For short periods of time, prescription medications (such as narcotic pain medications or muscle relaxants) may be helpful to alleviate pain or related complications.
It can take anywhere from 4-10 hrs. now if your head gasket is warped you will have to take it to have it milled that takes from 1 day to several days. if not you can just buy a completely new one that fits perfectly for about $150.
Another clue: Turn on the heater; often when the head gasket is blown an odor of antifreeze and synthetic rubber will emanate from the heater vents. Many of the symptoms of a blown head gasket can be caused by some other problem in the cooling system, without the head gasket being damaged. Conversely, other problems with the cooling system can cause a blown head gasket and/or warped head.