Headaches
Most headaches will go away on their own and are not a sign of something more serious. Headaches can last between 30 minutes and 1 hour
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Common Symptoms
- Pain in your head
Treatment at home
- Drink plenty of water
- Get plenty of rest if you have a cold or the flu
- Try to relax – stress can make headaches worse
- Exercise when you can
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen
When should I book a GP?
- Your headache keeps coming back
- Painkillers do not help, and your headache gets worse
- You have a bad throbbing pain at the front or side of your head – this could be a migraine
- You feel sick, vomit and find light or noise painful
- You get other symptoms – for example, your arms or legs feel numb or weak
- You suffer unexplained weight loss
- You have any visual symptoms
Seek emergency care from 111 or 999 if:
- You injured your head badly – e.g., from a fall
- The headache came on suddenly and is extremely painful
- Sudden problems speaking or remembering things
- Loss of vision
- You’re drowsy or confused
- You have a very high temperature, feel hot and shivery and have a stiff neck or rash
- The white part of your eye is red
- Your jaw hurts when eating
- Blurred or double vision
- Your scalp feels sore
