Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

New Treatment for Chronic Headaches

Aired May 02, 2001 - 11:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time for some health news now. Chronic tension headaches can be extremely painful, and they occur daily for some people. Now a study in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" has new information on how to treat these headaches with antidepressants and stress management.

Our CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us with a closer look at the study. I'd like first to welcome you to our CNN team.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thank you very much.

KAGAN: Good to have you with us here in Atlanta.

GUPTA: Thank you.

KAGAN: So more information now on these chronic headaches.

GUPTA: Yeah. Well, now a lot of people have headaches, Daryn.

KAGAN: We're not just talking regular headaches.

GUPTA: We're not talking regular headaches. New research specifically looked at chronic tension headaches, and what they looked at specifically was an improvement by taking antidepressant medications and even greater improvement when they combined the antidepressant medication with stress management therapy. In fact, up to two-thirds of the patients improved with both therapies together.

Chronic tension headaches are headaches that occur at least 15 times or more per month for at least six months in a row.

Now you may not often think of antidepressant medication, such amitriptyline or nortriptyline as treatment for headaches, but they have been use for quit some time, and this study shows that they can be effective.

But really how do you know when it's time to put away the Tylenol and aspirin and go see a doctor? If the headaches are occurring more than 15 times a month for more than six months in a row, you probably should see a doctor, and this article -- this "Journal" article says treatment may be out there, and it may work for you. KAGAN: You say it's important to differentiate between just a nasty headache and these chronic headaches. Who's at risk for getting the chronic headaches?

GUPTA: People talk about stress, anxiety, depression as all being triggers for tension headaches. These are chronic tension headaches. But it could be something as simple as poor posture, the way you sit at work and making sure that you hold your back up straight and you're not hunched over all the time.

People talk about stimulation, trying to reduce the amount of stimulation in your life. Stress is probably an overused term, but maybe trying to decrease the stimulants, whether they be at work or at home, trying to just solve problems before they cause things like tension headaches.

KAGAN: And those are some of the things that people in the study had, not just the antidepressant medication, but also they went through stress management therapy.

GUPTA: Right.

KAGAN: Any clues that they use or any tips that maybe all of us can pick up on as well?

GUPTA: Yes. Stress management therapy is becoming an increasingly important part of headache management. They do things like muscle relaxation, 16 different muscles in your back and in your neck are actually relaxed during this therapy.

Again, a lot of it goes back to trying to solve problems and decrease overstimulation in your life before they can cause headaches, whether it be things like caffeine, whether it be things like making a lists of your problems and trying to cake care of them before they cause headaches, all those sorts of things are tried as part of the stress management therapy.

KAGAN: Did you think about stress before you signed on for this gig here at CNN?

GUPTA: I have a headache.

KAGAN: Yeah. Welcome to CNN.

GUPTA: Thank you.

KAGAN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, good to have you on board. Thanks so much.

HARRIS: He didn't realize we get paid in stress.

KAGAN: It gets a little stressful around here some...

HARRIS: We get paid in stress points.

KAGAN: This is a tension headache. HARRIS: Boy, are you in for it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com