Many Kids Outgrow Chronic Headaches

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Other factors associated with continuing headache included medication overuse (which can cause "rebound headaches"), an onset of headaches before the age of 13, and a duration of daily headaches that lasted longer than two years, the study said.

"The exact reason [the headaches stopped for most] is unknown based on this observational study. We believe that this is the nature of chronic daily headache in adolescents as they grow into young adults," Wang said.

Dr. Amy Goldstein, a pediatric neurologist at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, said the new study "shows that if your child is having chronic daily headaches, even without major intervention, the majority will get better. It may be a difficult year to get through, and for a lot of my patients, they feel like the headache pain is never going to go away, but the message here is that it can get better over time, so continue working with your physician."

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If you or your child are experiencing daily headaches, Goldstein said that one of the most helpful things you can do is to keep a headache diary so you and your doctor can pinpoint potential headache triggers that you may need to avoid.

Also, she said, you need to be careful about over-the-counter pain medication use, because while they can initially be helpful, they can cause rebound headaches when used long term. If medications -- prescription or over-the-counter -- don't help, some alternative medicine therapies may be useful, such as massage, acupuncture or biofeedback.

In some cases, people with chronic headaches can benefit from counseling if the headaches stem from stress or anxiety, Goldstein said.

More information

Learn more about headaches in children from the Nemours Foundation.

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