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Headache
Outpatients | Neurology
This condition is treated in the Neurology clinic.
Pre-referral work-up
History
All referrals should comply with referral standards
In particular:
- Onset
- Severity
- Duration
- Pattern
Also the:
- Family history
- Current medications and medications trialled
- History of trauma/travel
- Past history especially of malignancy or recent systemic symptoms
- Impact on life/work
Tests
Tests to consider:
- ESR
- FBE
- UEC
- BSL
- CT Brain
Interim/GP management
To refer a patient with this condition, please see the Neurology clinic page for the full referral process and templates.
- Consider asking patient to keep a headache diary to record frequency, duration, relieving and aggravating factors.
- In patients with frequent migraine consider trialling a migraine prophylactic drug such as amitriptyline or propranolol prior to review at an adequate dose.
- Avoid opiates (including tramadol and codeine) for management of headache due to the potential to develop medication overuse headache.
Direct link to Health Pathways - Headache page
For more information please see the HealthPathways Tasmania website.
International Headache Society
Clinic appointments
🚩 Red location flags are clinical indicators of possible serious underlying conditions requiring further medical intervention. They may or may not indicate an emergency.
Emergency
🚩 Thunderclap onset/very sudden severe onset
- Consider SAH, pituitary apoplexy, haemorrhage into mass lesion
🚩 Signs and Symptoms of meningoencephalitis
- Fever, neck flexion stiffness, rash
🚩 First headache with focal neurological signs or symptoms (consider stroke)
If you, or someone else, are experiencing a serious and life-threatening injury or illness call triple zero (000) immediately or go to the nearest Emergency Department.
Learn more about when to access emergency care and non-emergency care options if the injury or illness is not serious or life-threatening.
Urgent (Category 1)
🚩 Older person (over 50 years) with systemic symptoms and high ESR - consider temporal arteritis
🚩 Signs or symptoms of raised intracranial pressure such as papilloedema
🚩 New onset in patient with immunosuppression or malignancy (consider meningitis, abcess or metastasis)
We will endeavour to see these patients within two weeks.
Urgent referrals should be accompanied by a phone call, as per below:
- Contact the Neurology Registrar directly within hours via the RHH switchboard Phone: (03) 6166 8308
Availability
North
Launceston General Hospital
Level 3 - Specialist Clinics
Phone: 1300 977 694
Fax: 03 6777 5227
North West
Unavailable.
South
Wellington Clinics
Phone: 03 6166 0000
Fax: 03 6173 0491
