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Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, usually. Sinusitis and migraine, the two main causes, are told apart from your symptoms and treated by video; eye or brain complications need emergency care.
- Most are migraine: studies find that about 90% of people with ‘sinus headache’ symptoms actually have migraine.
- True sinusitis: usually follows a cold, with thick, coloured mucus, a blocked nose and a reduced sense of smell. It usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks.
- Antibiotics: rarely needed. For sinusitis they make little difference to how long symptoms last, and they do not treat migraine.
- Emergency: call 112 for swelling or redness around an eye, double vision or reduced vision, or a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion or weakness.
Do not book a video appointment if you have swelling or redness around an eye, double vision, reduced vision or a bulging eye, swelling over the forehead, a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion, drowsiness, weakness or numbness, or a sudden, extremely painful headache. Call 112 or go to an emergency department.
Can an online doctor treat sinus headaches?
Yes. A sinus headache is diagnosed from your symptoms: a cold beforehand, the colour of the mucus, your sense of smell, and whether light, noise or activity make it worse. A doctor can tell sinusitis from migraine by video and treat both. Swelling around the eye, vision changes or signs of meningitis need emergency care, and sinus problems that last months or affect one side need an examination by an ear, nose and throat specialist.
How an online consultation helps with sinus headaches
- Sinusitis or migraine?: Most sinus headaches are migraine, and the right treatment is different.
- No unnecessary antibiotics: They rarely help sinusitis and do not treat migraine, and the doctor says so plainly.
- Relief that works: Painkillers, a salt water rinse, a steroid nasal spray when it helps, or migraine treatment.
- Complications ruled out: Swelling around the eye, vision changes or meningitis signs mean hospital care.
What the doctor checks in an online sinus headache consultation
The doctor asks about the signs of a complication first, then about the headache and your nose. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: swelling or redness around an eye, double vision, reduced vision, swelling over the forehead, a stiff neck, confusion, weakness or numbness.
- Your nose: a recent cold, blocked or runny nose, thick yellow or green mucus or clear discharge, and your sense of smell.
- The headache: where it is, how long it lasts, and whether bending forward or activity makes it worse.
- Migraine features: feeling sick, sensitivity to light or noise, and whether you have had similar headaches before.
- Your teeth and ears: aching upper teeth, or pressure in the ears.
- Your health: allergies, asthma, smoking, a weakened immune system, pregnancy and your medicines.
Before the call, note when the symptoms started, the colour of any mucus, and what you have taken. Have good light so the doctor can look at your face if needed.
What does a sinus headache feel like?
A sinus headache feels like pressure, pain or fullness in the cheeks, the brow or the forehead, sometimes throbbing. It is often worse when you bend forward or lie down. ‘Sinus headache’ is not a formal diagnosis: the same feeling can come from sinusitis or from migraine.
What are the symptoms of blocked sinuses?
In sinusitis, the sinuses swell, usually because of an infection after a cold or flu. The symptoms are:
- pain, swelling and tenderness around the cheeks, eyes or forehead
- a blocked or runny nose, and green or yellow mucus
- a reduced sense of smell
- a high temperature
- a headache, toothache, bad breath, a cough, or pressure in the ears
- snoring and a nasal-sounding voice
Can sinusitis cause tooth pain?
Yes. Toothache, especially an aching in the upper teeth, is a recognised symptom of sinusitis. Pain in one cheek or the upper teeth after a cold is more typical of sinusitis than of migraine.
Sinus headache or migraine? How to tell
Most people who see a doctor for a sinus headache have migraine: studies find this in about 90% of people with sinus headache symptoms. Migraine can itself cause a blocked nose, facial pressure and a clear, watery discharge, and both get worse when you bend forward. These differences help:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Feature | Sinusitis | Migraine |
|---|---|---|
| What came before | A cold or flu | No cold |
| Mucus | Thick and coloured; you need to blow your nose often | Clear, or none |
| Sense of smell | Reduced | Not affected |
| Where it hurts | Often one cheek or the upper teeth | Often one side of the head |
| Sickness, light and noise | Not usually | Common |
| Activity | You can usually carry on | Worse with activity; may ease after lying down or sleep |
| How long | Several days or longer, usually 2 to 3 weeks | Hours to a day or two |
A personal or family history of migraine, and headaches linked to periods or hormones, make migraine more likely. If your ‘sinus headaches’ keep coming back without a cold, the migraine page explains the treatment that works.
What could be causing a sinus headache without any drainage?
Facial pressure without a runny nose or coloured mucus is more likely to be migraine or another headache than sinusitis. A tension headache can cause pain on both sides of the head, face or neck, and a cluster headache causes severe pain around one eye with a blocked or runny nose on that side. Pain in the upper teeth with no cold can be a dental problem.
How long does a sinus headache last?
It depends on the cause:
- Sinusitis: usually 2 to 3 weeks, and it usually clears within 4 weeks. See a doctor if it has not improved after 3 weeks, or after 7 days of treatment.
- Long-lasting (chronic) sinusitis: symptoms that persist after 3 months of treatment, keep coming back or affect one side of the face need an ear, nose and throat specialist.
- Migraine: usually hours to a day or two per attack, coming back again and again.
Which sinus headache treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment follows the cause. This is the framework the doctors use, in line with NICE guidance on sinusitis and headaches:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facial pain after a cold, under 3 weeks | Paracetamol or ibuprofen, rest, fluids and a salt water rinse | Yes | If you become very unwell |
| Sinusitis not improving | A steroid nasal spray, sometimes with a back-up antibiotic to use only if it does not improve within 7 days | Yes | If symptoms get much worse |
| Very unwell, or a high risk of complications | An antibiotic straight away | Yes, to assess | If you are seriously unwell |
| Repeated ‘sinus headaches’ without a cold | Treatment for migraine | Yes | If the pattern changes |
| Sinus symptoms for more than 3 months, coming back, or on one side only | An ear, nose and throat specialist | Partly | For an examination and sometimes a scan |
| Swelling around the eye, vision changes or meningitis signs | Emergency care | No | Call 112 now |
Sinus pressure again, or a ‘sinus headache’ that keeps coming back? A doctor can tell you in one consultation whether it is sinusitis or migraine.
See available times →Treatment options for sinus headaches
How to relieve sinus pressure
- Rest and drink plenty of fluids.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the pain.
- Rinse your nose with a salt water solution, made fresh each time, up to 3 times a day.
- Avoid things you are allergic to, and do not smoke.
- If you have a high temperature or feel too unwell for normal activities, stay at home until you feel better.
Salt water rinses and decongestant nasal sprays can be tried, although there is not enough evidence that they relieve a blocked nose in sinusitis, and there is no evidence that decongestant tablets, antihistamines, steam inhalation or warm face packs help. If the headache is a migraine, treat it as a migraine: painkillers or migraine medicine work best taken as soon as the headache starts.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. For sinusitis that is not improving, the doctor may prescribe a steroid nasal spray, which may ease symptoms but is unlikely to shorten the illness. Antibiotics make little difference to how long sinusitis lasts, so the doctor may give none, or a back-up prescription to use only if you are not better within 7 days or get much worse; they are given straight away only if you are very unwell or at high risk of complications. If allergies drive your symptoms, an antihistamine may help. If the headaches are migraine, the doctor may prescribe migraine treatment, such as a triptan. Codeine and other opioids are never prescribed online. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Antibiotics for a sinus headache that is really migraine, or for viral sinusitis. Steam inhalation and warm face packs. Painkillers on most days of the month, which can cause medication overuse headache.
Special situations
Pregnancy
Paracetamol is the usual first choice for pain in pregnancy. The sinusitis in pregnancy page covers which treatments are suitable.
Allergies and hay fever
Allergies can keep the nose blocked and inflamed. Avoiding your triggers and treating hay fever can reduce sinus symptoms.
A weakened immune system
If you have a weakened immune system, for example from chemotherapy, get urgent medical advice for sinusitis rather than waiting for it to settle.
Sinus headaches while travelling in Europe
Sinusitis often starts with a cold or flu, which can happen on any trip, and the same self-care helps wherever you are. Ear pain and pressure on flights is covered on the ear barotrauma page.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When sinus headaches are treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: telling sinusitis from migraine, self-care advice, steroid nasal sprays, back-up or immediate antibiotics when guidance supports them, allergy treatment, and migraine treatment.
In-person care: swelling around the eye, vision changes, signs of meningitis or other complications, sinus problems lasting more than 3 months, coming back or on one side only, and any headache with warning signs.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- swelling or redness around an eye, or an eye that is pushed forward
- double vision or reduced vision
- swelling over the forehead, or a severe headache in the forehead
- a headache with a high temperature and a stiff neck, sensitivity to light or a rash that does not fade when a glass is rolled over it
- confusion, drowsiness, weakness or numbness, or a seizure
- a sudden, extremely painful headache that reaches its worst within 5 minutes
Get medical advice the same day for:
- feeling very unwell with sinus symptoms
- sinus pain that painkillers do not help, or that is getting worse
- sinusitis if you have a weakened immune system
- a headache with vomiting
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about the pain: say whether you had a cold, what colour any mucus is, whether your sense of smell has changed, and whether light, noise or activity make it worse.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s a sinus headache? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Sinusitis can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about sinus headaches
What does a sinus headache feel like?
A sinus headache feels like pressure, pain or fullness in the cheeks, brow or forehead, sometimes throbbing, often worse when you bend forward or lie down. A blocked nose, tiredness and aching upper teeth can come with it.
Is it a sinus headache or a migraine?
Most often a migraine: studies find about 90% of people with sinus headache symptoms have migraine. Sinusitis follows a cold, with thick, coloured mucus and a reduced sense of smell; migraine brings sickness or sensitivity to light and noise and lasts hours to a day or two.
How do you get rid of a sinus headache fast?
Take paracetamol or ibuprofen, rest, drink fluids and rinse your nose with salt water. If the headache is a migraine, treat it as a migraine: painkillers or migraine medicine work best taken as soon as the headache starts.
How can I relieve sinus pressure at home?
For sinus headache pressure, rest, drink plenty, take paracetamol or ibuprofen, and rinse your nose with a fresh salt water solution up to 3 times a day. There is no evidence that steam inhalation, warm face packs or decongestant tablets help.
What could be causing a sinus headache without any drainage?
Facial pressure without a runny nose or coloured mucus is more likely to be migraine, a tension headache or a cluster headache than sinusitis. Pain in the upper teeth with no cold can be a dental problem.
How long does a sinus headache last?
Sinusitis usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks and clears within 4. A migraine attack usually lasts hours to a day or two. See a doctor if sinusitis has not improved after 3 weeks.
How can I prevent sinus headaches?
Treat colds early with saline rinses so the sinuses drain, manage hay fever and other allergies with a steroid nasal spray through the season, avoid smoke and dry air, stay hydrated, do not overuse decongestant sprays, which cause rebound blockage after a few days, and have nasal polyps or a deviated septum assessed if sinusitis keeps returning. Because most sinus headaches are migraine, a headache diary that shows a pattern with periods, sleep or stress points to migraine prevention instead.
Do I need antibiotics for a sinus headache?
Usually not. Antibiotics make little difference to how long sinusitis lasts, and they do not treat migraine. They are used when you are very unwell, at high risk of complications, or not improving after a back-up period.
Can sinusitis cause tooth pain?
Yes. Toothache, especially an aching in the upper teeth, is a recognised symptom of sinusitis, often after a cold. Tooth pain without a cold can be a dental problem.
What are the symptoms of blocked sinuses?
Blocked sinuses behind a sinus headache cause pain and tenderness around the cheeks, eyes or forehead, a blocked or runny nose, green or yellow mucus, a reduced sense of smell, a high temperature, and sometimes toothache, bad breath or pressure in the ears.
When is a sinus headache serious?
Call 112 for swelling or redness around an eye, double vision or reduced vision, swelling over the forehead, or a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion or weakness. These can be rare complications of sinusitis.
Why does my sinus headache get worse when I bend over?
Both sinusitis and migraine usually get worse when you bend forward, so it does not tell them apart. Mucus colour, your sense of smell and sickness or light sensitivity are better clues.
Can an online doctor treat sinus headaches?
Yes, usually. A doctor can tell sinusitis from migraine by video and treat both. Swelling around the eye, vision changes or signs of meningitis need emergency care.
- Sinusitis (sinus infection), NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 31 January 2024.
- Sinusitis (acute): antimicrobial prescribing (NG79), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2017.
- Sinus headaches: symptoms and causes, Mayo Clinic (US), updated 17 May 2022.
- Your sinus headache may not be what you think, Mayo Clinic Health System (US), 13 November 2024.
- Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management (CG150), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2012, updated 2021.
- Migraine, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 10 March 2026.
- Tension headaches, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 1 August 2025.
- Cluster headaches, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 18 August 2023.
- Headaches, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 17 April 2024.
- Could painkillers be causing your headaches?, NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2012.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
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