How to Live With Chronic Headaches

Many people suffer from chronic headaches for years without finding any relief. For some, it is a daily, debilitating problem that affects every aspect of life. Unfortunately, there are times when conventional medical treatment provides no answers and sufferers are told to simply learn to live with their condition. Living with chronic headaches is easier said than done, however.

Things You'll Need

• Journal
• Experienced and flexible doctor

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Instructions

• 1

  Educate your friends and family members about the debilitating effects of chronic headaches. If you had to live with another chronic illness, your condition would be easier for the people close to you to accept. If the people around you do not understand your condition, it can put a serious strain on your personal relationships.

• 2

  Take the time you need to get over your headaches. Make sure the people around you know that you need to have uninterrupted time to yourself when you have a headache. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

• 3

  Find a doctor to partner with you in treating your headaches. It can be challenging to find a doctor who is qualified to approach your treatment from different angles, but having one primary doctor coordinating your care can be beneficial.

• 4

  Work with your doctor to exhaust different drug therapies, like antidepressants, beta blockers, muscle relaxants and Botox injections. It can take months to determine if these therapies are effective, so be patient.

• 5

  Don't give up on finding a treatment to work for you. There are hundreds of reasons for chronic headaches, and often the culprit is an obscure trigger or rare condition. You have to be your own advocate in finding the cause of your chronic headaches--and a treatment.

• 6

  Keep a journal of everything you eat and do to help discover what is causing your headaches. It's important to track when you have a headache, how long it lasts, what it feels like and how bad it hurts to create a helpful log of what you are experiencing.

• 7

  Try alternative treatments such as chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, herbal remedies like feverfew, biofeedback, nutritional supplements, aromatherapy, homeopathy, massage and aerobic exercise. While you may be hard-pressed to find documented clinical proof of the efficacy of some alternative treatments, anything is worth a try when it comes to regaining your health.

• 8

  Stay productive when you don't have a headache. In order to live your life to the fullest when you have chronic headaches, it's important to be fully present whenever possible.