Did your doc try Indocin? I have a kind of rare headache that is usually one side or the other, but has been occipital a few times in my case, is like ice picks attacking me one after the other. That can last 10 mins or hours. No narcotic touches it. It is also episodic - it may last 2 days or two weeks if untreated and then may go away for two months or two years. What triggers it to appear when it does is unknown.

They call it an “Indocin Headache” because it was found to respond ONLY to Indocin - which is an old school, hard on your stomach NSAID. The technical name is episodic intermittent paroxysmal hemicrania. There is also an continuous rather than intermittent form.

Since it’s not a narcotic or steroid it may be worth a try. It was miraculously life changing for me.