Therapy
Various conservative, and more rarely surgical, procedures are used to treat headaches in the forehead. An important part of conservative therapy involves avoiding so-called trigger factors, i.e. factors that can trigger or aggravate forehead pain in the affected person. Typical trigger factors for forehead pain are stress, lack of sleep, stimulants such as nicotine and alcohol, climatic influences and, in women, menstruation.
If trigger factors of forehead headaches are unknown to the person affected, it is recommended to keep a so-called headache diary. In a headache diary, the person affected should record in which situation the headache occurs, how long it lasts, with what intensity it occurs, its pain character and how the person has dealt with the headache, for example whether medication has been taken and whether it has helped. Especially in the case of chronic headaches, i.e. those that have persisted for a long time, it is useful to keep a headache diary.
For the medicinal treatment of forehead headaches, ASA, ibuprofen and paracetamol are mainly used. These drugs are not subject to prescription, but should nevertheless only be taken in consultation with a doctor, as side effects and interactions with other drugs can sometimes occur. Furthermore, ASA, ibuprofen and paracetamol should not be taken too frequently or for long periods of time, as this can lead to headaches.
This is known as drug-induced headache. Drugs used in acute migraine attacks and in acute attacks of cluster headache are also called triptans. For chronic forehead headaches, atypical painkillers from the group of antidepressants and anticonvulsants (antiepileptics) can also be used.
These drugs are normally used to treat depression or epilepsy, but can also be effective in headaches when conventional painkillers such as ASA, ibuprofen or paracetamol no longer have an analgesic effect. As vegetable alternative with headache in the forehead also peppermint or eucalyptus oil can be tried. In addition to drug therapy, regular physical activity (at least three times a week) is recommended.
Suitable sports for headaches in the forehead include cycling, swimming or running. Furthermore, various relaxation exercises such as autogenic training, yoga or the progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobsen can be learned. Massages, heat applications, stretching exercises or acupuncture can also have a pain-relieving effect. In the case of secondary headaches of the forehead, for example as a result of an infection, a craniocerebral trauma, a brain tumor, a bleeding or a disease of the cervical spine, the treatment of the underlying disease must be carried out. In rare cases, surgery may be necessary for this.
