Your head is throbbing. You can’t concentrate. You wonder how you’ll ever get relief. You could be suffering from a sinus headache – or it could be migraine symptoms. When you’re in pain, how can you tell the difference?
A WebMD study has shown that among people who think they suffer from sinus headaches, up to 90 percent actually could be suffering from migraine symptoms. Although both can prove excruciating, the correct diagnosis can lead to more successful – and quicker – treatment.
Symptoms of sinus headaches can include:
- Intense pain in the forehead, cheekbones or bridge of the nose
- An increasing ache with sudden movements
- Fever
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Facial swelling
- Yellow or green nasal discharge
- A “full” sensation in the ears
These symptoms can indicate a migraine:
- Sensitivity to light, sounds or smells
- Throbbing pain in one of both sides of the head
- Clear nasal discharge
- Nausea or vomiting
- Blurred vision
- Diarrhea
- Faintness
- Reduced pain in 4 to 72 hours without treatment
Many migraine symptoms strike when the seasons change, so it’s not uncommon for these types of severe headaches to be accompanied by nasal congestion – which can lead sufferers to assume (incorrectly) that they’re suffering from sinusitis.
When over-the-counter medications are taken and prove effective on a headache, people commonly assume they beat a sinus infection, when in reality, the painkiller simply shrunk the migraine-induced swollen blood vessels. A medical professional can prescribe proper antibiotics or pain medication to deal with the headache in question.
When you suffer an intense headache, it’s better to visit a doctor to get treatment advice than to describe your symptoms over the phone. Anytime pain strikes, we’ll be here for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sinus headaches typically cause intense pain in the forehead, cheekbones, or bridge of the nose. Other symptoms can include an ache that worsens with sudden movements, fever, swollen lymph nodes, facial swelling, yellow or green nasal discharge, and a full sensation in the ears. These signs usually indicate inflammation or infection in the sinus areas.
Sinus headaches and migraines share some overlapping symptoms, but migraines often include sensitivity to light, sounds, or smells, throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and sometimes diarrhea or faintness. Sinus headaches usually involve localized facial pain with fever and colored nasal discharge. A medical professional can help accurately diagnose the condition.
Many migraine sufferers experience nasal congestion and related symptoms due to swollen blood vessels, especially during seasonal changes, leading them to assume they have sinus infections. Additionally, effective relief from over-the-counter painkillers can mask migraine symptoms, making people believe they treated a sinus infection when they actually addressed migraine pain.
While over-the-counter pain medications can relieve headache pain caused by migraines by reducing swollen blood vessels, they may only temporarily mask symptoms of sinus headaches if an infection is present. Correct diagnosis is essential since sinus infections may require antibiotics, whereas migraines are typically treated with specific pain management strategies.
You should seek medical advice promptly if you experience intense or persistent headaches because self-diagnosis can be inaccurate, and proper treatment depends on the exact cause. A doctor can perform an evaluation to distinguish between sinus headaches, migraines, or other conditions and recommend appropriate medications or therapies for relief.
Common migraine symptoms include throbbing head pain that may occur on one or both sides, sensitivity to light, sounds, or smells, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, diarrhea, and faintness. These symptoms differ from sinus headaches, which mainly cause facial pain, fever, and colored nasal discharge.