From the age of 30 till 54 I had migraines everyday, which varied in pain intensity. But I had a lot of headaches that went for 4-5 days at a pain level of 8-9 and that was on Imitrex, Fiorcet, and or Vicodan. Part of those years I was on morphine. I also had two kids and sometimes worked full time, sometimes just enough to keep our health insurance. All I did was to power through each day, like a bull in a china shop. I felt I didn't have any choice so I just kept going. It is a matter of will, endurance, and trying to block out the pain mentally until you can collapse at the end of the day. It took a huge toll on my health. I'm sorry you having headaches. Mine are finally manageable almost now that I am on disability.

I take the following vitamins daily which has helped bring my pain levels down, plus for 16 months now I get a specialized massage of my neck, face, upper back and shoulders so I don't have any muscles that are tight causing headaches. The vitamins are B2, magnesium, and CoQ10.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your daily activities.

The other thing I can suggest is seeing a neurologist that specializes in migraines. They are so good with migraines and headaches that you might get more relief from them.

they may consider trying preventative meds with you because you are getting them so frequently

I agree with As Time Goes By, see a neurologist and consider preventatives. I used to suffer headaches like you. I had them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and this went on for months. I lived with pain around an 8 daily for so long. I discovered my migraines to be related to the birth control pill. After getting off all hormones (I tried alternatives - progestin, etc...) My daily headaches stopped. Now I have about 5 or 6 a month and they are directly related to my cycles of menstration and ovulation. I have found the preventatives do decrease intensity.

I, too, have had times where I had headaches every day for weeks on end. It is exhausting and you just feel like your life is slipping away.
I would stay away from the over the counter Excedrin meds (acetaminophen)--they can lead to rebound headaches, even more, I hear, than triptan meds.
For me nitrates and sulphates were clear triggers (although not all the time!); try steaming and chewing gum--those two things worked for me because I think my sinus congestion contributed to my headaches.
Like you, imitrex works (thank goodness), but during these times of frequent headaches, the headaches would always come back, often within the same day. I was burning through my prescription, that's for sure.
I am begnning menopause and the last bout of daily headaches ended for me about a month ago. I can't help but believe that these headaches are hormonally driven. Maybe yours are too.
Good luck!

I just want to make a comment on something the last poster said. The only reason Excedrin would cause a rebound is if it would be taken more than 2x per week. It's the same instruction as any other migraine med, be it triptan or something like fiorinal or fioricet. You can safely take Excedrin for a migraine as long as you take no more than 2 doses in one day, no more than 2 days in a week.

I have been suffering with a daily migraine since December; this is the longest, roughest period I've dealt with in my 10 years of chronic migraine. As As Time Goes By mentioned, its a good idea to find a neurologist if you can. My neuro is working to get me on a daily preventive, but I have lots of sensitivity issues with many drugs - I've tried Topomax, calcium channel and beta blockers, all the tryptans, botox etc. and nothing so far has worked. Bring your patience with you, because it could be a long haul finding what works, but don't give up. I'm using a daily preventive med "off label" now -Namenda, which is actually for Alzheimers but affects parts of the brain that control pain. The doc is going to try me on Effexor next, an anti-depressant used off label for migraines. Sometimes its a combination of many things that help, including vitamins, massage, meds, lifestyle and diet changes. Hope you find what works for you. Take care.

I do the following,

1. Vigorous Exercise.

2. Excedrin for migraine.

3. Digging my nails into my head.

4. Showers and towels on my neck.

5. Getting some protein and good food.

6. Avoiding them before.

Here's a good site about migraines and tells you just about everything from the types to the triggers.

Bobby, the triggers state vigorous exercise. So that may work for you, but it's not the norm and exercise just increases the migraine to unbelieveable levels. And you may not have migraines and instead have hypoglycemia or headaches which would respond to food and Exedrin.

http://headacheaustralia.org.au/headache-types/17-migraine-a-common-and-distressing-disorder

Thanks for the link to this great website, As Time Goes By. Nice to have so much information in one place!

I would also advise getting food allergy testing and keep a migraine/headache log. A headache is a sign of something your body doesn't like and that is your body's way of fighting it. I'm prone to daily headaches and infrequent migraines. I found a good allergy testing was very informational and has helped. I have found that avoiding foods with certain ingredients have helped a lot (such as MSG-nasty ingredient is hidden in tons of foods that caused migraines in sensitive persons). Also try to stay away from anything with nitrates (most all packages meets/lunch meats and bacon/sausages) and also wine has nitrates also. Always read the ingredients of the package before you purchase. If you are unfamiliar of any ingredients I usually avoid buying it because most likely it's junk or toxic (such as petroleum based additives/preservatives). I try to stick to brands such as Koshi, Trader Joes or Whole Foods. If you find you don't have food allergies you may try testing for environmental allergies. I also suffer from morning headaches due to seasonal weather changes. I have found no relief yet for those types of headaches. Good luck and I hope you can find what triggers yours so you can prevent or stay away from those triggers.

Also a big trigger for me is milk or dark chocolate and it gives me migraines that are so bad and so out of control, that it's like someone opened a "big can of whoop ass on my head."

I can eat white chocolate, but not milk or dark chocolate. Checking on this, I found that milk and dark chocolate must contain chocolate liquor (not an alcoholic mix) by law, which the white chocolate does not contain. The chocolate liquor may be why I react so severely.