What Do I Do When My Headache Medicine Doesn't Work?

Again we go back to the issue of diagnosis. It’s very important to determine what type of headache you have. We have two forms of headaches: Primary headaches, which are either migraine(the more severe headaches most people get), cluster headache (a very severe shorter headache that occurs in clusters), or tension type headaches (which are rather mild and often respond to just about any medicine used), and then there are Secondary headaches, the most sinister forms of headache. So if you are not responding to your medicine for headache, the first thing you should do is go back to your physician or allied healthcare professional and have them re-establish your diagnosis and readdress what would be the most appropriate treatment algorithm. Often times the first choice of the medication for a correct diagnosis may not be effective. Don’t get discouraged. Go back and try with another algorithm for treatment. See the section on acute treatment on this website for more information.

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