Post Traumatic Headaches Treatment

There are two ways to treat a post traumatic headaches: abortive therapy or prevention medication. Abortive therapy is used to relieve symptoms that appear within the first two to three weeks of the head or neck injury. Preventive medication is used to treat symptoms that persist over a longer period of time.

Abortive Treatment

• There are several forms of abortive treatment; the one that's best for you will depend on the severity of your injury and the type of concurring headache. Abortive therapy is usually the only form of treatment needed when a post traumatic headache is caused by a mild injury that will heal quickly.

  Anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen reduce the symptoms of a headache until it subsides. This form of treatment may become addictive and is not advisable for long-term use.

  Muscle relaxers alleviate other symptoms, such as neck tension and muscle spasms, that may accompany a post traumatic headache. According to The National Headache Foundation, the most common causes of post traumatic headaches are muscle contractions that range from the neck to the scalp. Note that certain muscle relaxers, such as Flexeril or Robaxin, may cause fatigue.

  Vascular headaches---pulsating headaches related to the swelling of blood vessels, or hyperemia---also benefit from abortive treatment. This type of post traumatic headache is similar to a migraine.

Prevention Medication

• Prevention medication for post traumatic headaches is required when a headache persists for more than two weeks, occurring at least once or twice weekly. Prevention medications are employed two or three weeks after the start of a post traumatic headache---and after it's clear that a patient is not responding to abortive therapy.

  Antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil) or nortriptyline (Pamelor), as well as common beta-blockers, will help reduce daily headaches and symptoms of insomnia. Psychological factors, such as fear, anxiety, grief and resentment, may also play a role in post traumatic headaches; combating these impulses may require antidepressants and talk therapy. In severe cases, beta-blockers are administered along with antidepressants.

  Intravenous dihydroergotamine (IV DHE), an age-old treatment for migraines, may also be used to treat severe post traumatic headaches. IV DHE is performed on at outpatient basis at a hospital or clinic; daily preventive medications such as antidepressants are used in tandem with the treatment. IV DHE is usually given after two months, when the patient has tried abortive therapy as well as the other forms of preventive medication to no avail.