Treatments available for tension headaches include the simple analgesics such as aspirin and paracetamol. These sometimes provide a degree of pain relief above that expected in other chronic pain conditions.
Probably the best forms of therapy for such headaches are the psychological methods of treatment. These include hypnosis, biofeedback and relaxation therapy.
But there are a number of headache sufferers with such a high degree of tension that the use of relaxation therapy is inappropriate. For them, it may be appropriate to use the minor tranquillisers — much maligned as they are — for short period prior to the non-drug treatments. (The minor tranquillisers, such as Valium, Serepax, Tranxene and Xanax are in fact valuable tools for doctors who are prepared to talk with their patients and also offer other therapies.)
In some cases the headaches are the only sign of chronic depressed mood and the appropriate therapy includes the use of antidepressant drugs. Initially these will be the more commonly used group of tricyclic antidepressants.
These include such drugs as Tryptanol, Surmontil, Sinequan, Prothiaden, Pertofran and Anafranil. Tolvon is another anti-depressant from another class of drugs and causes fewer side effects such as gastric irritation and cardio-vascular complications.
Those not responding to these drugs may respond better to the more potent Mono Amine Oxidase Inhibitors or MAOI’s such as Nardil or Parnate. While these must be taken with dietary precautions they do not cause the sedation, constipation or weight gain that the other groups are shown to cause.
Physical treatments including massage, acupuncture and TENS therapy may also have some value.
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