Overuse of symptomatic medications among chronic (transformed) migraine patients: profile of drug consumption. Chronic daily headache and chronic (transformed) migraine (TM) patients represent more than one third of the subjects seen in specialized headache centers. Most of these patients may overuse symptomatic medications (SM) taken on a daily basis to relieve headache and associated symptoms. This can lead to the phenomenon of: overuse headache or rebound headache, rebound migraine.
Pain Reliever Medication Overuse Headache:
Prolonged and frequent uses of pain medications can result in medication over-use headache also know as Rebound headache. Unfortunately, this headache has been associated with EVERY MEDICATIONS including analgesics, triptens, ergotamine, caffeine and opioids.
Medication over-use headache should be suspected when the following occurs:-
1) Headache occurs at least 15 days per month.( i.e. almost every 2 days).
2) Headache occurs often for more than 4 hours per day.
3) You are taking simple analgesics such as Paracetamol, Aspirin, and Ibuprofen on 15 or more days per month.
4) You are taking combination analgesics such as Mersyndol or Panadeine on 10 or more days per month.
Treatment requires gradual withdrawal of the overused medications. Specialist management is often necessary from a Pain Clinic.
If you suspect you had Medication Over-use headache, do talk to your doctor and pharmacist.
Mr William So
William So
Pharmacist
Address: 517 St Kilda Rd.
Melbourne 3004
Phone: 03 9866 4892
