affect post-menopausal women and occur during nighttime sleep. Effective treatment options for hypnic headaches include bedtime doses of:

  • Calcium channel blockers (increase blood and oxygen supply to the heart)
  • Caffeine
  • Lithium

Clinics for Treatments