The Most Effective OTC Pressure Headache Drugs
What are the symptoms?
- A feeling of pressure in the ears and head (earwax blockage, ear infection, dental infection, etc.)
- A feeling of pressure in the neck (muscle strain, whiplash concussion, etc.)
- A feeling of pressure in the eyes (allergies, eye strain, sinus infections, etc.)
- Some individuals also experience the below with pressure headaches:
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
What are the causes?
- Tension headaches: The pain isn’t very strong, but it’s the type of headache 42 percent of the population on a global level suffers from.
- Sinus headaches: If you feel pain at the back of and around your forehead, ears, cheekbones, nose, and jaws, it means you suffer from a sinus headache. When sinuses become inflamed, it leads to excess mucus production which causes head pressure.
- Ear conditions: You’ll feel a dull, constant pressure in your ears, temple, side of head or jaw. One or both sides may be affected. Earwax blockages and ear infections are the most common ear conditions that cause pressure in the head with ear pain.
- Migraines: Migraines are manifested with a severe, throbbing pain in your head usually on one side of your head, but having both sides achicing is not a rare occasion either. The pain can be so strong that will prevent you from doing any kind of work.
Over-the-counter pressure headache drugs
Relieve the pain with these medicines and skip the visit to the doctor’s office.
Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen works on areas of your brain that receive “pain messages.”
Examples:
- Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets – 24 count
- Sunmark Pain Reliever Caplets – 100 count
Ibuprofen
NSAIDs help reduce inflammation along with the pain.
Examples:
- Advil Liquid-gels – 24 count
- Ibuprofen Tablets – 100 tablets
- Motrin Caplets – 24 count
Naproxen
Naproxen is also in the NSAID family and helps with pain. Like ibuprofen, it helps relieve fevers, inflammation, pain and more.
Examples:
- Aleve Tablets – 24 count
- Naproxen Sodium Tablets (generic for Aleve) – 100 tablets
Combination of aspirin and acetaminophen
Some medications combine aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine, which often work better.
Aspirin belongs in the NSAID family of medications. It’s an excellent choice for treating toothaches, headaches and colds and, when combined with acetaminophen, can help with fevers too.
Examples:
- Excedrin Extra Strength Caplets – 24 count
- Excedrin PM Caplets – 24 count
- Excedrin Migraine Caplets – 24 count
Studies indicate that medicine containing acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine relieves pain than acetaminophen alone. In addition, individuals were more likely to be free of pain two hours after taking the combination medicine (28.5 percent) than those who took acetaminophen (21 percent) or a placebo (18 percent).
The study showed that caffeine makes this combination so effective, and individuals taking a pain reliever without caffeine require around 40 percent more medicine to receive the same relief than those taking the same medication with caffeine.
Pressure headaches due to a cold
If your pressure headache is sinus related due to a cold, you might benefit from an OTC product that targets colds.
Examples:
- Mucinex Day/Night Caplets – 20 count
- Tylenol Cold & Flu Combo Pack Caplets – 24 count
Take as directed and heed to warning labels
Regardless of the OTC pain reliever you choose to take, it’s essential you only take the instructed dosage. Too much medicine can lead to “medication overuse” or “rebound” headaches.
