What Are the Treatments for Daily Headaches?

The first step in treating daily headaches is to figure out which type you are experiencing. According to Wrongdiagnosis.com, common daily headaches come in four main types. Vascular headaches involve abnormal function of the blood vessels in the brain and can involve severe pain. A migraine is a type of vascular headache. Tension headaches involve the tensing and tightening of muscles in the face and neck. Traction and inflammatory headaches are pains caused by other conditions, ranging from stroke to sinus infection. How you treat your headache depends on which type you have.

Antidepressants and Beta Blockers

• According to the Mayo Clinic, tricyclic antidepressants such as Aventyl and Pamelor are the most common treatments prescribed for chronic daily headaches. They also treat the depression, sleeplessness and anxiety that often accompany the headaches. Prozac is another option for some.

  Beta blocking medication such as atenolol is commonly used in conjunction with antidepressants to treat chronic migraines most effectively.

Antiseizure Drugs

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved drugs invented for control of seizures, such as Depakote, for the treatment of migraines and other chronic headaches, and for mood stabilization in people with bipolar disorder. Neurontin and Topamax are also antiseizure medications sometimes used for headaches.

Anti-inflammatories

• NSAIDs (or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as naproxen can be used to treat chronic inflammatory or vascular headaches when the pain is mild to moderate. The drugs work by blocking enzymes that cause inflammation and fever and they reduce prostaglandins throughout the body. Since prostaglandins that protect the lining of the stomach are reduced, these drugs can sometimes cause ulcers, according to Medicinenet.com.

Diet and Reduce Stress

• A poor diet and lack of exercise reduces your overall health, and that includes the likelihood of developing chronic headaches. Regular exercise and a balanced diet will go a long way in preventing headaches and other disorders as well as reduce stress, which itself is a primary cause of certain types of headaches.

Stop Treatment

• The Mayo Clinic recommends stopping any medication that you have been taking more often than twice a week if your headaches do not appear to be easing. It is possible that over time these drugs could actually be extending he headaches and the first step to treatment could be to stop taking them. Unfortunately some headaches appear to be resistant to all treatments.