Headache or ER visit?

How can you distinguish between a headache and something more serious? When should you head out to the ER and when should you just take a pain medication and head off to bed? Various analyses have been taken, and there was one study conducted by the University of Southern California-Neurology, Los Angeles, CA a couple of years ago. It looked at: “the demographics, diagnosis, and treatment patterns in patients with headache-seeking treatment in one of the busiest emergency rooms (ER) of an academic medical center in the USA. The question one wants to ask is it really a good idea to go to the ER or can one find more appropriate and efficient care elsewhere? One has to ask if they are just panicking (due to the understandable severity of the pain) or really need to see an ER doctor. The ER really should be used for just that – emergency medicine. If a headache can be taken care of by avoiding the ER, that should be done. Remember: being in the ER can be very loud and stressful; two factors that are not good for people suffering from very bad headaches. But if nothing eases the pain and your local physician is not available then a trip to the ER would be advised. Take care to analyze the specifics of your situation before heading for the ER.