HealthTree Blog

Could your chronic headaches be rebound headaches?

As a migraine sufferer, I understand the need for pain medication when a migraine hits hard. All you want to do is get through the day and even just a little bit of reduction in the pain that you feel from a migraine is enough to motivate you to take pain relievers such as Tylenol or Motrin every four to six hours. However, while you are medicating yourself around the clock, you may start to wonder when your headache will go away. The next thing you know, you’ve had a headache for a week!

Suffering from Rebound Headaches

If this has happened to you, it may be a rebound headache rather than the original migraine. A chronic daily headache after overusing pain relievers is often a good indication that you are suffering from a rebound headache. One of the best ways to find out if this is what you are experiencing is to stop taking the medication. Keep in mind though that it may take a day or two before you feel relief from the headache.

Preventing Headaches Due to Medication Overuse

A good way to prevent rebound headaches is to pay attention to how much medication you are taking. Try to space out your doses as much as possible and use other headache remedies in between. In addition, if you are regular migraine sufferer, you may want to consider speaking to your doctor about preventative medications that can combat it before it even starts.

Photo Courtesy of: psyberartist on flickr