Are Your Headache Drugs Causing Your Migraine?

What is the first thing you do when you feel an impending headache? Probably rush to your medicine cabinet and pop a pill automatically. If you are like the majority of headache sufferers, you may even pop a pain killer occasionally or even regularly, in anticipation of a bad day or as a preventative measure against a recurring headache.

Did you see yourself in any of those descriptions? Then take a minute and think about your headaches. Is there a pattern? Have they become more intense lately, requiring more drugs than before? Are they happening more frequently, even daily? If you answered yes, then you may be getting rebound headaches, also known as medication overuse headaches or MOHs.

What happens is this. Your headaches prompt you to take pain relief products, more often or in greater doses than recommended or prescribed. Your system adjusts to the larger, more frequent dosages by becoming less responsive. And the next time you need a larger dose sooner to dull the headache pain. As you up the dosage each time, your headaches get worse and happen more often until they are a daily routine. You may even wake up with a dull headache that continues throughout the day.

Coffee drinkers experience something similar. That first shot of coffee heads off the niggling beginnings of a headache. Each day you need that shot of coffee a bit earlier and perhaps then you need another one later in the day, until eventually, passing up that cup of coffee results in a headache. With time, the frequency of the headaches increases and so does your requirement for coffee. And you perpetuate the vicious rebound headache cycle. It is the caffeine in your coffee cup that is the culprit here.

Rebound headaches are usually accompanied by restlessness and irritability. Although any pain med can trigger rebound headaches, some are more likely to fuel them than others. Common over-the-counter medications that contribute to rebound headaches are aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, more so if they come in combination with caffeine. Prescription drugs containing the sedative butalbital, such as Fiorinal, Fioricet and Esgic, migraine medicines and opium-derived medications are also the culprits. Get the details on your pain pill here.

Most people do not realize that over-the-counter pain killers are meant to give quick relief from occasional headaches. They must not to be taken indiscriminately on a regular basis for recurrent headaches because medication overdosing can set off a vicious cycle of rebound headaches. Once the rebound headache cycle has been triggered, the only way to stop it, is to stop taking the drug that triggered it. Period. It sounds simple enough, but is not always easy. In the case of some drugs, especially opiates, it requires professional help because if done incorrectly withdrawal can be dangerous.

For further rebound headache information, see Total Headache Relief or consult your doctor. Seek medical help if you:

  • have a headache more than 3 times a week
  • are regularly on pain relievers
  • your headaches seem to be getting worse despite medication and rest
The doctor will recommend whether to stop the medication right away or to withdraw it gradually. Frequently during the withdrawal period, the headaches will initially get worse, and then get better as your body returns to its normal function.

Most importantly, preventing any kind of headache from occurring often is the best solution, so it is worth while to try out most natural headache therapies since prevention is their focus. This requires a conscious effort on your part and can be achieved by identifying and avoiding things that trigger headaches for you. Yoga, meditation, and other alternative therapies can improve your mental state and help control your stress. Even small lifestyle changes, can make big differences in stopping headaches before they start. So do little things like eat meals on time, exercise, get enough sleep and even stop smoking to prevent headaches.