Anesthesiologist Questions Anesthesiologist

Can anesthesia cause headaches days later?

About 3 days after anesthesia I get headaches. Is it normal? Can anesthesia cause headaches days later?

5 Answers

I have not heard anything about anesthesia causing headaches three days after surgery. Depending on the surgery if oral intake has decreased the most likely cause of your headache could be dehydration. Also, if you’re taking anti-nausea medicine with your pain pills they have headache as a side effect.
It depends on the type of anesthesia you had. If you had a spinal anesthesia, you can have headaches for several days after. If that happens, you should report it to the anesthesiologist/anesthesia provider immediately. General anesthesia should generally not cause post-anesthesia headaches.
NO
No
Hi.

It is possible, but rare.

Sincerely,

M. Tabatabai, MD, PhD