Acute treatment of tension-type headache in adults

Pharmacotherapy for tension-type headache is often self-directed but may be prescribed by a clinician for severe or recurrent cases or in the setting of intolerance or unresponsiveness to initial medications. In general, medications should be administered early after headache onset using an effective single dose to optimize efficacy and reduce the risk of medication overuse headache. For patients with an inadequate response within two to four hours of initial dosing, additional evaluation and therapy may be warranted.