Rebound Headaches: When Getting Better Makes You Worse

Ironically, what you're taking is actually kicking off your rebound headache -- pain medication. So basically, it becomes a judgment of suffer now, or suffer later.

Rebound headaches are typically daily occurrences, beginning early in the morning. Rebound headaches can lead to other difficulties including fretfulness, melancholy, petulance and sleeplessness.

Drugs
Migraine prescriptions drive to increase serotonin levels to relieve pain. However, when extreme medication is ingested, something occurs to the serotonin levels which allows the chemical to lose its value. Investigation has disclosed that serotonin levels are decreased when you take extreme pain medication and then they increase to some extent after the headaches gets better and you cease taking the medication.

If prescription or over-the-counter drugs are taken frequently or in extreme quantities than recommended, this can lead to rebound headaches. In addition to sedatives and tranquilizers, other rebound-causing prescriptions include:

1. Caffeine-containing analgesics (Anacin, Excedrin, etc.). Caffeine, a prime component in many headache prescriptions, can reduce migraine pain temporarily. However, taking a drug containing caffeine every day -- as well as drinking caffeine-loaded beverages such as coffee or soft drinks -- can lead to more frequent and terrible headaches. If the headache gets worse when you halt using caffeine, the caffeine may be the cause of some of your headaches.

2. Butalbital compounds (Fioricet, Fiorinal, Phrenilin, etc.); Isometheptene compounds (Duradrin, Midrin, etc.); Decongestants (Afrin, Dristan, Sudafed, Tylenol Sinus, etc.); Ergotamines (D.II.E. 45, Ergomar, Migranal, Wigraine); Triptans (Amerge, Axert, Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig); Opioids and related drugs (Darvocet, OxyContin, Percocet, Tylenol with codeine, etc.). Prescribed drugs that include any form of codeine, such as Percocet, Tylenol 3, or Vicodin, ought to be used with care because they can cause addiction immediately.

Signs

* Your headache manifests daily or almost daily (3 or 4 times a week).
* Your headache deviates in type, position on the head, awfulness and strength.
* You have a lesser than typical threshold for pain.
* You begin to see evidence of an increasing tolerance to the effectiveness of analgesics over a period of time.
* You note a spontaneous improvement of headache pain when you suspend the prescribed drugs.
* You are considered a sufferer of a basic headache disease and you employ prevention medication frequently and in large quantities.
* Even the smallest amount physical movement or bare minimum of intellectual expenditure instigates the start of the headache.
* Your headache is accompanied by any of these indications: anxiety, depression, trouble in attentiveness, bad temper, reminiscence problems, queasiness, and restlessness.
* You experience withdrawal warning signs when you abruptly are taken off the prescriptions.

Getting better

If you have rebound headaches due to the overuse of drugs, the only way to convalesce is to discontinue taking the prescribed drugs. If it is caffeine that is causing your rebound headaches, lowering your use may be of help. Before making a decision on whether you want to halt quickly or gradually, the following need to be considered:

1. Make sure you seek advice from a medical doctor before withdrawing from headache drugs. Particular non-headache prescribed drugs, such as anti-anxiety drugs or beta-blockers, require continuing withdrawal.
2. The patient (you) may need to be hospitalized if the indicators do not respond to medication, or if they trigger grave queasiness and vomiting.
3. During the first few days, alternative prescribed drugs may be dispensed. Examples of prescriptions that may be used include corticosteroids, dihydroergotamine (with or without metoclopramide), NSAIDs (in mild instances) or valproate.
4. Whatever approach you decide on, when halting your medication, you will go through a period of worsening headache afterward. Most people will feel better within 2 weeks, however, headache warning signs can persist for as long as 4 months and in some rare situations even longer.

Good News
Scores of patients experience long-term relief from all headaches subsequently. The conclusion of one study disclosed that over 80% of patients considerably got stronger 4 months after withdrawal.

Rebound headaches are caused by the very things that relieve headaches -- pain medication. So basically, it becomes a view of suffer now, or suffer later.

Information about the Author:

If you are searching online for natural migraine headache treatments there are many more migraine articles for you to read including a free 5 part mini course of migraine information. Read other articles written to assist in all types of personal problems like new migraine treatments at my "Hopefully Helpful blog. Good luck Jasmine...

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