What should you know about medicine for tension headache?

Tension-type headache often feels like pressure or a tight band around the head. Paracetamol may be suitable for some people, while an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen may help others. These medicines are not appropriate for everyone: stomach ulcers, kidney disease, liver disease, asthma triggered by anti-inflammatories, pregnancy, blood thinners, or medicine allergies can change the advice. Read the label and avoid taking more than one product containing the same ingredient.

Take a recommended dose only when needed and follow the product instructions. Rest in a quiet place, drink water, loosen tight neck or jaw muscles, and consider a warm compress. Keep a simple headache record showing timing, possible triggers, medicines taken, and response. Frequent use of acute pain medicine can itself contribute to recurring headaches, so recurring symptoms deserve a review with a clinician. A [GP Consultation](/treatments/consultations-and-assessment/gp-consultation/) can help check the pattern and choose a suitable plan.

Seek urgent help for a sudden severe headache, a headache after a significant head injury, or headache with weakness, confusion, fainting, a seizure, new speech or vision difficulty, fever with a stiff neck, or repeated vomiting. Arrange medical assessment if headaches are new, changing, unusually frequent, or not settling with appropriate self-care. A [Headache](/symptoms/headache/) guide may help you describe the symptoms, but it cannot replace an examination when warning signs are present.

Ask which pain medicine fits your medical history, how often it is reasonable to use, whether another medicine could interact with it, and what preventive steps might reduce repeat headaches.