I get a LOT of headaches. Is there anything I can do about it?

Question

I'm only 12 years old, so I don't think it's low BP. But if I stand up to quickly, or if I stay in a hot room too long, I get horrible headaches. At school, there really is nothing you can do about it. I never know when I'll get these headaches; they're very unpredictable. But I know that they hurt very badly. I also get dizzy. And it certainly doesn't help in gym class. I do get 9-10 hours of sleep, I swim, and I eat a good diet, so I don't what it is. Please help!
Thanks!!!

Answer 1

You are one of the people who has an extreme sensitivity to heat. this can be why you feel dizzy and get the headaches. It is possible that you have low blood pressure. you need to have your doctor give you an examination and find out if you have low blood pressure and what the doctor recommends you can do for you these headaches.

When you feel hot if you can drink something cold or have ice cream this will bring down your body temperature very quickly. this might prevent the headache.

An ice pack placed on the back of the neck for fifteen minutes will help. If you can lie down in a dark and quiet room with the ice pack it will help even further.

Answer 2

If you get dizzy when you stand up, you really should get to a doctor and have the headaches checked out.

It could be that you're just dehydrated....the signs of dehydration are that you don't need to use the restroom much at all, your urine will be a darker yellow color, it can make you dizzy, your skin and mouth will feel somewhat dry.

so first try making sure you're drinking enough water (around a gallon a day). And you can do this by having a bottle of water that you have with you - only refill it when it's empty - and keep track of how many times you fill it a day. WHen school is out, you can get a gallon pitcher and fill it once a day - and even if you don't drink it ALL, if you drink 3/4 of it - you should be good. Don't drink soda....Even if you make a gallon of kool aide, and drink that it's good.

If doing that for a few days doesn't help, then go to the doctor.

Answer 3

Have you talked to a doctor about it. I have been getting migraines since I was 13 years old and I have been on med since then. Sometimes it has nothing to do with BP or what you eat or the exeercise that you do. If I was you I would have a parent take me to a dotor that specializes in headaches. With me I have learned that different things triger them. So, talk to someone that specializes in them. Thats nothing that you want to mess with you are only 12. Most likely they will to CT scan and a MRI. Its better to be safe. Hope that this helps and I hope that you ger the help that you need. Does it help when you lay down in a dark cool quiet room? Try that also.

Answer 4

We have treated 15 & 20 yrs Migrains.
There is no medicine for H/A OR MIGRAINE. Not only these but for almost all painful diseases. Hence they become chronic.
Acidity, excessive wind, cold , heat, sour food and sinusitis, constipation, intestinal inflammation;
Blockage in the flow of Vital Energy are their causes. None of them can be treated with medicine. Our 100% success in treating migraine &H/A confirms it.
Acupuncture is the best treatment. I can treat it with naturopathy and YOG, but how can you manage pl see.
Avoid late sleeping if possible;spicy, sour, stale bakery foods and alcohole.
Sweet foods, sweet fruits, milk with sugar at bed time preferably or meals, rice and good sleep will help you.
But you try one herbal remedy- two drops of drumstick leaves' juice in opposite nostril if one side pains and both nostrils if full H/A will give you rescue. Betel leaf helps but it isvery strong.

Source(s):
SHREE SWASTHYAYOG TREATMENT, TRAINING & RESEARCH INSTITUTE
R.H. – 19, Jhulelal Society, Sector – 2/E, Airoli, Navi Mumbai, INDIA

Answer 5

Headaches can be caused by minor problems
like eyestrain, lack of coffee or more serious reasons
like head injury, brain tumors, encephalitis and
meningitis. Taking painkillers continuously can
have harmful side effects, so it is better to
modify your lifestyle. More information available at

Answer 6

There are several articles here:
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/why-frequent-headaches-hurt

Answer 7

A headache (cephalalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. It ranks amongst the most common local pain complaints.

The vast majority of headaches are benign and self-limiting. Common causes are tension, migraine, eye strain, migraine, dehydration and sinusitis. Much rarer are headaches due to life-threatening conditions such as meningitis, encephalitis, cerebral aneurysms, and brain tumors. When the headache occurs in conjunction with a head injury the cause is usually quite evident.

Treatment of uncomplicated headache is usually symptomatic with over-the-counter painkillers such as aspirin, paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen, although some specific forms of headaches (e.g., migraines) may demand other, more suitable treatment. It may be possible to relate the occurrence of a headache to other particular triggers (such as stress or particular foods), which can then be avoided
The brain itself is not sensitive to pain, because it lacks pain-sensitive nerve fibers. Several areas of the head can hurt, including a network of nerves which extends over the scalp and certain nerves in the face, mouth, and throat. The meninges and the blood vessels do have pain perception. Headache often results from traction to or irritation of the meninges and blood vessels. The muscles of the head may similarly be sensitive to pain.


[edit] Types
There are five types of headache: vascular, myogenic (muscle tension), cervicogenic, traction, and inflammatory.

Vascular
The most common type of vascular headache is migraine. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head, an upset stomach, and, for some people, disturbed vision. It is more common in women. While vascular changes are evident during a migraine, the cause of the headache is neurologic, not vascular. After migraine, the most common type of vascular headache is the "toxic" headache produced by fever.
Other kinds of vascular headaches include cluster headaches, which cause repeated episodes of intense pain, and headaches resulting from high blood pressure (rare).
Muscular/myogenic headaches appear to involve the tightening or tensing of facial and neck muscles; they may radiate to the forehead. Tension headache is the most common form of myogenic headache.
Cervicogenic headaches originate from disorders of the neck, including the anatomical structures innervated by the cervical roots C1–C3. Cervical headache is often precipitated by neck movement and/or sustained awkward head positioning. It is often accompanied by restricted cervical range of motion, ipsilateral neck, shoulder, or arm pain of a rather vague non-radicular nature or, occasionally, arm pain of a radicular nature.
Traction and inflammatory headaches are symptoms of other disorders, ranging from stroke to sinus infection.
Specific types of headaches include:

Tension headache
Migraine
Ictal headache
"Brain freeze" (also known as: ice cream headache)
Thunderclap headache
Vascular headache
Toxic headache
Coital cephalalgia (also known as: sex headache)
Sinus headache
Hemicrania continua
Rebound headache (also called medication overuse headache, abbreviated MOH)
Red Wine Headache
Like other types of pain, headaches can serve as warning signals of more serious disorders. This is particularly true for headaches caused by inflammation, including those related to meningitis as well as those resulting from diseases of the sinuses, spine, neck, ears and teeth.


[edit] Diagnosis
While statistically headaches are most likely to be harmless and self-limiting, some specific headache syndromes may demand specific treatment or may be warning signals of more serious disorders. Some headache subtypes are characterized by a specific pattern of symptoms, and no further testing may be necessary, while others may prompt further diagnostic tests.

Headache associated with specific symptoms may warrant urgent medical attention, particularly sudden, severe headache or sudden headache associated with a stiff neck; headaches associated with fever, convulsions, or accompanied by confusion or loss of consciousness; headaches following a blow to the head, or associated with pain in the eye or ear; persistent headache in a person with no previous history of headaches; and recurring headache in children.

The most important step in diagnosing a headache is for the physician to take a careful history and to examine the patient. In the majority of cases the diagnosis will be tension headache or migraine, both of which can be managed on the basis of a clear-cut clinical picture. Where doubt remains, or if there are abnormalities detected on examination, further investigations are justified.[1] Computed tomography (CT/CAT) scans of the brain or sinuses are commonly performed, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in specific settings. Blood tests may help narrow down the differential diagnosis, but are rarely confirmatory of specific headache forms.


[edit] Treatment
Not all headaches require medical attention, and respond with simple analgesia (painkillers) such as paracetamol/acetaminophen or members of the NSAID class (such as aspirin/acetylsalicylic acid or ibuprofen).

In recurrent unexplained headaches, healthcare professionals may recommend keeping a "headache diary" with entries on type of headache, associated symptoms, precipitating and aggravating factors. This may reveal specific patterns, such as an association with medication, menstruation or absenteeism or with certain foods. It was reported in March 2007 by two separate teams of researchers that stimulating the brain with implanted electrodes appears to help ease the pain of cluster headaches.[2]


[edit] Prevention
Some forms of headache, such as migraine, may be amenable to preventative treatment. On the whole, long-term use of painkillers is discouraged as this may lead to "rebound headaches" on withdrawal. Caffeine, a vasoconstrictor, is sometimes prescribed or recommended, as a remedy or supplement to pain killers in the case of extreme migraine. This has led to the development of Tylenol Ultra, a paracetamol/caffeine analgesic. One popular herbal preventive treatment for migraines is Feverfew. Magnesium, Vitamin B2, and Coenzyme Q10 are "natural" supplements that have shown some efficacy for migraine prevention(5).[3]


[edit] Manipulative therapy
A controversial approach to headache treatment is chiropractic care. Most research supporting the chiropractic adjustment (also known as spinal manipulation by the scientific community) has been self-funded by the chiropractic profession.[citation needed]

The most compelling study of chiropractic efficacy is Nelson's randomized trial, comparing chiropractic to medical care,[4] which included the drug amitriptyline, for the treatment of Migraine Headache. During the 4-week trial, both groups reduced in symptoms. After withdrawal of treatment, the medical group relapsed or got worse, whereas the group receiving chiropractic care maintained their improvements. The amitriptyline is more cost-effective as it is cheaper than the cost of visiting a doctor, but freedom from symptoms or a reduction in frequency only happened in the chiropractic group.

Independent (non-chiropractic) researchers reviewed research on many different types of behavioral and physical treatments for tension-type and cervicogenic headaches[5] and found that cervical spinal manipulation was associated with improvement in cervicogenic headache outcomes (but not for tension-type headache), and was superior to soft-tissue therapies like massage.