Definition
Tension headache - also called muscle-tension headache - is a particular form of headache, which mainly affects female patients.
Among the different forms of headache, the tension type is certainly among the most widespread. The attacks of tension headache have a duration that can vary from 30 minutes up to 5-7 days and can occur either in acute form or in chronic or recurrent form.
Causes
The causes of tension headache are not entirely known. In the past, it was believed that the triggering cause was to be found in a continuous and involuntary contraction of the muscles of the neck, temples, forehead and nape, due to stress conditions (hence the name "muscle-tension headache").
Currently, however, although a precise cause has not yet been identified, it is believed that the tension headache can be caused by a set of different factors that contribute to one another. These factors include anxiety and depression disorders, asthenopia, cervicalgia and dental malocclusion.
Symptoms
Of course, being a form of headache, the main symptom of tension headache is cranial pain, which is perceived as constrictive and localized especially in the frontal region. Pain is often bilateral, but does not show symptoms such as nausea or photophobia which are, instead, typical of migraine attacks.
Information on tension headache - drugs for tension headache is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Tension Headache - Tension Headache Drugs.
drugs
Although the tension headache is considered one of the less painful forms of headache, the quality of life of the patients who suffer from it, in the long run, can however be negatively affected; without counting that at the base of this disorder there could be more serious pathological causes, such as, for example, anxiety and depression.
Therefore, the first step to take for the treatment of the tension headache is to identify the triggering cause, so as to be able to establish an adequate therapy aimed at its treatment.
In addition to this, the doctor can prescribe the administration of drugs for the treatment of cranial pain that characterizes this form of headache.
Furthermore, in association with drug therapy, the doctor can advise the patient to undergo also complementary therapies, such as massage therapy, biofeedback and possibly behavioral therapies.
Paracetamol
Paracetamol (Tachipirina®, Efferalgan®) is an active ingredient widely used in the treatment of many types of headaches and can also be used successfully in the treatment of tension headache.
It belongs to the class of analgesic-antipyretics and, when used to relieve the pain of tension headache, it is usually administered orally.
It is available both in tablets, which must be swallowed whole with a little water, and in orodispersible pharmaceutical formulations, to be taken sublingually.
In these cases, the dose of paracetamol usually administered is 500-1, 000 mg, to be taken as needed as soon as you perceive that the headache attack is starting.
NSAIDs
NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) - similar to paracetamol - are active ingredients widely used to counteract the pain triggered by multiple forms of headache, among which we also find the tension headache.
Thanks to their mechanism of action, these drugs are able to exert both an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory action.
Among the many active ingredients, belonging to this class of drugs, which can be used in the treatment of tension headache, we recall:
- Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin®, Vivin C®). This active ingredient is available in different pharmaceutical formulations, but for the treatment of tension headache, it is usually administered orally at a dose of 300-400 mg to be taken as needed.
- Diclofenac (Dicloreum®). Diclofenac can also be administered orally in the treatment of tension headache. Generally, this active ingredient is taken at a dose of 25-50 mg, as soon as the headache attack begins.
- Ibuprofen (Brufen®, Moment®, Nurofen®, Arfen®). Ibuprofen is an NSAID used to treat both migraine attacks and headache attacks, so it can also be used in the case of tension headaches.
When administered orally, the dose of medication usually used in these cases is 200-400 mg, to be taken as needed. If necessary, your doctor may also decide to increase the dose to 600 mg of medication.
- Naproxen (Momendol®, Synflex®): for the treatment of tension headache or other forms of headache, such as migraine, naproxen is administered orally at doses ranging from 200 mg to 550 mg of active ingredient, to be taken as needed.
Amitriptyline
Amitriptyline (Laroxyl®) is an active ingredient belonging to the class of tricyclic antidepressant drugs that - in addition to being used, obviously, for the treatment of depression - has proved particularly useful also in the preventive treatment of migraines and chronic headaches; therefore, it can be used successfully in preventive therapy of recurrent tension headache.
Amitriptyline is available for oral administration as tablets or oral drops. For the prevention of chronic tension headache, it is usually administered at an initial dose of 30-50 mg per day. Subsequently, this dose - depending on the patient's response to therapy - may be gradually decreased or increased until the most suitable dosage is reached to obtain the desired effect.
However, the doctor will establish - on a case-by-case basis - the exact dosage of medicine that each patient will have to take. Therefore, it is essential to follow the instructions provided by it.
