1. Treat Immune Defense
Some headaches caused by a fever are an indication that your body is working to fight off the flu virus. Blood vessels become enlarged, which increases the pressure in your head. Fever is crucial to fighting influenza because the virus can't replicate in such high temperatures. Most fevers are not dangerous, even though they may feel like they are. To treat headaches associated with fever you can take pain medications acetaminophen, or Tylenol and ibuprofen. Make sure you DO NOT give aspirin to children or teens during a fever because it can cause the fatal disease Reyes Syndrome. Since there is no cure for influenza, the medications will treat the headache symptoms, but not eradicate the virus. Avoid gum, ice cream and anything with sugar since microbes feed off sugar.
2. Target Your Sinuses
If your headache is a result of the intense sinus pressure caused by the sniffles, it will differ from other headaches associated with flu because you will feel pressure and sensitivity around your eyes and nose. Check with your doctor to make sure you don't actually have a migraine headache, which patients commonly misdiagnose. For sinus headaches treat with aspirin (but not in people under 18 because they can develop the life threatening Reyes Syndrome), acetaminophen or ibuprofen. You doctor may also prescribe a decongestant.
3. Quell Chronic Headaches
Sometimes the immune response gets kicked into high gear during illnesses and triggers chronic headaches later, even if your body is exposed to a benign virus. Make sure you give your body plenty of time to heal from the original infection. Bed rest, a balanced diet and lots of liquids will help the body recover so that it becomes less sensitive to minor irritants later. In addition to carrying a lighter load to allow healing time, chronic headaches can also be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen.
