Severe Headaches: When Pain Medication Isn't Enough

When you have a headache, can you trust over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication to make it go away? If you suffer from chronic headaches that pain medication doesn’t sufficiently relieve, you need professional medical support.

At Alpenglow Pain & Wellness of Anchorage, Alaska, interventional pain management specialist Dr. Nichelle Renk welcomes patients who are dealing with severe headache and migraine problems. 

If pain medication doesn’t relieve your headaches, reach out to Dr. Renk and learn more about your other headache treatment options.

Headaches and migraines

You could suffer from severe headaches or migraines for several reasons. In many cases, people who frequently experience severe headaches are actually having migraines. Migraines affect about 15% of adults in the United States, making this condition more common than you might think. 

Migraine headaches can cause additional symptoms, including light and smell sensitivity, in addition to head, neck, and facial pain.

The trigeminal nerve sends pain signals to your brain, and it may be involved in disabling headaches. Headaches may arise from muscle tension in your shoulders or jaw, and migraines may be related to neurotransmitter activity changes inside your brain. 

Hormonal shifts, stress, specific foods and drinks, dehydrathon, and even changes in the weather can all trigger painful and even disabling headaches.

Relieving severe headache pain

Headache pain can be sharp, shooting, dull, or aching. You might feel pain centered in one area, like your eyes or neck, and the pain may arise on one or both sides of your head. Severe headaches can cause nausea and make it impossible to work or stay active. Bad migraines can even send you to the emergency room.

No matter why you have a headache, your mind narrows to one question: What do you need to do to get rid of your headache pain and other symptoms? Reaching for pain medication makes sense, but what if you don’t get enough relief that way?

It’s frustrating when OTC pain medication doesn’t provide enough relief. However, you should know that you have additional options. Don’t lose hope just because pain medication isn’t always enough.

Your headache treatment plan depends on the nature of your symptoms and headaches. It may be necessary for you to make lifestyle changes, including focusing more on nutrition through diet and supplementation, getting enough exercise, and managing stress in a healthy way. 

When a headache hits, you may need to respond by resting your eyes, applying heat therapy to your neck muscles, or engaging in physical therapy stretches to release tension.

Treating your severe headaches

Dr. Renk discusses your problem headaches with you, and supports you in developing a treatment plan for effective symptom relief. She examines you and learns more about your health and family history. Then, she informs you about treatment options that might help you reduce the frequency and intensity of your headaches.

Dr. Renk can prescribe safe abortive medications and anti-inflammatory supplements that may work better for you than OTC drugs. Some medications have a preventive effect against migraines. You may also be interested in preventive Botox™ injections for migraines or Vyepti™ infusions, two treatments that needs to be repeated every 12 weeks to maintain best results.

At Alpenglow Pain & Wellness, we also offer normal saline infusions and toradol and trigger pint injections for acute migraine and other types of headaches.

For chronic migraine patients, pain psychology improves your ability to manage your condition while pursuing treatment. Dr. Renk may also recommend other treatments such as massage therapy, acupuncture, and other forms of alternative medicine.

For support with severe headaches, call Alpenglow Pain & Wellness today or book your personal consultation online today.