Few people who have tension headaches actually seek treatment. They fear being called neurotic or weak, and feel their family doctor may not take them seriously. Most adults with tension headaches (more women than men) will treat their headaches with over-the-counter medications. They may become so frequent and exhausting they cause you to miss work and make your life miserable. Even if you go to work you will only work at a fraction of your normal efficiency. Tension headaches make you unable to attend family or social functions, isolate you, and make you more depressed.

While tension headaches and why they happen are controversial, it is considered a biological disorder. Most doctors might disagree with why they happen but they do have a way to help you.

Many tension headaches can be treated with over-the-counter drugs. You may find them to be safe and effective in treating your tension headache. There are many brands on the market of aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen. They don’t require a prescription from your doctor and they are fairly inexpensive. You may buy generic bottles with the same ingredients as the popular name brands.

If you are using over-the-counter medicines, limit their use to a couple of days a week and only when necessary. Overdosing on nonprescription pain medication can cause other headaches known as rebound headaches.

Prescription drugs are available through your doctor and should be followed as directed. Stronger painkillers may be indicated by the severity or the frequency of the tension headache. Some painkillers will work better for some than others. Your doctor will help you find the one best for you.

Some pain relievers are analgesics and are in a class of drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as acetaminophen. Side effects are rare, but the one time you should not take acetaminophen is for a hangover headache. Large doses of this drug and taken for a long period time can cause liver damage. This form of drugs also includes prescription drugs such as naproxen sodium, indomethacin, and ketorolac tromethamine. The brand names for these are Naprosyn, Indocin, and Toradol. These drugs do have some side effects that could become serious. They include stomach pain and bleeding, diarrhea, constipation, nausea and ulcers. You can reduce the risk of these side effects by taking the medications after meals or with milk.

Preventive medications may be prescribed to help reduce the severity and frequency of tension headaches. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to prevent tension or stress headaches. They do have some side effects that may trouble you including weight gain, dry mouth, constipation, drowsiness and blurred vision.

SSRI’s or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are antidepressants such as Paxil, Effexor, Prozac and Sarafem. These prescribed medications have fewer side effects but are not as reliable in preventing headaches.

Other medications prescribed for preventing headaches are anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants, or beta-blockers. Prescribed medicine will work differently for each person. You and your doctor should work together to find the medication that is right for you.