About three to five percent of people experience chronic daily headaches, according to the Mayo Clinic. Headaches may be classified as chronic if they occur 15 out of 30 days for at least three months. Chronic daily headaches can generally be classified into four types: the chronic migraine, the chronic tension-type headache, the new daily persistent headache and Hemicrania continua.
Causes of Chronic Daily Headaches
Most of the time there is no underlying physical cause of these headaches.Sometimes people who are taking pain relief medication more than twice a week experience rebound headaches as chronic daily headaches.
Possible physical causes include inter-cranial pressure, infections, pinched nerves, brain injury, tumors and problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain.
Beginning Treament
If the headaches are caused by a physical issue, the treatment will focus on that problem. This will usually stop or decrease the frequency of the headaches.
If there is no underlying physical cause, as is usually the case, treatment will focus on ways to prevent the headaches from starting. If the headaches are judged to be rebound headaches from pain medication, the first step in treating them will be halting the use of pain relievers.
Antidepressants and Beta blockers
Antidepressants are often the first medications tried to prevent headaches from returning. They alleviate the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders that are often seen with chronic headaches. However they are not used to treat Hemicrania continua. Beta blockers can be used to treat chronic migraines. They are sometimes prescribed in tandem with antidepressants.
Anti-Seizure Medications and NSAIDS
Some anti-seizure drugs have a positive effect on migraine headaches, according to the Mayo Clinic. The anti-seizure drugs are also being tried on chronic daily headaches. These drugs include divalproex and topiramate.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, such as naproxen, are sometimes used for particularly severe headaches or to help with withdrawal from other medications for pain relief.
Injections
Injections of anesthetics around the nerves may help relieve pain from headaches, as may injections of corticosteroids at the headache "trigger points," or sites of the pain. Botulinum toxin type A injections are also said to bring some people relief from chronic daily headaches, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Alternative treatments
In addition to medicine, there are a few other treatments that may help reduce pain from chronic daily headaches. These alternative treatments include biofeedback, acupuncture, meditation, massage and sometimes chiropractic care.
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