I've had headaches for all my life. First the doctor said they were tension then that they were migraine, then spine out of alignment. The latter makes sense because I've had several whip lash injuries. But chiropratic did not help me at all. I've tried it several times. Physical therapy helps because I do exercises that strengthen the muscles in my neck and shoulders. Massage, even after several sessions, hasn't helped me.
I think that I have different kinds of headaches with a combination of causes. With some headaches I have nausea. With others a decongestant works; not because I have a sinus infection but because I have congestion. An infection involves viruses. I've even had my sinuses x-rayed and they have never shown an infection.
What I have found that usually works for me is to lay down with a heating pad under my neck and shoulders after taking 600 mg of ibuprofen. I move the pad up and down so that lots of surface gets heat. I also pay more attention to my posture. I tend to push my chin forward. A friend told me to imagine a string attached to the top of my head pulling me upwards. Sometimes just taking 600 mg of ibuprofen and standing taller will get rid of the headache in a few hours. Other times I have to add the heat and resting.
In physical therapy they recommended both heat and cold for pain and said that one will work for some and not for others. Ice just tenses my muscles more.
Every once in awhile I get a headache that lasts for several days. Then I take a prescription muscle relaxant, Flexeral. I also sometimes take a prescription pain pill that is formulated for tension headaches. It's called Butalbital and contains a mild dose of a synthetic morphine, aspirin, and caffeine. As a substitue for that I sometimes take a combination of ibuprofen, tylenol, and coffee which helps about as much as the Butalbital.
Sometimes a decongestant, such as Sudafed, along with Ibuprofen gets rid of the headache. The new form of sudafed doesn't work for me at all. I have a prescription to get the old stuff. Perhaps the pharmacist could tell you how to get a prescription without an appointment with a doctor and the large fee if the new stuff doesn't work for you.
My daughter does have migraines with the nausea and sensitivity to light. Her doctor has prescribed a medication that knocks it out immediately if she takes it soon enough. It's expensive and she couldn't afford it this last time and so she used an OTC Migraine formula and it worked but relief was slower. Ibuprofen didn't help at all.
What I'm saying is that headaches can be caused by a combination of factors and what works one time may not work another. You just have to experiment until you find what works. I'm also saying that prescription medication does help but frequently OTC pain killers also work, just slower. I do have some headaches that last for days and I've just recently discovered that the Flereral stops those quickly.
I do have tight neck and shoulder muscles most of the time and so it makes sense that I need the Flexeril. If your neck and shoulder muscles are usually reasonably relaxed then I think that you could find relief without the muscle relaxant.
I take more ibuprofen than is listed on the bottle because 600 mg is the prescription dose. My doctor also told me that I could double the dose of Tylenol without causing concern for it's effects. I wouldn't take an increased dose of both at the same time.
I agree that birth control pills may cause headaches. I've had fewer headaches since I finished menopause.
I hope that you do quickly find relief. I know how difficult doing anything is when you've had a headache for hours and even more so when it's been days.
Here's a quick list:
1) Ibuprofen and correcting posture
2) Ibuprofen and tylenol together or alternating.
3) heat or ice
4) a decongestant along with the iburprofen and/or Tylenol.
5) an OTC migraine formula
try drinking coffee along with the ibuprofen and/or tylenol or if you take a sinus or cold formula that also has an antihistamine that makes you drowsy.