While headaches have become all but common nowadays, a leading doctor reveals exactly when should they seek medical help for the agonizing pain.
According to a story published in The Daily Mail, Dr Michael Munger, from Overland Park, Kansas, says any more than two headaches for three weeks is a cause for concern.
He went on to add that, however, it doesn't mean sufferers should panic as it isn't necessarily an emergency and only signals a potential medical problem.
Dr Munger, the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said having a check-up allows doctors to get to the root cause of the headache.
However, Dr Munger, warned that headaches - widely considered the worst kind of pain - can be a sign of brain tumours and aneurysms, in rare cases.
Talking to The Washington Post in an in-depth interview, he said, “You don't want people to over-react, but you also don't want them to under-react.”
Nauman Tariq, who is director of the Headache Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, warned that patients shouldn't rely on painkillers for too long.
He went on to add that over-the-counter drugs seem safe, but not so when they're taken frequently. He went on to add that long-term or frequent use can be more damaging than the headache itself.
An array of studies have shown that over-the-counter painkillers can cause ulcers, kidney problems, liver damage - and even be worse for headaches.
World Health Organization estimates half of the adult population endures at least one headache each year, including tension headaches, sinus headaches and migraines.
Officials say patients should seek advice from their GP if they are often struck down by headaches and if painkillers don't work.
Experts further say that if the pain is accompanied by blurry vision, drowsiness or a sore scalp, patients should seek medical assistance.
While headaches can sometimes be brought on by cold or flu, both of which are common illnesses in the winter, stress, eyesight problems, dehydration and taking too many painkillers are other known causes of agonising headaches.
According to recent research, it was revealed that headaches trigger more suffering than pain in any other part of the body.
