Jun 12, 2008 6:37 pm US/Eastern
Over-Use Of Headache Medication Can Cause Problems
(KDKA)
Heading off headache pain is the goal of anyone who takes an over-the-counter pain reliever.
But experts say that if you're taking too much, and taking it too often, you could be creating bigger problems.
Migraine suffer Melanie Harris says she needed help stopping her frequent headaches.
"I would be completely knocked out for a good 24 hours, so it was affecting my professional life a great deal," said Harris.
After trying over-the-counter and prescription drugs, Harris says she found the right balance for her was Botox injections to prevent migraines and an over-the-counter medicine for occasional headaches.
Dr. Susan Broner says finding the right pain relief depends on the headache you've got. The most common type is the tension headache.
"Typically, it's a non-disabling headache that's often felt on both sides of the head as a pressure pain, and is usually mild to moderate," said Dr. Broner.
Doctors say tension headaches respond to common over-the-counter medications like Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen. But they don't work for everything.
"The bottom line is if their headaches aren't responding, they may have the wrong diagnosis, or they may have the wrong medication," added Dr. Broner.
And, experts also say to avoid falling into the trap of taking extra doses of over-the-counter meds.
"Frequent use, meaning two days per week or more on a regular basis, seems to affect brain chemistry, such that people start getting more and more frequent headaches," said Dr. Broner.
Over-use of these medications causes rebound headaches, health experts report. In fact, it's the leading cause of chronic daily headache.
"These have serious implications," said Dr. Broner, "and just because they're over-the-counter doesn't necessarily mean they're benign."
If your attempts to knock out the pain have failed, call your doctor for help.
Dr. Broner also says over-the-counter meds are fine for occasional use. However, if you find yourself buying the industrial-size bottles of pain relievers to have enough on hand, then you need to see a specialist.
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