Dealing with Headaches after Recovering from COVID-19

CLEVELAND – If you noticed you’re still dealing with lingering headaches after contracting COVID-19, you’re not alone.

Emad Estemalik, MD, who is a headache specialist for Cleveland Clinic, said it’s a problem for many people.

“When it comes to headaches, there was actually an interesting study that looked at long-term neurologic complications following COVID infections, and headache tends to be one of the most common long-term complications that we see after COVID,” said Dr. Estemalik.

He said research is still being done to understand why that is. However, they do know that the types of headaches vary from person-to-person. For example, someone who had migraines previously and then contracted the virus, may have more severe migraines after.

When it comes to treatment, there are different options available, including prescription medications, Botox injections and therapy.

Dr. Estemalik said this kind of COVID long-hauler symptom is just another reason why it’s so important to get vaccinated.

“Vaccination is a great tool. We already know about it not just in reducing your chance of getting the infection, but it has an incredible effect of reducing any serious illness and long-hauler symptoms, even if you were to catch COVID down the line,” he said.

He said if your headaches aren’t improving once you recover, you should talk to your physician.