How long should a headache last before going to a doctor?

At what point should one seek medical attention, if a headache is lasting a very long time? 2 days? A week?

I just went through this particular situation. I went to the doc once I decided that the headache wasn’t a ‘normal’ one. I’d’ve suffered a lot less if I’d gone sooner.

I would base my decision on how debilitating the headache is. If I’m squinting from the pain, I’ll call the doctor after about a day and a half. If it’s just a quiet kind of pain, I’d go a week or so. I don’t suffer headaches well, so I’m sure my threshhold is lower than most.

I’m more concerned about it being a symptom of a larger issue, than the relief of headache pain.

Is there some guideline, like if you have a headache for more that 48 hours, see a doc because it might be tumor or rabid weasel in your occipital lobe or whatever?

[Ahnold]
It’s not a too-mah!
[/A]