Walgreens The Thread

Constant headaches: What they could mean and how to manage

By Dr. Chelsea Grow, Board Certified Neurologist and Headache Specialist Dec 23, 2024 • 6 min.


If you have constant headaches that occur on most days of the month (15 days or more), you may have a condition called chronic daily headache (CDH). Although the underlying cause of CDH isn’t fully understood, there are treatments available to help you manage various types of constant headaches.

Constant headache types

People with CDH can experience different types of headaches, including:

  • Cluster headaches: Often felt behind or around one eye, cluster headaches come on suddenly and cause sharp, stabbing or burning pain. They often occur around the same time every day. You may also experience a droopy eyelid, a stuffy nose, eye watering, or redness, flushing or sweating with the pain.
  • Migraines: Headaches classified as migraines usually affect one side of the head and cause moderate to severe throbbing pain. Additional symptoms that can accompany chronic migraines include nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.
  • Tension-type headaches: Usually causing mild to moderate pain, tension-type headaches may feel like a band of pressure across your forehead or wrapping around your head. Some people also describe them as pressing or squeezing on both sides of the head.
  • New daily persistent headaches: This issue may develop after an infection, such as COVID-19 or meningitis, or because of certain health conditions, such as a brain mass or hypertension. They can cause symptoms similar to tension headaches, occurring on both sides of the head and producing pressing or squeezing sensations. 
  • Hemicrania continua: Pain felt on one side of your head that is continuous with no pain-free periods may be hemicrania continua. The discomfort may spike, worsening for short periods before easing back to a moderate level. In addition, most people experience one or more of the following symptoms: drooping of one eyelid, redness of one eye, nasal congestion, eye watering on one side, pupil narrowing and restlessness. This type of headache may respond to very specific medications.
  • Medication overuse headaches: Also called “rebound headaches,” medication overuse headaches occur due to long-term use of pain relievers to treat headaches. This headache subtype is typically a daily headache that waxes and wanes in intensity. It develops over a period of months, and it can be reversed after tapering off the medication that initially caused the vicious headache cycle.
  • Mixed types: Mixed-type chronic headaches happen when a person experiences two or more types of chronic daily headaches, such as migraines and tension headaches.

In some cases, chronic daily headaches are a sign of an underlying medical condition, such as:

  • Inflammation or dysfunction of the blood vessels surrounding the brain
  • Infections, such as meningitis
  • Abnormal pressure levels in the head
  • Brain tumor
  • Traumatic brain injury

However, chronic daily headaches can occur in otherwise healthy people. Healthcare providers refer to this as a primary chronic daily headache. Since headaches may also be a sign of a more serious health condition, you should seek medical care for your symptoms, especially if they worsen.

Diagnosing constant headaches

Typically, healthcare providers will diagnose a patient with chronic daily headaches if they have had symptoms at least 15 days per month for at least three months. To determine what type of headache you have and rule out underlying causes, your healthcare provider may:

  • Conduct a physical examination
  • Discuss your symptoms, medical history and family history with you
  • Order imaging tests, such as an MRI, CT scan or other diagnostic testing

Treatments for constant headaches

Healthcare providers typically prescribe one or more medications for managing constant headaches. Some drugs that reduce pain and other symptoms associated with CDH include:

  • Anti-seizure medications: Certain medications that treat seizure disorders, such as topiramate (Topamax, Qudexy XR), divalproex sodium (Depakote) and gabapentin (Neurontin, Gralise) may reduce the frequency of migraines and other chronic daily headaches.
  • Beta-blockers: Often used to treat migraines, these medications widen blood vessels and increase blood flow to lower blood pressure.
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): There are prescription and over-the-counter NSAIDs available. These pain relievers may be recommended for easing the pain associated with constant headaches when they occur.
  • Tricyclic antidepressants: These medications raise levels of serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain, and they may reduce the frequency of headaches.
  • Botulinum toxin A: Injections of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) may be recommended for people with constant migraines who don’t respond well to other medications.
  • CGRP receptor antagonists: This relatively newer category of medications is highly effective in treating and preventing acute migraines. They work by blocking a pain neurotransmitter involved in the perception of headaches.

In addition to taking medication, your healthcare provider may ask you to track your symptoms over time. By recording when you experience headaches, what you ate, what the weather was like, and what activities you performed around the time you developed symptoms, you may be able to identify potential triggers of your head pain. You can then take steps to avoid or reduce your exposure to these triggers going forward.

Updated December 2024.

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