This symptom can be “excruciating”, he warned
A doctor revealed the “most common” symptom he sees as a GP and when to seek immediate medical help. He also warned that “not all headaches are the same”.
In a video uploaded to his Instagram, Doctor Amir Khan highlighted how prevalent headaches are. However, the type of headache you have will depend on what’s causing it and could require different treatment.
With this in mind, Dr Amir – who is best known for his appearances on ITV, shared five different types of headaches to be wary of. He said: “As a GP, one of the most common symptoms I see is headache, but not all headaches are the same.
“So here are five different types of headache, what they feel like and what’s actually going on in your head.”
Migraine with or without aura
A migraine “isn’t just a bad headache”. Dr Amir said: “Typically, it’s a throbbing headache, often on one side of the head and can be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound.”
Some people will also get what’s known as an “aura” beforehand. “That’s those flashing lights, zigzag patterns, blind spots, tingling sensations,” he said.
“But migraine is a neurological condition. We think there’s abnormal activation of the nerves and blood vessels in the brain, particularly the trigeminal nerve system, which triggers inflammation and pain signalling.”
The NHS recommends you see your GP if:
- Your migraine attacks are severe or getting worse, or lasting longer than usual
- You have migraine attacks more than once a week
- You’re finding it difficult to control your migraine
- You regularly get migraine before or during your period
Tension-type headache
Dr Amir said this is a “really common” type of headache. “People often describe it as a tight band around the head or a feeling of pressure across the forehead, temple area, or back of the head,” he said.
“Now, it’s usually mild to moderate. It’s certainly not as severe as a migraine can be, but that doesn’t mean it is not a problem.
“Stress, fatigue, poor posture, and muscle tension in the neck and scalp can all contribute. The muscles become tight and pain sensitive, creating that characteristic tight helmet sensation.”
The NHS says you can treat them yourself with painkillers but you should see a GP if you have several headaches a week or they’re severe.
Cluster headaches
Dr Amir warned that these can be “excruciating”. He said: “This is awful.”
“This, in my opinion, is one of the most painful conditions in medicine. The pain is excruciating, and usually centred around one eye.
“The eye may water, become red, and the nose may run on the same side. Now, unlike migraine sufferers who often want to lie still, people with cluster headaches are often restless and unable to keep still because the pain is so intense.
“We think a part of the brain called the hypothalamus becomes overactive, triggering pain pathways and autonomic nerves around the eye and face. It’s bad.”
On the NHS website, it urges people to see their GP if they have cluster headaches.
Cervicogenic headache
Dr Amir explained: “Now this headache normally starts in the neck area around there. The pain begins at the back of the head, neck and can spread forwards and upwards towards the forehead and the eyes.
“Now, many people notice it gets worse with certain neck movements. The joints, muscles, and nerves in the neck share pathways with pain nerves in the head. Problems in the neck, can therefore be felt as a headache type of pain.”
Medication overuse headache
This may seem paradoxical, but you could be causing a headache by overuse of painkillers. Dr Amir said: ““Really really common – a medication overuse headache. Now this one surprises a lot of people especially when I talk to my patients about it, because the very tablets that you’re taking for headaches can sometimes become the cause of your headache.
“People often develop near daily headaches and end up taking more and more painkillers. Now repeated use of painkillers, even something simple like paracetamol can make the brain’s pain processing systems become more sensitive over time creating a cycle where headaches trigger medication use and medication use triggers more headaches.”
Seek urgent help
There’s one type of headache that requires immediate medical attention. Known as a “thunderclap headache”, this could signal an aneurysm or haemorrhage.
“Now one final point that I always say when I’m talking about headaches, if you ever develop a sudden, explosive headache that reaches maximum intensity within seconds, what doctors call a thunderclap headache, it feels like you’ve been hit at the back of your head, really badly, seek urgent medical attention that isn’t a normal headache,” Dr Amir said.
“It needs immediate assessment. It could be a bleed.”
The NHS says you should “call 999” if you get a headache that’s extremely painful and does not go away.
He added: “Now, most headaches are not dangerous, but understanding which type you have can make a huge difference to getting the right treatment. So I hope that helps.”
