2008 Woodie Awards
Rebound headaches
Health column
Devan Ohl
Issue date: 10/5/07 Section: Life & Style
- Page 1 of 1
After tossing and turning all night, you wake up in the morning with a splitting headache. Your vision is blurred and your blaring alarm clock makes your heartbeat feel like a hammer inside your head. Fighting nausea and dizziness, you stumble into the kitchen, put on some coffee, and take some ibuprofen.
What you don't know is that the ibuprofen might actually be causing the headaches.
Many types of headache medicine, including both prescription and over-the-counter, can cause headaches if taken too often. This is called the rebound headache.
The International Headache Society defines this as having 15 or more headaches per month or having to take headache medication more than three times each week.
Rebound headaches are a result of a kind of withdrawal reaction to the medicine. This cycle begins when you take more medicine than recommended or when you take medicine to prevent a headache that has not begun. Your body adapts to the medication, and when you stop taking it, the headaches return often worse than before. Overuse of pain medication (like aspirin and ibuprofen) can even cause other damage like stomach bleeding, liver or kidney damage.
The only way out of the cycle is to quit taking the medicine. However, different treatments require different methods of quitting, so talk to your doctor before giving anything up cold turkey.
Also, the coffee or soda you use to wash down your pills could be contributing to the rebound headaches. Caffeine is used in many medications to expedite their effects, but exceeding the necessary amount can cause you more pain.
But obviously, rebound headaches are not the only type of headache, and it is important to understand what kind of ache you have before beginning self-treatment.
The University of Southern California's Health Now publication includes a description of a few types of headaches:
The kind that most people seek treatment for is the migraine. According to the IHS, more than 28 million Americans suffer from migraines each year. These can last up to three days and usually involve a severe throbbing on one side of the head. They tend to be accompanied by nausea, light and sound sensitivity, dizziness and often, visual difficulties. These can be caused by certain foods (aged cheese, smoked meats, red wine) or changes in sleeping patterns, altitude or weather.
Another headache, slightly less serious, is the tension headache, which usually consists of a dull pain in the head and neck. It is most often caused by stress or poor posture. This causes spasms and blood vessel constriction.
A good way to avoid headaches is to maintain regularity, according to USC's publication. Eat meals at the same times each day, exercise on a regular basis and keep your sleep pattern consistent. Also, monitor your headache frequency and treatment ritual. If you find yourself treating headaches more than two or three times a week, or if you regularly take more than the recommended amount, you should consult a doctor.
Devan Ohl is a Senior Staff Writer for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every Friday.
What you don't know is that the ibuprofen might actually be causing the headaches.
Many types of headache medicine, including both prescription and over-the-counter, can cause headaches if taken too often. This is called the rebound headache.
The International Headache Society defines this as having 15 or more headaches per month or having to take headache medication more than three times each week.
Rebound headaches are a result of a kind of withdrawal reaction to the medicine. This cycle begins when you take more medicine than recommended or when you take medicine to prevent a headache that has not begun. Your body adapts to the medication, and when you stop taking it, the headaches return often worse than before. Overuse of pain medication (like aspirin and ibuprofen) can even cause other damage like stomach bleeding, liver or kidney damage.
The only way out of the cycle is to quit taking the medicine. However, different treatments require different methods of quitting, so talk to your doctor before giving anything up cold turkey.
Also, the coffee or soda you use to wash down your pills could be contributing to the rebound headaches. Caffeine is used in many medications to expedite their effects, but exceeding the necessary amount can cause you more pain.
But obviously, rebound headaches are not the only type of headache, and it is important to understand what kind of ache you have before beginning self-treatment.
The University of Southern California's Health Now publication includes a description of a few types of headaches:
The kind that most people seek treatment for is the migraine. According to the IHS, more than 28 million Americans suffer from migraines each year. These can last up to three days and usually involve a severe throbbing on one side of the head. They tend to be accompanied by nausea, light and sound sensitivity, dizziness and often, visual difficulties. These can be caused by certain foods (aged cheese, smoked meats, red wine) or changes in sleeping patterns, altitude or weather.
Another headache, slightly less serious, is the tension headache, which usually consists of a dull pain in the head and neck. It is most often caused by stress or poor posture. This causes spasms and blood vessel constriction.
A good way to avoid headaches is to maintain regularity, according to USC's publication. Eat meals at the same times each day, exercise on a regular basis and keep your sleep pattern consistent. Also, monitor your headache frequency and treatment ritual. If you find yourself treating headaches more than two or three times a week, or if you regularly take more than the recommended amount, you should consult a doctor.
Devan Ohl is a Senior Staff Writer for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every Friday.
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