Painkiller Induced Migraine

You have chronic migraine headaches. You can’t remember when they became chronic. You used to have simple headaches. Then they became more intense and frequent. Finally, you realized you were having migraine headaches often. That’s when your physician began calling it chronic migraine. You can’t remember the date, however. All you know is that you have frequent, regular migraines.

Too Many Pills

Your migraine may actually be caused by painkillers. Recent studies (2007) reveal that when patients take too much medication for a simple headache or tension headache, they can actually induce increasingly severe headaches. Your body responds to the medication taken, and the headache stops. When you feel another headache beginning, you take pills again. Soon, a cycle is set up. For each headache, you take too many pills, overmedicating yourself. The pills cause rebound headaches and, eventually, migraine.

What Kind of Pills

It doesn’t matter what kind of pills you use. According to the study, almost any pain killer can cause rebound migraine when you use too much.

* Excedrin: The likeliest culprits among over-the-counter (OTC) medications are those containing caffeine, such as Excedrin. The rebound effect is established early, with each new round of self-medication causing another rebound headache.

* Triptans: Among prescription drugs for headaches, the Triptans are the most common causes of rebound headache.

* Barbiturates: These problematic drugs not only cause rebound headaches but also produce dependency.

Eventually, what began as simple or tension headaches become chronic migraine.

Recommendation

As a result of the study, it is recommended that you and your physician try to prevent migraine attacks instead of using OTC or prescription medications that may increase the risk of rebound episodes.

Try to avoid triggers, whether they are food, stress, or environmental changes. You may want to work on stress management. You may use one of the many herbal and other natural remedies mentioned on this website.

Botox injections and Topiramate (Topamax) are also being recommended to prevent migraine.

CAUTION: The author is not a medical professional, and presents the information here for educational purposes only. Please see a physician if you have chronic migraine.