i have headaches almost every day. what should i do? and what could be the cause?

Question

medicine doesn't help.

Answer 1

Tension headaches tend to be on both sides of your head. They often start at the back of your head and spread forward. The pain may feel dull or squeezing, like a tight band or vice. Your shoulders, neck, or jaw may feel tight and sore.

Migraine headaches are severe, recurrent headaches generally accompanied by other symptoms like visual disturbances or nausea. They tend to begin on one side of your head, although the pain may spread to both sides. You may have an "aura" (warning symptoms that start before your headache) and feel throbbing, pounding, or pulsating pain.

Cluster headaches are sharp, extremely painful headaches that tend to occur several times per day for months and then go away for a similar period. They are far less common.
Sinus headaches cause pain in the front of your head and face. They are due to inflammation in the sinus passages that lie behind the cheeks, nose, and eyes. The pain tends to be worse when you bend forward and when you first wake up in the morning. Postnasal drip, sore throat, and nasal discharge usually occur with these headaches.

Keep a headache diary to help identify the source or trigger of your symptoms. Then modify your environment or habits to avoid future headaches. When a headache occurs, write down the date and time the headache began, what you ate for the past 24 hours, how long you slept the night before, what you were doing and thinking about just before the headache started, any stress in your life, how long the headache lasts, and what you did to make it stop. After a period of time, you may begin to see a pattern.

A headache may be relieved by resting with your eyes closed and head supported. Relaxation techniques can help. A massage or heat applied to the back of the upper neck can be effective in relieving tension headaches.

Try acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen for tension headaches. DO NOT give aspirin to children because of the risk of Reye's syndrome.

Migraine headaches may respond to aspirin, naproxen, or combination migraine medications.

If over-the-counter remedies do not control your pain, talk to your doctor about possible prescription medications.

Prescription medications used for migraine headaches include ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, ergotamine with caffeine (Cafergot), isometheptene (Midrin), and triptanes like sumatriptan (Imitrex), rizatriptan (Maxalt), eletriptan (Relpax), almotriptan (Axert), and zolmitriptan (Zomig). Sometimes medications to relieve nausea and vomiting are helpful for other migraine symptoms.

If you get headaches often, your doctor may prescribe medication to prevent headaches before they occur. Examples of these include:

Antidepressants such as nortriptyline (Pamelor), amitriptyline (Elavil), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), sertraline (Zoloft), or paroxetine (Paxil) for tension or migraine headache
Beta-blockers such as propranolol (Inderal) for frequent migraine headaches
Calcium channel blockers such as verapamil for frequent migraine headaches
Anti-epileptic medicines such as topiramate (Topamax)
If you are using pain medications more than 2 days a week, you may be suffering from rebound headaches. Rebound headaches are caused by a cycle of using pain medications for short-term relief, followed by the headache pain returning for increasingly longer periods of time despite taking more pain medications.

All types of pain pills (including over-the-counter drugs), muscle relaxants, some decongestants, and caffeine can cause this pattern. If you think this may be a problem for you, talk to your health care provider.

Answer 2

Are they migraines or headaches? I get migraines with aura, without aura, cluster headaches, tension headaches, and headaches. So I know a little about each :) First of all, you should probably see a doctor. Once a day for the last month is a lot. Generally he/she will recommend that you get an MRI or Catscan to check for tumors. Just a general check that most people have. There are certain foods/things that are a common trigger in a lot of people that you can try avoiding and see if it helps you- Chocolate Aspartame Caffiene (thought it will help you once you already have a headache) Cigarette Smoke Alcohol Air Pressure Changing Seasons Allergies You might have an allergy that you don't realize. Think about new things you have been eating/doing/around in the past month. I would like to strongly recommend that you see a doctor. They can give you painkillers, medications to take daily to prevent headaches, and migraine medication. I hope I helped some!

Answer 3

Chronic daily headaches are a big problem. You see, if you take the medication - ANY mediocation for them daily - not only does it stop helping and because of the harshness on your stomach make you at greater risk for a bleeding ulcer, but they can actully CAUSE more headaches (rebound headaches). This is a very complicated issue. I would start with an evaluation by a neurologist who sees patients with headaches (some specialize in this) , but if that doesn't work the next person to try would be a pain management specilaist. These physicians look at pain in a more wholistic way. I believe one of these types of physicians will be able to help get to the bottom of your problem. Good luck.

Answer 4

Could be migraine headaches- regular med's won't do anything for them. If you are consuming aspartame, this could be the cause of headaches too- eliminate it immediately, and see if it helps. Also avoid anything with MSG in it. Find out if you're grinding your teeth at night, or during the day. If you are, wearing a night guard will help to eliminate the headaches.

Answer 5

Have you tried going to see a Chiropractor? I didn't believe in them until a couple of months ago myself. I had no idea just how bad my neck and spine were out of alignment until they showed me my x-rays. After a few sessions of alignments, and stretches, my daily headaches are completely gone. Sometimes, they were so bad I couldn't hold my head up. Headaches are not a normal thing for anyone.
Hope you feel better soon.

Answer 6

I'm sure it's probably not serious. could be allergies, stress, lack of sleep, food triggers, lack of exercise, associated with another problem like an infection or cold, altitude pressure. malnutrition, vision problems.. anything. i used to get migraines every day but after a while they went away. get some exercise, dont stress, eat properly and drink plenty of water. you might think im crazy but for women masturbation is one of the best painkillers around.. it releases large amount of endorphins. try it and see if it works. if none of this works then see a doc and maybe an eye doc.. doubt its a tumor but never rule anything out.

Answer 7

I like the answer about seeing the chiropractor. something else you can do is start drinking more water and drinking less pop, coffee and staying away from chocolete. sometimes caffine will cause headaces or the lack of it also. I tried to stop drinking pop and just drink water and I had headaces everyday till I visited my doctor. He asked me what I was doing different and I told him. He said I need to ween myself off the caffine slowly. I started by cutting my pop drinking in half and replacing it with water. after a few week I wasn't drinking pop and just water and no more headaces. Give it a try it just might help.

Answer 8

Going to the doctor helps. You could be chronically dehydrated. Also, you should try jogging. That helps prevent my headaches. Stress and lack of sleep are other factors.

Answer 9

You need to see your doctor. They will ask you specific questions to try to figure out what type(s) of headaches you are having (tension, migraine, etc.).

On your own, watch for "triggers". Does certain foods give you headaches? Caffeine, or lack of it?, light?

If you are getting them daily, it's also possible you need to have your eyes checked, if you haven't already.

There are lots of possible causes. See your doctor. They will help diagnose you and give you your options.

Answer 10

I've Had a headache most every day too.
it could be the flue that is going around!
go to the Doctor