I am having daily headaches; should I see a doctor?
Yes, you should see a doctor for any of these reasons: You’re having more than two or three disabling headache days a week; you take a pain reliever for your headache most days; you need more than the recommended dose of over-the counter pain remedies for relief; your headache pattern changes; or your headaches worsen or are disabling.
Seek prompt medical care for headaches that are sudden and severe, accompany a fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking, or that follow a head injury and worsen despite rest and pain medication.
Females are more likely to experience headaches. Risk factors for developing frequent headaches increase with anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, obesity, snoring, overuse of caffeine, overuse of headache medication and other chronic pain conditions.
Keeping a diary of headache occurrences is a good strategy to determine triggers, such as specific foods or weather changes. Avoid taking over-the-counter medication for headaches more than twice a week as this increases the risk of medication-overuse headaches. To keep headaches at bay, you should get enough sleep, avoid skipping meals, exercise regularly, reduce stress and reduce caffeine.
