Key TakeawaysA headache associated with COVID-19 can feel like a tension headache or a migraine.Some patients can also experience persistent daily headaches after recovering from an acute COVID-19 infection.Lifestyle changes and certain medications may treat a COVID headache to an extent.

Key Takeaways

A headache associated with COVID-19 can feel like a tension headache or a migraine.Some patients can also experience persistent daily headaches after recovering from an acute COVID-19 infection.Lifestyle changes and certain medications may treat a COVID headache to an extent.

Headaches are one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19.But are they different from other types of headaches?

COVID headaches could manifest differently among individuals, according toIgor Koralnik, MD, chief of neuroinfectious diseases and global neurology at Northwestern Medicine. Headaches can be similar to a constanttension headacheor a throbbing pain like amigraine attack.

About 70% of the patients at the Neuro COVID-19 Clinic at Northwestern Memorial Hospital experience headaches associated with the coronavirus, Koralnik added.

When Should You Worry About a Headache?

Research shows that patients with a pre-existing primary headache experience COVID headaches more frequently than those without. Dehydrated patients also reported more frequent COVID-related headaches. Coughing or head movement may increase the intensity of the headache as well.

Erin McConnell, MD, an internal medicine physician at the post-COVID recovery program at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, told Verywell that some of her patients experience new or worse migraines after an acute COVID-19 infection.

“This is most likely multifactorial as many patients with [long COVID] are already suffering from fatigue and non-restorative sleep, both of which can trigger migraine headaches," she said.

What to Know About Migraine and COVID-19

Why Would COVID Cause Headaches?

Survivors of the 1890 flu pandemic had experienced post-infection symptoms months to years after the pandemic ended. One of the documented complications was a persistent, daily headache. Researchers suggested that the many similarities between the 1890 pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic mean that headache of a similar nature is a possible consequence of COVID-19.

“It would be fair to speculate that new-onset headache would be related to the viral illness itself, since COVID tends to present with flu-like symptoms,” McConnell said.

Many people develop a headache during the course of the infection that eventually goes away when they recover. In some cases, the headache occurs long after the initial infection.

“The headaches with COVID can last as long as the acute illness, or as long as weeks to months, especially in those who develop them as part of their long COVID manifestation,” McConnell said.

How Long Does Long COVID Last?

How Long Do COVID-19 Headaches Last?

How Is COVID Headache Treated?

Treatment recommendations for long COVID headaches have been similar to how physicians treat other chronic headaches, McConnell said, which include adequate sleep, proper hydration, regular meals, and keeping stress to a minimum.

Using over-the-counter painkillers too frequently may lead tomedication overuse headaches, so it’s best to discuss with a healthcare provider about potential treatments.

“If they are severe enough or frequent enough, we may start preventative medications such asbeta-blockers,anti-epileptics, ortricyclic anti-depressants, which are meds that we commonly use to prevent chronic daily headaches,” McConnell said.

What to Do About a Continuous Headache

Like all instances of neurological symptoms, diagnosing any headache must be based on a thorough medical history and neurological examination, Koralnik said. Sometimes, the headache does not respond to over-the-counter medications andNSAIDs.

If no other causes are found, low doses of nortriptyline, a type of antidepressant, at bedtime are used to prevent and treat headaches, he added.

At present, more research is needed to understand how to treat post-COVID symptoms effectively. Experts recommend getting vaccinated to avoid severe outcomes from the disease.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Magdy R, Hussein M, Ragaie C, et al.Characteristics of headache attributed to COVID-19 infection and predictors of its frequency and intensity: A cross sectional study.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1422-1431. doi:10.1177/0333102420965140Rozen TD.Daily persistent headache after a viral illness during a worldwide pandemic may not be a new occurrence: Lessons from the 1890 Russian/Asiatic flu.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1406-1409. doi:10.1177/0333102420965132Ali ST, Kang AK, Patel TR, Clark JR, Perez-Giraldo GS, Orban ZS, Lim PH, Jimenez M, Graham EL, Batra A, Liotta EM, Koralnik IJ.Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 “long haulers”. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2022 Jul;9(7):950-961. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51570. Epub 2022 May 24Fujita K, Otsuka Y, Sunada N, Honda H, Tokumasu K, Nakano Y, Sakurada Y, Obika M, Hagiya H, Otsuka F.Manifestation of Headache Affecting Quality of Life in Long COVID Patients. J Clin Med. 2023 May 18;12(10):3533. doi: 10.3390/jcm12103533

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Magdy R, Hussein M, Ragaie C, et al.Characteristics of headache attributed to COVID-19 infection and predictors of its frequency and intensity: A cross sectional study.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1422-1431. doi:10.1177/0333102420965140Rozen TD.Daily persistent headache after a viral illness during a worldwide pandemic may not be a new occurrence: Lessons from the 1890 Russian/Asiatic flu.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1406-1409. doi:10.1177/0333102420965132Ali ST, Kang AK, Patel TR, Clark JR, Perez-Giraldo GS, Orban ZS, Lim PH, Jimenez M, Graham EL, Batra A, Liotta EM, Koralnik IJ.Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 “long haulers”. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2022 Jul;9(7):950-961. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51570. Epub 2022 May 24Fujita K, Otsuka Y, Sunada N, Honda H, Tokumasu K, Nakano Y, Sakurada Y, Obika M, Hagiya H, Otsuka F.Manifestation of Headache Affecting Quality of Life in Long COVID Patients. J Clin Med. 2023 May 18;12(10):3533. doi: 10.3390/jcm12103533

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Magdy R, Hussein M, Ragaie C, et al.Characteristics of headache attributed to COVID-19 infection and predictors of its frequency and intensity: A cross sectional study.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1422-1431. doi:10.1177/0333102420965140Rozen TD.Daily persistent headache after a viral illness during a worldwide pandemic may not be a new occurrence: Lessons from the 1890 Russian/Asiatic flu.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1406-1409. doi:10.1177/0333102420965132Ali ST, Kang AK, Patel TR, Clark JR, Perez-Giraldo GS, Orban ZS, Lim PH, Jimenez M, Graham EL, Batra A, Liotta EM, Koralnik IJ.Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 “long haulers”. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2022 Jul;9(7):950-961. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51570. Epub 2022 May 24Fujita K, Otsuka Y, Sunada N, Honda H, Tokumasu K, Nakano Y, Sakurada Y, Obika M, Hagiya H, Otsuka F.Manifestation of Headache Affecting Quality of Life in Long COVID Patients. J Clin Med. 2023 May 18;12(10):3533. doi: 10.3390/jcm12103533

Magdy R, Hussein M, Ragaie C, et al.Characteristics of headache attributed to COVID-19 infection and predictors of its frequency and intensity: A cross sectional study.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1422-1431. doi:10.1177/0333102420965140

Rozen TD.Daily persistent headache after a viral illness during a worldwide pandemic may not be a new occurrence: Lessons from the 1890 Russian/Asiatic flu.Cephalalgia. 2020;40(13):1406-1409. doi:10.1177/0333102420965132

Ali ST, Kang AK, Patel TR, Clark JR, Perez-Giraldo GS, Orban ZS, Lim PH, Jimenez M, Graham EL, Batra A, Liotta EM, Koralnik IJ.Evolution of neurologic symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 “long haulers”. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2022 Jul;9(7):950-961. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51570. Epub 2022 May 24

Fujita K, Otsuka Y, Sunada N, Honda H, Tokumasu K, Nakano Y, Sakurada Y, Obika M, Hagiya H, Otsuka F.Manifestation of Headache Affecting Quality of Life in Long COVID Patients. J Clin Med. 2023 May 18;12(10):3533. doi: 10.3390/jcm12103533

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