Other drugs can be used including muscle relaxants and antidepressants

Other drugs can be used, including muscle relaxants and antidepressants. Mayo Clinic doctors say that within a week to 10 days the headaches usually lessen in frequency and intensity. Heads up: other causes * HANGOVER Drinking too much alcohol results in a four-fold increase in the amount of water excreted by the body, causing, according to one theory, dehydration and head pain There are hundreds of suggested cures, from aniseed to zinc. Almost any pain reliever, including aspirin and ibuprofen, can cause problems Stop taking the medications causing the problem. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic, taking pain relievers for headaches more than two or three times a week increases the risk. One theory is that when used too often, painkillers create a false tolerance for pain so that when the effects wear off, the user feels an exaggerated level of pain.

Pain, usually on both sides of the head, and sometimes nausea and vomiting as well as muscle weakness and depression Occur when the body adapts to pain relievers. Around 5 per cent of adults have daily headaches, and it’s estimated that a third of these may be due to drug rebound. DRUG-REBOUND HEADACHE When an occasional headache becomes daily, it may be a drug-rebound headache, the result of overuse of pain relievers. Harvard researchers say that sumatriptan, when given by injection, can end about 75 per cent of attacks within 15 minutes Inhaling pure oxygen also eases symptoms. TREATMENTS Calcium-channel blockers can prevent attacks, while steroids may prevent further attacks.

CAUSES Not yet known, although one clue may lie in the discovery that cluster patients tend to have a spot above an eye where there is reduced blood flow. Each attack usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes, but can be quickly followed by another, sometimes several times a day, before suddenly stopping for months or years. Studies of cluster patients show that they are more likely to have hazel-coloured eyes. SYMPTOMS Usually begin as a minor pain around one eye, but then spread to the remainder of that side of the face Other symptoms can include a runny nose and droopy eyelid. Usually start between the ages of 20 and 40, and male sufferers outnumber women 10 to one. WHO GETS THEM? Relatively unusual, affecting around one in 1,000 people. Some research shows that a room humidifier can prevent these headaches.

CLUSTER WHAT ARE THEY? One of the most painful of all headaches – sometimes described by women as being worse than childbirth – they get their name because attacks usually come in clusters. TREATMENTS Aspirin and ibuprofen to temporarily relieve pain, or a decongestant when sinuses are blocked. Antibiotics may also be prescribed, and antihistamines when allergies are the cause. CAUSES Allergies and colds that lead to inflammation of the nose and sinus membranes are the usual culprits. Sinuses get congested and become infected as bacteria or viruses infect the lining. SYMPTOMS Pain or pressure around the eyes, cheeks and forehead, as well as tenderness of the skin and facial bones.