Reviewed the same day by Texas-licensed clinicians

Occipital neuralgia care online in Texas

Sharp, shooting pain from the base of your skull into your scalp? A Texas clinician reviews your pattern and plans next steps.

Insurance or a flat cash priceYour pharmacy, your choiceIn-person care if needed: our DFW clinics, or near you
Online evaluation
Same-day review24/7 weekdays · 7 AM–9 PM CT weekends
Short answer

Can I get online care for occipital neuralgia in Texas?

Yes, for adults 18 and older in Texas. Sharp, shooting pain from the base of your skull into your scalp? A Texas clinician reviews your pattern and plans next steps. Review is by a Texas-licensed Passion Health clinician, 24/7 on weekdays and 7 AM–9 PM CT on weekends. The flat price is $89, or use insurance. A prescription goes to the pharmacy you choose only if it's appropriate; controlled medicines are never prescribed online. If your pain started after a fall, accident or blow to the head or neck, you need to be seen in person today instead (at our Dallas–Fort Worth clinics, or urgent care near you), and you don't pay the online fee.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Anantha Chentha, MD, Chief Quality Medical Officer, Passion Health · October 22, 2026

Price
$89 flat cash rate or insurance
Visit type
Online evaluation
Reviewed by
A Texas-licensed Passion Health physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant
Turnaround
Same day · 24/7 weekdays, 7 AM–9 PM CT weekends
Insurance
BCBS of Texas, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Humana, Healthcare Highways
Prescriptions
Only if appropriate, sent to your pharmacy · never controlled medicines online
About the condition

What to know about occipital neuralgia

Occipital neuralgia is a type of headache caused by irritated occipital nerves, which run from the top of the neck up the back of the scalp. It causes sudden shooting, stabbing or electric pain on one or both sides, often with a tender scalp. Tight neck muscles, neck injury or arthritis can cause it, but often no cause is found.

Before you start

Is online care right for you?

A good fit for online care

  • Brief shooting or electric pain from the base of the skull up the back of the head
  • Scalp tenderness, for example when brushing your hair or lying on a pillow
  • Pain that started gradually, not after an injury
  • A known diagnosis that's flaring or needs a new plan

Book an in-person visit instead if

  • Your pain started after a fall, accident or blow to the head or neck Same day
  • Numbness, weakness or clumsiness in your arms or hands, or trouble walking Same day
  • A headache that wakes you from sleep, is worse in the morning, or comes with vomiting Same day
  • A history of cancer or a weakened immune system, with a new headache Same day
  • A rash or blisters on your scalp, neck or the back of your head Same day
  • Headache that comes on when you cough, sneeze or strain Within days

Not near one of our clinics? Online Care is open to adults anywhere in Texas; our clinics are in Dallas–Fort Worth. If the safety questions or your clinician show you need to be examined, we tell you what kind of care you need and how soon — an emergency room, an urgent care center, or a clinician near you. If you've already paid, the full fee is refunded and you get a written summary of your visit to take with you.

Call 911 or go to the ER now if you have

Call 911

  • Neck pain or headache that started after a neck injury, a sudden neck movement or a chiropractic neck adjustment, with dizziness, double vision, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, a droopy eyelid or unsteady walking
  • A sudden, explosive "worst ever" headache
  • New weakness, numbness, trouble speaking or vision loss

Emergency room now

  • Scalp tenderness with jaw pain when chewing, or any change in vision, especially if you're over 50
  • Headache with fever and a stiff neck
  • A head injury while you take a blood thinner
  • Weakness that is getting worse
  • Numbness in the groin or buttocks, or losing control of your bladder or bowels

Also call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, stroke signs, a sudden severe headache, fainting, a seizure, severe bleeding, new confusion, throat swelling, an overdose or thoughts of harming someone else — and call or text 988 for thoughts of harming yourself. If screening routes you before you pay, nothing is charged. If a clinician routes you after you've paid, the full fee is refunded.

How it works

How your occipital neuralgia visit works

  1. 1
    Answer the occipital neuralgia intake

    About 5 minutes, with photos if they help. Emergency and safety questions come first.

  2. 2
    A clinician reviews it the same day

    A Texas-licensed Passion Health clinician reads everything and calls or videos you if they need more.

  3. 3
    You get a plan

    If treatment is appropriate, a prescription goes to the pharmacy you choose.

  4. 4
    Follow-up is built in

    A 48-hour check-in and secure messaging. If you need to be seen, a same-day visit at our Dallas–Fort Worth clinics, or clear advice on where to go near you.

Your care

What to expect from your clinician

What your clinician may consider

  • A careful history to tell occipital neuralgia from migraine, tension headache or a neck problem
  • Heat, massage, posture changes and gentle neck stretches
  • A short course of an anti-inflammatory, or a low-dose nerve-pain medicine taken at bedtime, such as nortriptyline or amitriptyline, if appropriate — your clinician checks your heart, mood, age and other medicines first. Pregabalin is a controlled medicine and is never prescribed online
  • A clinic visit or referral for a nerve block injection or physical therapy if pain continues
  • A neurology eConsult if the diagnosis or treatment is unclear

Shown so you know what to expect. The reviewing clinician decides what, if anything, is appropriate for you — a prescription is never guaranteed, and controlled medicines are never prescribed online.

Price & insurance

How much does an online occipital neuralgia visit cost?

Standard evaluation
$89
  • Everything in Quick
  • Lab orders when needed (labs billed separately)
  • 30 days of secure messaging

Using insurance: we're in network with BCBS of Texas, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, Humana and Healthcare Highways, and we verify eligibility for every plan before review — you see your estimated cost-share first. New patients have a short video visit, because plans pay for a visit, not a form. Same-day review applies to self-pay visits; insurance visits begin once we've verified your plan, which is the next business morning if you submit overnight or on a weekend. Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and TRICARE are billed to the program, and the cash rate isn't offered for covered services.

Full refund if your case isn't accepted: if the clinician doesn't accept your case for online care, for any reason, the full fee is refunded to your card within 10 business days, and we help you get the care you need: a same-day visit at one of our Dallas–Fort Worth clinics or, if you're not near one, clear advice on where to be seen and a written summary of your visit. With insurance, no claim is submitted for the online review. Paying the flat price yourself? You can ask for a written Good Faith Estimate before your visit.

Labs and imaging, if needed, are billed separately, and medication is paid at your pharmacy. Passion Health doesn't sell, ship or mark up medication.

Follow-up

A 48-hour check-in, 30 days of secure messaging, and lab follow-up when labs were ordered.

Questions

Questions about occipital neuralgia care

How much does an online occipital neuralgia visit cost?

The flat cash rate is $89 for a standard evaluation, or use your insurance and pay your plan's cost-share — we show you an estimate before review starts. Medication is paid at your pharmacy. If the clinician doesn't accept your case for online care, for any reason, the full fee is refunded to your card.

Will I talk to someone, or is it just a form?

A Texas-licensed Passion Health clinician reviews every intake and decides your plan — not software. For occipital neuralgia, Texas law lets the clinician evaluate you from a condition-specific intake plus your photos and records, and they'll call or video you whenever something needs a conversation. New patients using insurance have a short video visit, because plans pay for a visit, not a form.

Is a prescription guaranteed?

No. You're paying for a licensed clinician's evaluation and plan. Many visits end with a prescription; some end with a different plan, a test, or a referral. Controlled medicines — stimulants, benzodiazepines, opioids, testosterone, sleep aids like zolpidem — are never prescribed at an online visit.

How is occipital neuralgia different from a migraine?

Occipital neuralgia causes brief, sharp, shooting or electric pains that start at the base of the skull and travel up the back of the head, often with a tender scalp. Migraine is usually a throbbing headache that lasts hours, often with nausea and sensitivity to light or sound. The two can overlap, and the right diagnosis changes treatment, so your clinician will ask detailed questions.

What is an occipital nerve block?

It's an injection of numbing medicine, sometimes with a steroid, near the occipital nerve at the back of the head. It can ease pain for weeks to months, and if the pain goes away it also helps confirm the diagnosis. It has to be done in person, so if your clinician thinks it may help, they'll arrange a clinic visit or referral.

The Texas law behind this visit

A clinician may form a valid patient relationship online using store-and-forward technology — your condition-specific intake, photos and records — paired with a call or video when needed, as long as the in-person standard of care is met (Tex. Occ. Code §111.005(a)(3), §111.007). Your clinician gives you guidance on follow-up care and, with your consent, sends new patients' visit notes to their primary care physician within 72 hours (§111.005(b)).

Full Texas-law summary →

AC
Medical reviewer

Dr. Anantha Chentha, MD, FACP, CHCQM-PHY ADV

Chief Quality Medical Officer, Passion Health · Texas-licensed internal medicine physician

Reviewed October 22, 2026

Reviewed for medical accuracy by Dr. Anantha Chentha, MD, Chief Quality Medical Officer, Passion Health, on October 22, 2026. Pages are reviewed again when clinical guidance or our visit rules change, and the date shown here is updated each time.

Sources: NINDS · AAFP

Not sure online care is right for you?

Book a same-day visit at a Passion Health clinic in Dallas–Fort Worth, or call and we'll point you to the right visit — or, elsewhere in Texas, to the right kind of care near you.

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