What is a chronic daily headache?

Chronic daily headache is a category of headache disorders in which headache pain occurs on 15 or more days per month during a consecutive 3-month period. True (primary) chronic daily headaches are caused by no other condition.

These headache diagnoses include:

• Chronic migraine
• Chronic tension-type headache
• Medication overuse headache (rebound headache)
• Hemicrania continua
• New daily persistent headache

Who gets chronic daily headaches?

Anyone can experience chronic daily headaches. Although primary chronic headaches are not due to a medical illness, there are some risk factors associated with frequent headache development. These include the following:

• Female gender
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Sleep disorders
• Obesity
• Caffeine overuse
• Headache medication overuse
• Other chronic pain disorders

Overuse of medications People who take painkillers more than twice a week who suffer from an episodic headache disorder, like tension-type headaches or migraines, are more likely to get headaches. Among these drugs are:

• Ergotamines and Triptans
• Barbituates
• NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines

Secondary chronic daily headaches can be caused by the following conditions:

• Inflammation or spasm of the arteries
• Clots in the veins
• Meningitis and other infections
• Intracranial pressure that is abnormally high or low
• Tumours of the brain
• Traumatic brain damage

What are the sign and symptoms of chronic daily headaches?

The type of headache you're experiencing will determine the symptoms of a chronic daily headache. Among them are headaches that may:

• Include one or both sides of your head
• Range in severity from mild to severe
• Feeling tight, throbbing, or pulsing

Other signs and symptoms may include:

• Feeling queasy or throwing up
• Sweating, light, sound, or scent sensitivity, runny or stuffy nose, redness, or eye tears
• Dizziness
• Feeling uncomfortable or restless

What causes chronic daily headaches?

The specific reason of chronic daily headaches is unknown to doctors. There is no known cause for chronic daily headaches. However, that doesn't imply they can't be treated.

How are chronic daily headaches diagnosed?

The following may be used by your physician to identify chronic daily headaches:

• Medical history, both personal and family
• Lumbar puncture to check for infection and inflammation and to measure the pressure inside the cerebrospinal fluid
• Neurological and physical tests
• Imaging tests to rule out headache-causing disorders

What are treatment options for chronic daily headaches?

Treatment of any underlying condition often halts frequent headaches. If no such condition exists, treatment is aimed at preventing pain.

Prevention strategies depend on the nature of your headache and whether overuse of medicines is a part of your pain cycle. For instance, if you're popping pain relievers more than three days a week, you first may need to taper off them under the advice of your physician.

When ready to start preventive therapy, your doctor may consider:

• Antidepressants: Chronic headaches can also be treated with tricyclic antidepressants like nortriptyline (Pamelor). These medications also help treat depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances commonly associated with chronic daily headaches.

Other antidepressants, including the SSRI fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, others), might help with treating depression and anxiety but have not been proven more effective than a placebo for headache.

• Beta blockers: These medications, often prescribed for high blood pressure, are also a first-line treatment for preventing episodic migraines. Examples include atenolol (Tenormin), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL) and propranolol (Inderal, Innopran XL).
• Anti-seizure medications: Some anti-seizure medications appear to prevent migraines and may be prescribed to prevent chronic daily headaches, as well. Options include topiramate (Topamax, Qudexy XR, others), divalproex sodium (Depakote) and gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise).
• NSAIDs: Prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like naproxen sodium, (Anaprox, Naprelan) may help especially if other prescription pain medications are being tapered. They can be used as needed during periods when the headache is worse.
• Botulinum toxin: OnabotulinumtoxinA injections (Botox) sometimes help, especially for those patients who are poor tolerators of daily medications. Botox would be an option most certainly if the headache has characteristics of chronic migraines.

Combination of one or more drugs should be given at first, though if the individual drug does not work sufficiently your doctor might want to use multiple drugs together.

When to consult a doctor?

Frequent headaches are normal and typically don't need medical care. But speak with your physician if:

• Typically, you get two or more headaches every week.
• Most days, you take a pain killer to treat your headaches.
• To get rid of your headaches, you need to take more over-the-counter pain relievers than is advised.
• Your migraines get worse or your headache pattern changes.
• Your migraines are incapacitating.

Seek immediate medical attention if you have a headache:

• Is abrupt and severe.
• Accompanied by fever, stiff neck, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness, or inability to speak
• After a head trauma
• It worsens despite rest and pain medication.

Why Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for chronic daily headache?

Tender Palm Hospital, owned by doctors, is renowned for attracting the most experienced professional in the country, with the finest neurologist and neurosurgeons specialized in chronic daily headache. Tender Palm stands out as the premier Neurology hospital in Lucknow, India. Boasting cutting-edge infrastructure and advanced technology, Tender Palm ensures top-notch medical care for its patients.

To seek an expert consultation for any Neurology condition

Call us at +91-9076972161
Email at care@tenderpalm.com

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