Migraine, the National Migraine Association: Ice Pick Headaches

Ice Pick Headaches

MAGNUM teams with Help for Headaches and Migraine to bring you this article:

What Are Ice Pick Headaches?

Although sudden and frightening, they're generally harmless.

by Teri Robert

These startling head pains have been described in various ways:

...when I began having migraines, I suffered a sudden slash of pain, very intense and quick on the right side of my head. It started at one point and webbed out to what it felt like a inch in length... it scared me.
...intense, sharp, stabbing pain about your skull, as if you were being stabbed with an ice pick.
...awakened at 3 a.m. by excruciating, stabbing pains on the top right front of my head, kind of behind the eye. Lasted about 30 seconds.

They're "ice pick headaches" -- short, stabbing, extremely intense headaches that can be absolutely terrifying. They generally only last between five and 30 seconds. However, they come out of nowhere, can strike anywhere on the head, literally feel as if an ice pick is being stuck into your head, then disappear before you can even figure out what's happening...

Click HERE to continue reading this article.

Information offered at this Web site by either a lay person or a health professional should not be interpreted as giving a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation. These can only be provided by a physician who has had an opportunity to interact with a patient in person and at length, with access to the patient's previous records and appropriate follow-up.

About MAGNUM  ● What's New  ● Migraines: Myth & Reality  ● Disability & Impairment
MigraineBlog  ● Treatment & Management  ● Where To Turn for Help  ● Communications & FAQs
Find a Doctor  ● Privacy Policy  ● MAGNUM In the Media  ● Discussion Forums
Bookstore  ● Gift Shop  ● Search  ● Sponsors  ● Home

All information offered on the Web Site, whether by a lay person or a health care professional, is for educational purposes only and should not, in any way, be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, or recommendation for treatment. While this information can provide you with a basis for discussion with your health care team, it cannot take the place of professional medical care. Please consult your practitioner.

© 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and all other years MAGNUM, Inc. All rights reserved. Artwork © Michael John Coleman, Janet McKenzie, or Cara Weston. All other artists noted by © 1976-2008