Get help here!
Get help here!
Get help here!
Only a medical provider can make a diagnosis and tell you what kind of headaches you have.
Having a diagnosis (that is, a specific name for your type of headaches) is important because it helps you to understand what may be causing the headaches and how to deal with them the right way.
Your pediatrician, nurse practitioner, or primary care doctor is the first person you should contact if you have headaches, because they know you best.
When should you see your doctor?
In most cases, headaches are harmless. They get better on their own or with rest. They don’t usually get in the way of things you want to or have to do. With these headaches, there is nothing to worry about.
BUT, if you feel like your headaches are:
- Getting worse or feel different,
- Happening more often,
- Accompanied by new problems or other physical changes,
- Getting in the way of your everyday life,
- Not improving with the strategies you have been using
then you should talk to your doctor.
Your doctor can help you figure out what type of headache you may be having and give you advice on what to do about them.
Important!
Taking medication for headaches (including what kind, how much, and how often) should always be discussed with your doctor first!
Preparing for your doctor’s appointment
Here are some helpful tips when getting ready to see your doctor about your headaches.
- Make a specific appointment to talk to your doctor JUST about the headaches. You don’t need to wait for your regular check-up! That way, you can spend the whole appointment focused on the headaches. .
- Your doctor will probably ask you many details about your headache, so it’s good to think ahead of time about ways to describe your headache.
- What do your headaches feel like? Can you describe it in words?
- Where does it hurt the most?
- When do your headaches bother you the most? Is there a pattern?
- How often do you have headaches? How many days have you had a headache in the last month? If these questions feel hard to answer, you may want to keepa headache diary before your appointment. Click the tab below to download an example.
- What have you done to help your headaches so far? Has it helped you in any way?
Have you taken any medication?
Before your appointment, write down what you would like to discuss with and ask your doctor. Take your notes with you to the appointment.
Click the tab below to download a checklist to help you get ready for your appointment
Have your headaches been bothering you for a while now and they just won’t get better?
If you have been dealing withheadaches for a long time and the treatments you’ve tried haven’t been helpful yet (or your doctor isn’t sure what else to try), you and your family may want to see a medical provider that specializes in pediatric primary headaches.
There are many types of specialists and even dedicated programs designed to help young people with headaches (and other types of pain) in the U.S. and all over the world. They have have different titles/labels but can include neurologists, anesthesiologists, rheumatologists, and more.
It is very important, however, that when you and your family are searching for specialists/programs for pain that you identify pediatric doctors; that is, doctors who work with children and adolescents. This is because pain in young people can be quite different than pain in adults, because their bodies are still growing and changing. Therefore, the options for treatment are also different for youth, compared to adults.
Here are several pediatric headache programs here in the U.S., but there are even more! Which one is the easiest for you to reach?
Boston Children’s Hospital Chronic Pain Medicine Headache Clinic (Brookline, MA)
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Pediatric Headache Program (Philadelphia, PA)
Children’s National Headache Program (Washington DC)
Phone number: 781-216-1960
Phone number: 215-590-1719
Phone number: 202-476-4323
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Headache Center (Cincinnati, OH)
Children’s Hospital Colorado Pediatric Headache Program (Aurora, CO)
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Headache Program (San Francisco, CA)
Phone number: 513-636-4222
Phone number: 720-777-6895
Phone number: 855-722-8273
Boston Children’s Hospital Chronic Pain Medicine Headache Clinic (Brookline, MA)
Phone number: 781-216-1960
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Pediatric Headache Program (Philadelphia, PA)
Phone number: 215-590-1719
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Headache Center (Cincinnati, OH)
Phone number: 513-636-4222
Children’s Hospital Colorado Pediatric Headache Program (Aurora, CO)
Phone number: 720-777-6895
UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Headache Program (San Francisco, CA)
Phone number: 855-722-8273
Dealing with headaches can be hard and even overwhelming. Headaches can stress you out and bring your mood down, especially when they start interfering with what you love. If this sounds like you, it might be helpful to talk with someone about how you are feeling.
If headaches or other parts of life are really hard right now, it’s important to ask for help! If you’d like to talk with someone but you’re not sure who, check out these suggestions:
Calling a hotline might be a good place to start. With a hotline, you can get help anonymously (privately) and free of charge, for your questions, worries, and concerns in life. Nearly all countries have their own hotlines for support that you can find with a quick internet search.
The 988 Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7 call, text and chat access to trained crisis counselors who can help people experiencing a mental health crisis or any other kind of emotional distress. People can also call, text or chat 988 if they are worried about a loved one who may need support. Services are available in English & Spanish.
Just CALL or TEXT 988 anytime!
YouthLine offers a trained peer-support crisis hotline for teens. To reach YouthLine, teens can call 877-968-8491, text “teen2teen” to 839863, or visit https://www.theyouthline.org/.
Trained teen, young adult, and adult volunteers are available daily from 4-10pm PST.
The Trevor Project is a 24/7 crisis intervention hotline for LGBTQ+ youth. CALL 1-866-488-7386 or TEXT the word “start” to 678-678 or start a chat online at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/
If calling, texting, or chatting online via these hotlines is not a good fit for you, but you need help feeling safe, you can go to your nearest emergency room for in-person help.
Review the information about headaches on the following pages.
Tension-type headaches
Here you will find information about the most common type of headache, the tension-type headache.