More than 45 million Americans have chronic headaches, according to the National Headache Foundation. The most common types include tension headaches, which are associated with muscle tension. These are sometimes described as feeling like a tight band squeezing the head. Cluster headaches are marked by severe pain around one eye. Migraines are characterized by throbbing pain on one side of the head. Most people with migraines also experience nausea and sensitivities to light and sound.

Andrew Fano, 38, of Lincolnshire, Ill., who has had migraines since he was 12, says headaches used to wipe him out for days. But things improved in 1992 when the FDA approved Imitrex (sumatriptan), the first drug in a class known as triptans. This class of drugs marked a huge leap forward for headache sufferers. Unlike some previous drugs that dulled the perception of pain, triptans stop the pain by narrowing blood vessels in the brain and reducing inflammation.

Fano's migraine treatment now includes a newer triptan called Frova (frovatriptan). Side effects include nausea, dizziness, and dry mouth. He also takes the pain reliever Vicodin as needed, sticks to a regular sleep schedule, and avoids red wine and other migraine triggers.

Migraines, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches because they are not caused by underlying illness. "But it's important to rule out disease, especially when headaches are resistant to treatment," says Seymour Diamond, M.D., founder and executive chairman of the National Headache Foundation.

Diamond performed an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) on Fano a couple of years ago. "We assessed him for a possible brain aneurysm, but luckily, there wasn't a problem," he says.

Most headaches can be successfully treated with over-the-counter pain relievers. But you should seek professional help for headaches if they persist or get worse or if the headaches are keeping you from work and social activities. "You should also see a doctor if you've never had headaches before and you start having them, if you get headaches upon exertion, or if headaches are accompanied by a stiff neck, fever or neurological symptoms like dizziness or blurred vision," Diamond says.

For more information, contact the National Headache Foundation at (888) 643-5552, www.headaches.org/consumer/.