Relief for the pain that stops you in your tracks
Headaches can make it hard to focus, work, or even get through the day. When they become frequent or severe, they can affect everything from your energy to your mental health. For people who live with migraines, the pain is often much more than “just a headache.” Apex Neurology provides expert care for headaches and migraines with offices in Forest Hills, Brooklyn, New York, and Roslyn Heights, helping patients find real answers and lasting relief.
What Are Headaches and Migraines?
Headaches are one of the most common types of pain people experience. They can range from mild pressure to intense, throbbing pain. Migraines are a specific type of headache that often come with additional symptoms, such as nausea, light sensitivity, and visual disturbances.
There are many types of headaches, including:
- Tension headaches: mild to moderate pain, often described as a tight band around the head
- Migraines: moderate to severe pain, often on one side of the head, with symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light or sound
- Cluster headaches: intense pain, often around one eye, that comes in cycles
- Sinus headaches: pain and pressure in the face, usually due to sinus inflammation
- Medication overuse headaches: caused by frequent use of pain relievers
Understanding the type of headache you have is essential to creating an effective treatment plan. Not all headaches are the same, and not all respond to the same care.
Who Can Benefit?
You may benefit from medical evaluation and treatment if you:
- Have headaches that occur regularly or are increasing in frequency
- Experience migraines that interfere with work, school, or daily life
- Need to take pain medication often just to get through the day
- Notice vision changes, nausea, or sensitivity to light and sound during headaches
- Wake up with headaches or have headaches that keep you from sleeping
- Have a family history of migraines or other neurological disorders
- Are not getting relief from over-the-counter medications
Headaches and migraines can feel isolating, but you’re not alone. With the right care, you can find ways to reduce their frequency, shorten their duration, and improve your quality of life.
What to Expect
Treatment for headaches and migraines starts with a detailed evaluation. Your provider will ask about your symptoms, when they occur, how long they last, and what seems to trigger them. You’ll also talk about your medical history, medications, lifestyle, and family background.
Your evaluation may include:
- Neurological exam, to assess reflexes, movement, coordination, and mental function
- Imaging tests, such as MRI or CT scans, to rule out other causes
- Headache diary review, to track patterns and identify triggers
- Blood tests, if nutritional or hormonal causes are suspected
Once the cause and type of headache are identified, a personalized treatment plan is created. This may include:
- Preventive medications to reduce the frequency of headaches
- Rescue medications for use during active migraine attacks
- Lifestyle changes, including sleep and hydration strategies
- Stress management or behavioral therapy
- Botox injections for chronic migraine in qualifying patients
- Nutritional recommendations or supplement guidance
Treatment is not one-size-fits-all. Your plan will reflect your specific symptoms, goals, and preferences. Ongoing follow-up helps refine your care as your body responds.
Where This Service Is Often Used
Headache and migraine care plays a key role in:
- Neurology clinics, where expert evaluation and advanced treatment options are available
- Pain management programs, especially for chronic migraines or cluster headaches
- Primary care collaboration, when general treatment has not provided relief
- Post-concussion or post-trauma care, where headaches may be a long-term symptom
- Women’s health support, as migraines often occur around hormonal shifts
Many patients find that managing headaches improves not just their pain levels, but their sleep, mood, productivity, and social life as well.
Why Clients Choose This Service
- Relief that lasts: Treatments are designed to address the root cause, not just mask the pain
- Clear answers: Providers help identify triggers and patterns so you can take back control
- Advanced treatment options: From preventive medications to targeted injections
- Personal support: Your experience is taken seriously and handled with care
- Accessible locations: Apex Neurology serves patients across multiple New York offices
How Apex Neurology Can Help
Headaches may be common, but they are never something you just have to live with. The team at Apex Neurology takes a comprehensive approach to headache care, starting with careful listening and detailed evaluation. Whether your pain is occasional or chronic, your provider will help uncover the cause and find a way forward.
Each location offers access to diagnostic tools, personalized care plans, and a wide range of treatment options. If you qualify for advanced therapies like Botox for chronic migraine, your provider will walk you through the process and ensure you feel comfortable with every step.
Patients are never rushed or dismissed. Instead, you’ll receive honest answers, supportive care, and a commitment to helping you feel better. Headaches and migraines may be complex, but you’re not expected to navigate them alone.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If headaches or migraines are interrupting your life, now is the time to seek help. There are real options for relief, and you don’t have to figure them out on your own. Apex Neurology provides compassionate, expert care for headache and migraine patients at locations across New York. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and start moving toward clearer, calmer days.
Types of Migraine We Treat
Migraine is not a single condition — the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) recognizes several distinct types, each with its own pattern and treatment approach. The most common types our neurologists evaluate and treat include:
- Migraine without aura — the most common form (roughly 70% of migraine cases). Throbbing pain on one side of the head, typically lasting 4 to 72 hours, often accompanied by nausea, light sensitivity, and sound sensitivity.
- Migraine with aura — about 25% of migraine patients experience aura: visual disturbances (flashing lights, blind spots, zigzag lines), sensory changes (tingling, numbness), or speech difficulty in the 5 to 60 minutes before the headache begins.
- Chronic migraine — 15 or more headache days per month for at least 3 months, with at least 8 of those days having migraine features. Chronic migraine is the FDA-approved indication for Botox treatment and several other preventive therapies.
- Episodic migraine — fewer than 15 headache days per month. Episodic migraine can progress to chronic migraine if untreated.
- Vestibular migraine — vertigo or dizziness is the prominent symptom, sometimes with headache and sometimes without. Often initially misdiagnosed as a vestibular disorder; closely related to vertigo evaluation.
- Hemiplegic migraine — a rare form where temporary one-sided weakness (which can resemble stroke symptoms) accompanies or precedes the headache. Requires urgent evaluation to rule out stroke.
- Menstrual migraine — attacks that follow a consistent pattern around menstruation, typically 2 days before to 3 days after onset.
- Status migrainosus — a debilitating migraine attack lasting longer than 72 hours despite typical treatment. Requires acute intervention, sometimes including IV magnesium or steroid therapy.
- Migraine with brainstem aura (formerly basilar migraine) — aura symptoms originate from the brainstem (vertigo, double vision, ringing in the ears, slurred speech) before the headache.
Identifying the type of migraine is the first step in building an effective treatment plan. Our neurologists work through diagnostic criteria with you to identify the type, document triggers, and recommend a combination of acute treatment (for attacks) and preventive treatment (to reduce frequency).
Related Diagnostics and Treatments
At Apex Neurology, migraine and headache evaluation may include qEEG brain mapping to assess cortical activity. Treatment options can include occipital nerve blocks, magnesium IV therapy, and Botox for chronic migraine.
Further Reading from Apex Neurology
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Frequently Asked Questions
A typical migraine attack lasts 4 to 72 hours when untreated. Migraines without aura usually resolve within 24 hours; migraines with aura or status migrainosus can persist longer. The four stages — prodrome, aura, headache, and postdrome — together can last several days. If your migraines exceed 72 hours or occur 15+ days per month, you have chronic migraine and should see a neurologist for preventive treatment.
A migraine typically causes throbbing or pulsing pain on one side of the head, often behind the eye or temple. It’s usually moderate to severe, worsens with movement, and is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, or smells. Some patients experience visual auras — flashing lights or zigzag patterns — about 30 minutes before the headache. Migraines feel different from tension headaches in both intensity and accompanying symptoms.
Fast migraine relief combines abortive medication taken at the first sign of attack, a dark and quiet environment, hydration, and cold compress to the head or neck. OTC options include ibuprofen, naproxen, or migraine-specific combinations. Prescription options like triptans, gepants, or ditans work faster and more reliably. For chronic or severe migraines, in-office IV magnesium and steroid infusions can abort an attack within an hour. Speak with a neurologist about a personalized rescue plan.
Ocular migraines (also called retinal or visual migraines) are caused by a temporary spasm of blood vessels in the retina or by cortical spreading depression in the brain’s visual cortex. Common triggers include stress, hormonal changes, dehydration, certain foods (aged cheese, alcohol, caffeine), bright lights, and lack of sleep. Most ocular migraines resolve on their own within 30 minutes. New or sudden visual disturbances should be evaluated to rule out stroke or retinal detachment.
Sudden onset of ocular migraines is often triggered by changes in stress level, sleep patterns, hormones (perimenopause, menstrual cycle, hormonal contraceptives), dehydration, or a new medication. Visual stress from screens, eye strain, or recent vision changes can also contribute. If ocular migraines are new for you, especially after age 40, see a neurologist promptly to rule out other causes including TIA (mini-stroke), retinal issues, or vascular conditions.
A standard migraine lasts 4 to 72 hours. A migraine that lasts longer than 72 hours is called status migrainosus and requires medical attention — it can lead to dehydration, exhaustion, and increased stroke risk. Some patients also experience the postdrome (migraine hangover) for an additional 24 to 48 hours, with fatigue, brain fog, and tenderness. If you’re regularly experiencing migraines exceeding 72 hours, you should see a neurologist immediately.