CHRONIC DAILY HEADACHES
Chronic daily headaches are defined as having more than 15 headache days per month. They are not defined as having one type of headache disorder, but rather can be made up of several types e.g. tension type headaches, migraines, silent migraines etc.
Factors that can contribute to the development of chronic daily headaches include:
- Being female (they affect females greater than they affect males)
- Injury to the head or neck
- Stressful life events
- Previous history of headaches or migraines
- Medication overuse
Due to the fact that chronic daily headaches can involve a number of different type of headache disorders, symptoms may vary slightly between individuals.
Due to the chronic and ongoing nature of this type of headache, it is important to be aware of medication overuse headaches (also known as rebound headaches). These can occur when pain medication that is taken as required e.g. panadol, maxalt, codeine, imigran etc. is taken too frequently and it can add to your headache/migraine frequency and/or intensity. Therefore it is suggested that you only take this medication 2-3 times per week to avoid medication overuse headaches from occurring.