Headaches can be experienced by anyone. To help relieve it, there are a number of headache medications that you can try, both natural and medical. Read more here.
The severity of headaches can vary. There are people who only feel uncomfortable in the head, there are also those who feel unbearable pain that makes it difficult to move.
Therefore, various choices of effective headache medications are needed to help overcome them.
Natural Headache Remedy
There are various kinds of natural headache remedies that you can try to treat headaches before taking medical drugs, including:
1. Water
In fact, dehydration is one of the most common causes of tension headaches and migraines. Sometimes dehydration can also interfere with concentration and make headache symptoms worse.
Therefore, you can try using water as a headache medicine. The trick is to drink enough water throughout the day. In addition to drinking water, you can also prevent dehydration by eating foods that are high in water content, such as soups and some types of fruit and vegetables.
2. Ginger drink
Drinking ginger wedang is known to be quite effective in relieving headaches. Ginger contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties that can bring many benefits, including treating migraine headaches. Plus, ginger also helps reduce some of the symptoms that follow a headache, such as nausea and vomiting.
In fact, several studies have shown that ginger powder has comparable efficacy to sumatriptan, a type of headache medication that is often used to reduce migraine pain.
3. Cold water compress
You can also use a cold compress as a natural headache remedy. Cold compresses can reduce inflammation that causes pain and "throbbing" caused by dilation of blood vessels.
To apply this method, all you have to do is wrap a few ice cubes in a clean and soft towel, then apply them to the back of your neck or temples.
4. Sleep
Lack of sleep can cause a variety of health problems, including headaches. In fact, people who sleep less than 6 hours are more likely to experience severe headaches. This means that getting enough sleep can be a natural and easy headache remedy.
When you have a headache, try to calculate how much sleep you have that day. The ideal length of a night's sleep is 7–9 hours. If you don't get enough sleep at night, you can make up for it by taking a nap.
However, you should also strive for an adequate night's sleep, for example by avoiding coffee or caffeine consumption and reducing light or noise during sleep.
5. Exercise or yoga
Sometimes headaches can also be caused by stress. When you have a headache due to a lot of stress, exercise can be a powerful headache remedy. This is because when you exercise, your body releases endorphins that make you feel happy.
Exercise does not have to be high-intensity and tiring, because this can actually trigger headaches after exercise. What really matters is increasing physical activity, for example by walking more, jogging, or yoga. Yoga can also be a means of relaxation that can calm the mind.
Medical Headache Medicine
If natural headache remedies can't relieve the pain you are feeling, you can take over-the-counter medical headache medications. The following are examples:
Paracetamol
Paracetamol is one of the most widely used headache medications. The general dose of paracetamol consumption for adults is 1-2 tablets of 500 mg, every 4-6 hours. You can take paracetamol before or after meals.
Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly used to treat headaches. This drug has been shown to be safe and effective in treating all types of headaches, from those caused by stress to those caused by migraines.
Ibuprofen works by inhibiting the body from producing compounds that cause inflammation and pain, so headaches can be reduced.
For mild to moderate headaches, the usual adult dose of ibuprofen is 1-2 tablets of 200 mg, every 4-6 hours. Before taking ibuprofen, make sure you have eaten first.
Aspirin
Another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly used as a headache medicine is aspirin. Typically, aspirin comes in the form of a 300 mg tablet.
The usual dose for adults (over 16 years of age) is 1-2 tablets taken every 4-6 hours a day. Before taking aspirin, make sure you have eaten to avoid stomach pain.
That's a variety of treatments that you can try to relieve headaches. One thing you have to remember is that if you are using a medical headache medication, make sure you follow the directions for use listed on the packaging label.
If the headache medication options above still can't relieve your complaints, check with your doctor to get the right treatment.