Headache Specialist in Hyderabad
Not all headaches are the same. Getting the right diagnosis determines whether you need lifestyle changes, preventive medication, or a full neurological workup.
Headache is the most common neurological symptom that brings patients to a doctor. Yet most people in Hyderabad treat headache with over-the-counter painkillers for years without ever getting a proper diagnosis. There are over 150 distinct types of headache disorders — and the treatment for each is completely different. Dr. Anand Karnam provides systematic headache classification using ICHD-3 criteria and builds a personalised treatment plan that goes far beyond 'take a painkiller and rest'.
Key Points
- Not all headaches are migraines — tension-type, cluster, and cervicogenic headaches each need different treatment.
- A headache diary of frequency, duration, triggers, and severity is the most powerful diagnostic tool.
- Red flags needing urgent scans: thunderclap onset, headache worsening with coughing, or new headache after age 50.
- Medication overuse headache (MOH) occurs with painkillers taken more than 10-15 days per month.
- Most chronic headache conditions respond well to the correct preventive strategy — no one should just live with it.
45%
of Indians suffer from regular headaches
Source: Indian Headache Society
1 in 4
headache patients has medication overuse headache
Source: ICHD-3 / IHS
Common Headache Types We Treat
Migraine
Moderate to severe throbbing headache, typically one-sided, with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound. The most under-diagnosed headache disorder in India.
Tension-Type Headache
A tight, pressing, band-like pain around the head. Bilateral, not typically associated with nausea. Most common headache type overall. Responds to paracetamol and stress management.
Cluster Headache
Excruciating pain around one eye, with eye watering and nasal congestion. Attacks occur in clusters — multiple times a day for weeks, then no headache for months. Extremely disabling.
Medication Overuse Headache
A daily or near-daily headache in a patient who uses painkillers frequently. The medication itself perpetuates the headache. The only treatment is supervised analgesic withdrawal.
Secondary Headaches
Headaches caused by an underlying problem — raised intracranial pressure, sinusitis, cervical spine disease, hypertension. 'Red flag' features (onset with exertion, thunderclap onset, change in personality) always need investigation.
Headache Management Plan
Detailed Headache History
We take a systematic headache history — location, character, duration, frequency, associated features, triggers, and response to medication — to classify your headache correctly.
Identify Red Flags
Certain headache features require urgent brain imaging to rule out secondary causes — new onset after 50, thunderclap onset, postural changes, fever, or neurological deficits.
Preventive Treatment
For patients with frequent headache (4+ days per month), preventive medication dramatically reduces the burden. We review the evidence for each option with you.
Headache Diary Review
A structured headache diary (dates, severity, duration, medications taken) is invaluable for identifying patterns, triggers, and medication overuse. We provide a simple diary template.
Non-Drug Approaches
Trigger management, sleep hygiene, regular meals, hydration, stress reduction, and physiotherapy for cervicogenic headache — all effective and always discussed alongside medication.
Why Choose Sri Anand Hospital?
Treated by: Dr. Anand Karnam · DrNB (Neurology) · Headache & Migraine Specialist
"I estimate 60% of the patients I see for chronic headache have never had a proper headache classification. Calling everything migraine and giving triptans is not treatment — it is a gamble. Correct diagnosis takes 20 minutes and changes everything."
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Sri Anand Child & Neuro Hospital · Open 24/7 · Chanda Nagar, Hyderabad