Headache treatment, diagnosis & prescriptions

Yes. A doctor on Maple will be able to offer headache treatment recommendations once they've determined the type of headache you're experiencing.

To offer an accurate headache diagnosis, the doctor will want to discuss the region where your headache is centralized and your symptoms. This will help determine whether you're experiencing a primary or secondary headache.

Then, they'll most likely want to evaluate your medical history and discuss any other conditions you may be experiencing.

If they believe you could be experiencing a secondary headache caused by another underlying condition, they may suggest you have headache tests performed to try and determine the condition causing your headache.

Yes. Physicians on Maple can prescribe headache medications online during your consultation. Once you accept a headache prescription, you’ll have the option to pick it up from any pharmacy or have it delivered to your door at no additional cost.

You can visit our How it works page to learn more.

A headache is pain that’s located in any area of the head.

Headaches can be contained to one small area, affect one or both sides of the head, trigger a vice-like, crushing sensation, or radiate out from one specific spot.

There are two distinct types of headaches: Primary and Secondary.

Types of primary headaches include:

• Migraines, with or without auras
• Tension headaches
• Cluster headaches
• Chronic daily headaches, including hemicranias continua, chronic tension-type headaches, and chronic migraine headaches
• Trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia (TAC)
• Exercise headaches
• Cough headaches
• Sex headaches
•  Hypnic headaches

Types of secondary headaches include:

• Spinal headaches
• Ice cream headaches
• Sinus headaches
• Thunderclap headaches
• Medication overuse headaches
• External compression headaches

A migraine headache is characterized by forehead or facial pressure over the sinuses. It can also cause nasal congestion and a runny nose.

A sinus headache has the same symptoms, as well as possible fever, pus from the nose, and foul-smelling breath.

While migraines and sinus headaches are two different things, in as many as 90% of self-diagnosed cases, sinus headaches are actually migraines.

Talk to a doctor on Maple and have them evaluate your headache symptoms so that they can determine the kind of headache you're experiencing and help you with your headache management.

There’s a wide array of possible symptoms that can be brought on by different types of headaches.

The most common symptoms associated with headaches, apart from pain, are:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Eye pain, especially when surrounded by bright lights
• Dizziness
• Vertigo
• Scalp tenderness
• Tightness in the head
• Earache
• Jaw or tooth pain, caused by clenching
• Stroke, in very rare cases

The two types of headaches have very different causes.

A primary headache isn't caused by an underlying disease. It's usually caused by overactivity or problems with the pain-sensitive structures located in your head.

Some common primary headache causes include:

• Changes in sleep
• Lack of sleep
• Poor posture
• Skipped meals
• Alcohol, particularly from red wine
• Certain foods, particularly those that are high in nitrates
• Stress

A secondary headache is a symptom of another disease or condition that’s affecting the pain-sensitive nerves in the head. There’s a large variety of diseases that can cause this type of headache.

Some possible causes for secondary headaches include:

• Blood clot within the brain (venous thrombosis)
• Concussion
• Intracranial hematoma
• Meningitis
• Acute sinusitis
• Stroke
• Encephalitis
• Dehydration
• Arterial tears
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Brain tumor
• Brain aneurysm
• Chiari malformation
• COVID-19
• Hangovers
• Panic attacks or disorder
• Hypertension
• Ear infection
• Brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Overuse of pain medication
• Dental problems
• Toxoplasmosis
• Post-concussion syndrome
• Influenza
• Glaucoma
• Giant cell arteritis
• Pseudotumor cerebri
• Trigeminal neuralgia and other neuralgias

A tension headache is usually caused when the neck and scalp muscles contract or become tense.

This can be the result of depression, anxiety, or a head injury, but the most common cause of tension headaches is stress.

A doctor may recommend different options to treat a headache.

Headache treatment suggestions will depend on how your doctor diagnoses your headache and the symptoms you're experiencing. The goal will be to find a headache therapy that works for your specific headache type.

The most common generic headache treatments include:

• Hot or cold compressed, applied to the forehead, or neck
• Massage therapy
• Small amounts of caffeine
• Resting in a quiet, dark space
• Over-the-counter headache remedies (ibuprofen, acetaminophen)

Maple is a virtual care platform that connects you with doctors and other healthcare providers via text, audio, or video. After you log in to your Maple account, you can request an online consultation.

Consultations work similarly to in-person appointments — the doctor can complete an assessment by asking questions about your symptoms, going through your health history, and determining what treatment is right for you. If they think your condition is more serious, they may tell you to go to a clinic for an in-person examination.

As a Maple member, you get 24/7 access to virtual primary care online and more. You can connect with our network of providers via text, audio, or video call within minutes.

Our membership costs $85/month and covers virtual care for patients and their families, including the primary account holder's spouse and any dependents.

For patients in eligible provinces, our membership includes:

• Access to daily primary care provider visits: One daily visit with a primary care provider for each family member in their household.
• Paediatric care: Covered paediatric primary care visits, available by appointment.
• Second medical opinions: Access to a network of experts for a second opinion if diagnosed with a complex condition (e.g. cancer).
• Personal Health Check-Ins: A series of personalized, evidence-based proactive care screenings to maintain and improve health.
• iCBT courses: Access to iCBT (internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy) self-assessment and courses.
• Access to specialists in eligible provinces: Easy access to specialists on Maple within days, not months. No referral is needed.
• Specialist referrals in eligible provinces: Ability to be referred to a physician specialist for in-person care, if needed.
• Credit discounts: An $80 credit per month to be applied to a Maple specialist visit.

Please note that our membership cannot be combined with other offerings, such as private insurance coverage and provincial programs, where available. In some cases, membership fees can be covered by a Healthcare Spending Account (HSA) — check with your HSA provider for more details.

We accept all major credit cards, including AMEX cards, as well as Google and Apple Pay.

At Maple, we proudly prioritize privacy as a cornerstone of our virtual care services. We strictly adhere to privacy and healthcare legislation in Canada, such as PIPEDA and PHIPA regulations, to ensure patients' personal and health information remains completely private and safeguarded.

Our policies and consent processes are designed to be simple and easily understood, empowering individuals with control and a clear understanding of their healthcare journey. When using our services, a patient’s session is protected by a comprehensive security infrastructure and stringent data policies.

Patients also retain full control of their personal health information, medical records and test results at all times. Our approach is reinforced by consultations with leading experts, guaranteeing comprehensive policy frameworks that are reviewed at a regular cadence.

All providers delivering healthcare through Maple are licensed in Canada and governed by their licensing regulatory colleges, and in all instances, must act in accordance with the governing principles set out in the telemedicine policies of each medical regulator in the applicable province.

Regulators across Canada support and recognize the value of services like ours, and the way in which they can benefit patients, physicians, and Canada’s broader healthcare system by improving access to care and increasing efficiencies in the delivery of care.