Beware, Recurring Headaches Can Be a Sign of a Brain Tumor

Many healthy adults experience headaches from time to time, and the pain is rarely associated with tumors. However, if someone often experiences recurring headaches, it should be watched out for. 

Because recurring headaches can be caused by brain tumors, although this type of headache is more likely to be caused by inflammation, dehydration, nerve compression, eye strain, or stress. So, what does a headache from a brain tumor feel like?

Quoting from the Mayo Clinic, the characteristics of headaches due to brain tumors can generally arise when the tumor has grown and pressed on brain tissue. This pain is a sign that the tumor condition is starting to be worrying. 

However, the characteristics of headaches due to brain tumors are often considered as ordinary headaches, so they are only treated with medication. 

Headaches caused by brain tumors are localized to a specific area and can feel dull, like pressure, and worsen when coughing or sneezing. And over time, these headaches no longer respond to over-the-counter medications.

Symptoms of headaches due to brain tumors 

If a brain tumor causes pain, the discomfort is usually caused by the tumor pressing on nearby nerves or nerve roots. Although the brain itself cannot feel pain, inflammation and compression of the nerve roots can cause several uncomfortable symptoms. 

Headaches due to brain tumors, as quoted from the Moffitt page, usually feel worse in the morning or even wake you up at night.

This headache can also be made worse by straining, coughing, and sneezing. Headaches from brain tumors are usually accompanied by one or more neurological complications, including: 

• – Nausea or vomiting 
• – Blurred vision 
• – Seizures 
• – Weakness or paralysis
• – Speech disorders 
• – Memory loss 
• – Confusion, disorientation, or sudden changes in personality

Treatment for headaches caused by brain tumors Treatment for headaches caused by brain tumors is different from tension headaches or migraines, because the pain comes from the tumor pressing on blood vessels and sensitive nerves in the brain or because the tumor affects the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain. 

Headaches caused by brain tumors can still be treated, but only temporarily. These headaches will only completely disappear if the tumor can be removed from the head.

To temporarily relieve tumor headaches, Hello Sehat explains, you can use drugs used to treat tension headaches, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol. 

Meanwhile, to relieve swelling, you can use steroid drugs. However, the soothing effect provided by the drugs only lasts temporarily. Not long after that, the pain and swelling will reappear as if they had never been treated.

Over-the-counter pain relievers may not respond to this type of headache, which is why steroids are often the recommended treatment. Steroids can reduce swelling in the brain, thereby addressing the cause of headaches due to brain tumors. 

Remember, patients should consult a doctor about steroids to help relieve headaches and notify the doctor immediately if the medication stops working.