A Rebound Headache Minus Pain Medicine = Relief

We discussed rebound-headaches on our last page, gave the symptoms, and gave info about how these daily headaches can creep upon you slowly.

After awhile, there's more and more pain medicine consumed, and more pain everyday. I remember without realizing it, my wife was taking pain medicine everyday, and was in bed suffering several days a week.

I'll give you a guess as to who prescribed (pain medicine) for her. Some doctors will tell you not to take over the counter pain medicine, but will write you a prescription for pain medicine before you leave their office!!!

But the fact is, triptans, ergotamines, analgesics, and opioids, consumed on a daily bases is the most common medications to give a rebound headache.

Medication overuse headaches (MOH) are common in headache, and migraine sufferers and can be treated.

The overused medications must be stopped in order for the headaches to resolve. ( And that isn't easy to do) Here's what generally happens.

In many headache sufferers, the discontinuation of the overused drugs usually leads to worsening of the headaches and the appearance of the drug withdrawal symptoms, for some time. (We talked about the rebound headache symptoms on our last page, no fun).

Your head depends on those overused drugs, and typically the pain gets to the place that many headache sufferers break over, days after they decide to quit. Then the headache is relieved somewhat, and the cycle starts all over again.

Where a physical dependence or a rebound effect such as rebound headache is possible, gradual reduction of the medication may be necessary.

It's important to tell your doctor what you are going to do. Abruptly discontinuing butalbil, for example, can actually induce seizures in some headache sufferers, although simple over the counter analgesics can safely be stopped without medical supervision.

A long acting analgesic anti-inflammatory, such as naproxen can be used to ease headache during the withdrawal period. It may take up toward two months after someone stops the drugs that are giving them rebounds to notice a significant reduction in migraine and other headache frequency and intensity.

In general, anyone who has frequent headaches or migraine attacks should be considered as a candidate for preventive medications instead of being given more and more painkillers or some other rebound causing medications.

Preventive medications are taken on a daily basis. You may require a headache preventive for many years, and then again, you may only need them for a short period of time such as six months.

Some non-medication therapies one could use to help would be acupuncture, heat treatment, rehabilitation, and going to a multidisciplinary headache and pain clinic. It's difficult for anyone to stop their pain medicine, and work through their first several weeks of detoxification, and the worsting pain. It's best treated at a headache pain clinic.

Think about how much pain medicine you take every day, what kind you're taking, and if you've noticed an improvemant, or more head pain. If you have more head pain, then you may be headed toward chronic daily headaches. Ease back on the pain medicine if you can, and if not find a headache clinic that will help you.

All the best with your headaches and migraines.

Our rebound headaches page started on the previous page, and we did two pages on these frequent headaches.

Our first page of these pages started with TMJ headaches. This condition can cause severe headaches and migraines if not addressed.

Go to home page from rebound headache

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