How to Use Antidepressants to Treat Chronic Headaches

Antidepressants are a common way to treat chronic headaches. They have been shown to be effective in helping to prevent both tension headaches and migraines. Long-term sufferers of chronic headaches are often prescribed antidepressants because they help to stabilize the chemicals in the brain. Chemical imbalance in the brain is thought to be a contributing factor to developing headaches.

Things You'll Need

• Medical supervision
• Calendar or log

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Instructions

• 1

  Check your symptoms to determine if you have tension headaches or migraines. Tension headaches are characterized by tight, pressure-like pain on both sides of your head that gets worse throughout the day. Migraines usually begin as a throbbing pain on one side of the head that spreads to other regions, and they are usually accompanied by other symptoms, such as photosensitivity, nausea and mood changes.

• 2

  Get examined by your primary care physician to get a proper diagnosis of your chronic headaches. Your headaches might be caused by another trigger or condition that can be addressed.

• 3

  Determine if your headaches are chronic or acute. If you have an occasional headache from time to time, you don't have chronic headaches. Chronic headaches usually occur three or more times a month.

• 4

  Talk to your doctor about the different types of antidepressants you can use to treat your headaches. Tricyclics such as amitriptyline, notriptlyine and doxepin are the most commonly used antidepressants to treat chronic headaches, but selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are also used to treat daily headaches. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO inhibitors) are also effective in migraine prevention.

• 5

  Expect to be prescribed a lower dosage of antidepressants to treat headaches than depression. Typically, doctors prescribe dosages between 25 and 75mg for headache prevention versus up to 300 mg for depression. The dosage also varies with different types of antidepressants.

• 6

  Monitor your progress on the antidepressant you choose with your doctor. It's helpful to keep track of subsequent headaches in a calendar to determine if your antidepressant therapy is working.