Urgent treatment of severe headache at home in less than 10 minutes

• October 8, 2025
• Author: Dr. Majid Kehanifard
• The article has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Kehanifard

Try the following solutions for immediate treatment of a severe headache.

• Use a cold compress for migraines

If you have a migraine attack, put a cold compress on your forehead. You can use ice wrapped in a towel or a cold shower. Finally, rest for 15 minutes in a dark and quiet room.

For tension headache or sinus headache, use the heating method.

For tension headache, you can use a heating pad to put it on your neck or back of your head. But if you have a sinus headache, use a warm cloth on the painful area or take a warm shower.

• If you are wearing a hat, headband or similar, remove it

A tight hat, a headband that holds your forehead tightly, or if you have your hair in a ponytail can also cause severe headaches. Remove everything that is pressing on your head, within an hour you will finally get rid of this headache.

• Dim the light

If you suffer from migraine with aura, light is one of the factors that trigger headaches. In this case, try to cover the windows that have a lot of light during the day. Wear sunglasses, stay away from computer screens, or use anti-glare screens. Use fluorescent lamps instead of regular lamps.

• Do not chew gum

Chewing gum can also cause headaches. Nail biting, or automatic chewing, etc., is also a cause of headache. Grinding teeth at night and grinding teeth also cause morning headaches. Therefore, if you have grinding teeth, see a dentist and if you have decay, repair it. Stop eating crunchy and sticky foods.

• Drink water

If your body is dehydrated, especially in the hot seasons, your body tissues will shrink due to heatstroke. This is also about the brain. When the tissue shrinks, it puts pressure on your nerves. So you get a headache. You can also use a sports drink or oral hydration powder to replace the water lost in your body faster. Especially if you had a headache that caused vomiting.

• Eat something

Fasting or skipping a meal can cause headaches. Try to eat several small meals at regular intervals throughout the day. In snacks, you can use proteins or complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates mean things like this.

• Whole grains: such as brown rice, oats, quinoa, buckwheat.
• Legumes: such as beans, lentils, peas.
• Starchy vegetables: such as potatoes, corn, pumpkin.
• Fruits: such as apples, oranges, bananas.

Proteins also include:

• • Meat:
    • Lean red meat (such as lamb, veal), poultry (chicken, turkey), and fish (such as salmon, sardines) are excellent sources of protein.
  • Dairy:
    • Milk, yogurt, buttermilk, curd and cheese are among the sources of animal protein that can be added to the diet.
  Eggs:
  • It is a complete and quality protein source that is easily available.

• • Legumes:
    • Beans, lentils, mung beans, and chickpeas are good sources of vegetable protein
  • Soy:
    • Soy and products made from it, such as tofu (soybean cheese), are a source of high quality vegetable protein.
  Nuts and seeds:
  • Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and seeds contain protein and can be used as a snack or in meals.
  Whole grains:
  • Quinoa, oats, and brown rice are vegetable protein sources.

Have a tea or coffee

Drinking tea or coffee or caffeinated drinks will also help relieve your pain. If you drink these drinks when your headache starts, it will help you. It can even help to increase the effectiveness of pain relievers such as acetaminophen. But don't overdo it because if you can't drink tea or coffee one day, you will get a headache because of the habit.

Try massage and acupressure

Massaging the neck, forehead, and temples helps with headaches caused by stress and the so-called tension headache.

And massage the painful spot on your head in a circular motion with a gentle pressure. Your shoulders and the base of your neck are also a motor.

A technique called acupressure technique is a traditional medicine related to Central Asia and Chinese medicine. In this method, a series of points on the body are considered, and by massaging these points, energy flows in the body, and in this way the treatment is carried out. These points are the same points that are discussed in acupuncture. Treatment of headache with the help of acupressure, through this acupressure, you can treat your headache at home. The special point you should press is between your thumb and index finger. To find this point, hold your hand in position 7 (figure below). so that the back of your hand is towards your face. The dividing point between your two fingers is the desired point. You can massage this point clockwise. Continue this for 2 to 3 minutes. This will increase blood circulation and energy in your body and make your headache better. It is also used for immediate treatment of severe headache. For example, regarding migraines, when you hold your hand in position 7, gently press or massage the point between your thumb and index finger.

Get some sleep

A short nap or even lying down in a calm and quiet environment will help you get rid of the headache. Adjust your sleep so that you have a comfortable sleep at night. Not having a proper and comfortable sleep at night will cause your headache. If you wake up in the morning with a headache, your sleep quality is probably low. For example, you had an inappropriate pillow, slept on a non-standard mattress, or had sleep apnea. So discuss the issue with a neurologist.

Know your headache triggers and symptoms

Identifying these triggers will not help you to immediately treat a severe headache. But it helps to prevent it. Especially in migraine patients who suddenly have a migraine attack, it is very important to observe these issues. Factors like

1. Perfume and pungent odors
2. Eating foods such as chocolate, processed meats (meat that is flavored and cooked with salt, smoke, and various spices), pickles, garlic, onions, spices and peppers, eggplant, nuts, aged cheese, etc.
3. Beverages containing alcohol, caffeine and sweeteners
4. Hormonal changes during menstruation
5. vigorous physical activity or sex
6. Climate change

Try to take a separate notebook and write the factors that cause problems for you and follow them.

Drink some ginger tea

Ginger helps reduce the pain of migraine patients. This tea inhibits serotonin receptors (a type of neurotransmitter). Use ginger supplements or drink ginger tea.

Use supplements

1. Magnesium: One of the supplements that will probably help you is magnesium. Although the treatment is not definitive, daily consumption of about 300 to 400 mg is useful.
2. Vitamin B2, whose other name is riboflavin, contributes to the overall health of your body. This supplement reduces migraine pain and reduces the frequency of migraines.
3. Q10: Research has shown that Q10 helps reduce the frequency of migraine attacks.
4. Melatonin: Melatonin is a supplement to improve your sleep and reduces inflammation and boosts chemical agents, which act in the brain to block pain signals.

Natural remedies for headache

1. Lavender oil; It has a mild soothing scent. Many products are made from the purple and fragrant flowers of this herb. From food to the perfume industry. The mild scent of this plant has anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. Use this herb as an infusion or massage a small amount of this perfume on the temples, forehead and neck.
2. Eucalyptus is also an anti-inflammatory suitable for reducing the symptoms of sinusitis, bronchitis, relieving pain and reducing the symptoms of colds. This plant is available both orally and inhaled in pharmacies.
3. Chamomile tea: This plant is effective for treating headaches caused by stress, high blood pressure or lack of sleep.
4. Butterbur plant (Petasites hybridus), which is also called the forest man, is effective for reducing migraine attacks or reducing the intensity of attacks. This plant is used as tea or decoction. But because of the chemicals in it, it can damage the liver, so consult your doctor before using it.

In this section, some medicinal treatments for the immediate treatment of severe headache are given

Before continuing, if your headache today is different from previous headaches, first read the article dangerous headaches. But if your headache is not different, you can go to its immediate treatment. Sudden headaches may be a sign of mild stroke or severe stroke or aneurysm rupture and threaten the patient's life. In such a situation, it is necessary to call emergency number 115 immediately; Don't waste time.

Headache is sometimes a disease itself and sometimes a symptom of another problem. Therefore, to treat a headache quickly, you must first know its cause.

Headaches occur in different ways and are classified accordingly. Categories and types of headache are:

• Hemicrania continuoa

If you have a headache that affects only one side of your head and continues for several days, you may have a headache called hemicrania continua. This type of headache is chronic and sometimes lasts up to three months. It is usually more common in young women. Its symptoms include eye pain, nausea, red eyes, stuffy or runny nose, drooping eyelids, and sensitivity to light and sound. Hemicrania is a primary headache, that is, it is not related to another disease.

Immediate treatment of severe headache of hemicrania continua type

To treat this type of headache, Indomethacin 25 mg three times a day is usually prescribed. Most patients respond to the drug within 24 hours after taking it. If this dose is not enough, the doctor may increase its amount to 300 mg per day.

But remember, don't take medicine arbitrarily. Any medicine may have side effects, so it is better to consult a neurologist.

If indomethacin causes side effects or is not tolerated, drugs such as melatonin (alone or with low-dose indomethacin), celecoxib, gabapentin, naproxen, sodium valproate, and lamotrigine can be substituted. Note that Sumatriptan is not effective for this type of headache, contrary to what some sites think.

• Ice breaker headache

This type of headache is sudden and sharp, like a stabbing, lasts only a few seconds and may be repeated several times a day. Everyone may experience it, but women who have migraines are more prone to it.

Ice breaker headache is divided into primary and secondary types. The primary type is harmless and not related to any specific disease. But in the secondary type, headache can be a symptom of diseases such as shingles, MS or brain tumor.

This pain usually lasts less than 3 seconds and may spread from one side of the head to the other. For example, from left to right or from front to back and vice versa. Fortunately, this type of headache is rarely caused by a brain tumor. The doctor usually makes a diagnosis through an examination, but sometimes imaging such as MRI is needed to be sure.

Immediate treatment of severe ice breaker type headache

Icebreaker headaches are so short-lived that they usually go away before any medication takes effect. For this reason, immediate treatment of severe headache is not useful in this case. However, to prevent frequent occurrence of this type of headache, the doctor may prescribe melatonin or indomethacin. If the headache recurs or is accompanied by worrisome symptoms, further investigations such as MRI are necessary.

• Migraine

Migraine is one of the most common types of headache, especially in women. It usually appears pulsating and unilateral and may last for several hours to several days. Symptoms such as blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light are also seen with it.

To control migraines, it is more effective to start the treatment in the first minutes of the attack. Research has shown that taking a full dose of medication at the beginning of an attack has better results than multiple doses throughout the day. In cases where the patient is nauseated or does not respond to oral medications, the doctor may use injectable medications such as intramuscular, intravenous or subcutaneous ampoules to reduce pain more quickly.

In this video, the doctor talks about home remedies for migraine.

https://drmkeyhanifard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/site-03.mp4

Medications effective in the treatment of mild migraine

If the migraine is mild and not accompanied by nausea or vomiting, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as naproxen, ibuprofen, or diclofenac) usually help control the pain. Acetaminophen is also effective in some cases. When these drugs do not respond, the doctor may use stronger drugs such as triptans (such as rizatriptan or sumatriptan). گاهی ترکیب تریپتان‌ها با داروهای ضدالتهاب، اثر بیشتری دارد.

However, sumatriptan is not suitable for everyone. Although it may reduce the intensity of the headache within 15 to 30 minutes, it can cause a drug-induced headache, which is annoying in itself. For this reason, it is not recommended in some patients.

Treatment of moderate to severe migraine

The treatment of this pain is done by triptans with non-narcotic NSAID compounds such as sodium valproate. The patient may have nausea or vomiting, for which we also use anti-nausea and anti-vomiting drugs. In the treatment of this type of pain, the combination of NSAID and triptan is more effective than either one alone.

Treatment of severe migraine in resistant emergency patients

In cases where severe migraine does not respond to usual treatments and the patient is admitted to the emergency department, injectable drugs are usually used. One of the most common drugs in this condition is subcutaneous sumatriptan (6 mg) or injectable anti-nausea medication.

Sometimes drugs like metoclopramide or prochloroprazine are used to reduce nausea and pain. But these drugs may cause side effects such as extreme restlessness (akathisia: uncontrollable urge to move the legs), so the doctor usually prescribes diphenhydramine along with them to prevent these side effects. To prevent the rapid return of migraine, dexamethasone injection (between 10 and 24 mg) is also performed.

Next, you can see the migraine treatment table based on pain intensity and patient conditions

Patient conditions Suggested drugs Additional details mild migraine Naproxen- Ibuprofen- Diclofenac- Acetaminophen If there is no nausea or vomiting. Rizatriptan-Sumatriptan (if there is no response to the above drugs) In resistant cases; Sumatriptan may cause drug-induced headache. Moderate to severe migraine Combining triptans with NSAIDs such as sodium valproate The combination of two drug groups is more effective than single use. Anti-nausea and vomiting drugs (if there are gastrointestinal symptoms) Example: metoclopramide, ondansetron Severe resistant migraine (emergency) Subcutaneous sumatriptan (6 mg) - injectable anti-nausea drugs (such as metoclopramide or prochloroprazine) - diphenhydramine To reduce pain and prevent neurological complications such as akathisia Dexamethasone injection (10-24 mg) To prevent rapid recurrence of migraine

• Headache after exercise

Some headaches may occur after sports such as running, swimming, sailing, tennis or weight lifting. This type of headache after exercise usually lasts between 5 minutes and 48 hours and occurs mostly in hot weather or at high altitudes. In most cases, this type of headache is harmless and is a simple type of migraine. In rare cases, headache after exercise may be a sign of a more serious problem, such as a brain aneurysm. Because during exercise, blood pressure increases and if a person has an aneurysm, this increase in pressure can be dangerous. The most important symptom of this condition is a sudden headache.

For a more detailed investigation, the doctor may prescribe tests such as MRI angiography, CT angiography or brain angiography. Although the symptoms of this type of headache may be similar to a migraine, the pain is usually limited to the head.

Treatment of headaches caused by exercise

If your headache is caused by a simple migraine or a harmless primary headache, it will usually go away with some rest and a regular pain reliever. But if the headache is a symptom of an underlying disease such as an aneurysm, brain tumor or brain hemorrhage, more specialized treatments such as angioplasty, open surgery or other advanced medical procedures will be required.

Important note:If your sports headache is secondary and caused by diseases such as cerebrovascular disease, internal bleeding, aneurysm rupture, or brain tumor, this headache is considered a dangerous headache and requires immediate medical evaluation and treatment.

• Medication Overuse Headache

One type of secondary headache is a headache caused by overuse of pain relievers or certain medications such as triptans (including sumatriptan, which is prescribed to treat severe migraine attacks). In fact, if these drugs are used excessively and frequently, they may themselves become the cause of chronic headaches. This condition is known as drug overdose headache or rebound headache.

Ways to control headache caused by drug overdose

• Tap the medicine gradually.

• Change the brand or type of medicine.

• Use migraine preventive medications to reduce the need for painkillers.

• In case of drug dependence or severe symptoms, there may be a need for specialized intervention in a headache clinic or short-term hospitalization.

• Cluster headache

Cluster headaches are a type of unilateral headache. This type of headache is accompanied by the symptoms of nasal congestion, runny nose and red eyes (on the same side as the headache). href="https://drmkeyhanifard.com/%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C/">Cluster headaches are very high and sometimes unbearable and usually occur frequently in a specific period of the day. It falls.

Immediate treatment of severe cluster headache

For the immediate treatment of a cluster headache, oxygen therapy (high-flow pure oxygen breathing), subcutaneous injection of sumatriptan, or nasal sprays of triptans are usually used, which can relieve an attack within minutes. The use of oral drugs in this type of headache usually does not have an immediate effect and is mostly used in preventive treatment.

Due to the high intensity of this pain, it is necessary to see a doctor for an accurate diagnosis and start specialized treatment, because conventional painkillers are not effective in controlling cluster headaches.

• Tension headache

It is one of the more common types of headache, which according to some is like closing a tight band around the head, its intensity varies from mild to severe and generally occurs in different frequencies, Tension headache may involve the head, neck or behind the eyes, it can last between half an hour and a week, and in a chronic state it may last up to 15 days. lead to length.

Urgent treatment of tension headache

Many patients treat this type of headache without going to the doctor and only using medicine, medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen are effective.

Tricyclic antidepressants are also helpful and therapeutic in this regard, instead of treating tension headaches with drugs, alternative methods such as massage, cognitive behavioral therapy, and stress reduction methods can also be used.

Related Articles:pain after head

Important factors in the evaluation and immediate treatment of severe headache

At this stage, it is better for you to remember the time of your headache. The duration of your headache is important. How long have you had a headache? Or how long does your headache last?

Besides these other symptoms, what are they causing you?

• • For example, it has changed your sleep.
  • You have found stress.
  • Your appetite has changed.
  • In what part of your head is the headache,
  ?
  • Are there vision problems and nausea or vomiting along with it?
  • Has your headache responded to painkillers?

These are the things your doctor will ask you to understand your headache pattern and make a correct diagnosis. So don't forget these things.

Are pain relievers enough for immediate headache treatment

?

I tell you frankly; no If you get a headache every time; You take painkillers, for example, you take acetaminophen. Or you include aspirin in your plan; Your work is not right. You may not notice the main disease with this work. The best treatment for all headaches is not painkillers or aspirin.

As we said; If you have frequent headaches, the first step is to consult a neurologist for headache treatment.

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Categories:

headache

Sources:

webmd

healthdirect

Dr. Majid Kihani Fard Dr. Majid Kihanifard was born in 1352 in Isfahan. He completed his general medical education at Isfahan University and specialized neurology course at Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz and completed his knowledge and skills by completing a subspecialty fellowship in cerebrovascular surgery in Switzerland. He has always been a pioneer in providing new treatments and effective research, especially in the field of MS and stroke prevention, by emphasizing on increasing the health level of the society, informing the patients and respecting the patient. Dr. Kihanifared has been awarded the title of "Best neurologist in Isfahan" by the provincial medical system organization and has played an effective role in improving patient care services with applied research and advanced surgeries. Related Articles

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5 answers

1. Headache can have different causes, from neurological and hormonal causes to specific and dangerous diseases such as tumors. If the headache does not go away with blood methods, it is better to see a doctor. Remember that headaches are not always dangerous and can be solved with blood treatments.

   Answer

2. Hello, my mother has been having a headache for a while, but for a few days she has had a nervous attack, that is, her whole head hurts badly and her whole body becomes weak. My mother is very sick. When this attack hits him, his blood pressure rises. A few days ago, we took a CT scan of his head, but they said there was no problem, but I still don't know what this attack is for

   answer

   1. Me too, my mother had these symptoms when she had just gone through menopause, she went to the doctor but it didn't work, then I found out it was due to menopause

      Answer

3. This looks like Kratos 😐💔

   Reply

   1. Hello, I did not understand what you mean. Can you explain more?

      Answer

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