Headache Treatment and Relief

A treatment plan is important for chronic headache sufferers. Stanford's Headache College can help you create a plan tailored to your specific needs.
The main treatment plan categories used to manage headaches include:
• Rescue: Treatment when a headache is staring you in the face
• Prevention: Treatments aimed at keeping headaches from developing
• Lifestyle modification: Strategies to identify, modify, and eliminate triggers that can contribute to headache
• Complementary medicine strategies
• Inpatient care
Chronic headache pain can be both frustrating and debilitating. Identifying your type of headache pain is the first step is managing the pain and finding successful treatment options.
Types of headaches include:
• Migraine headache
• Tension headache
• Cluster headache
• Hypnic headache
Each type of headache has different treatment methods that can be effective in treating headache pain. However, treatment for headache pain is as much an art as it is a science. Two patients that describe their headache pain the same way will not necessarily find relief from the same headache treatment. We often need a process of trial and error to find effective treatment options.
Headache Relief and Treatment for Migraine Headaches
The pain from migraine headaches can be a severe, throbbing pain that can last for many days. Many people that suffer from migraines have a family history of migraine headaches. Effective treatment for migraine headaches include:
• Rest in a quiet, dark room
• Hot or cold compresses
• Massage
• Tricyclic antidepressants
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation, a therapy that uses electrical currents to stimulate nerve cells in the brain