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Headache pills can cause more pain
NEW YORK - Some headaches may be caused by the same medicine used to stop them, say headache specialists.
Dr. Fred Sheftell, an American expert on headaches, says some people may be suffering "rebound headaches."
Pain relievers are used to turn off the pain receptors in the brain. If the medicine is taken more than two to three days a week on a regular basis, the pain receptors can become more sensitive than usual.
Sheftell says as the medicine wears off, these receptors turn on to produce a new headache.That would lead a person to take more of the medicine which in turn, leads to more headaches. Soon, a person could be taking more pills every day.
This can trigger serious health problems.
"I think I started with an ibuprofen type," says Eric Peterson, a 26-year-old student. Peterson started taking headache pills to deal with migraines in high school.
"I wasn't finding a tremendous amount of relief…and tried Excedrin (and) found that controlled things nicely for me."
Peterson took Excedrin up to three times a week, but he got more headaches and started taking pain relievers every day. Years of doing this ate away at his stomach lining.
"I became very dizzy and light-headed and nearly passed out," says Peterson.
Peterson wound up in the emergency room. Doctors said that he could have slowly bled to death. They saved his life but told him he could not take over-the-counter pain killers anymore.
Peterson says he experienced excruciating headaches for about three days as his body detoxified. He now manages the occasional migraine with newer treatments such as biofeedback.
Nine out of 10 patients had rebound headaches
Dr. Joel Saper, a neurologist at the Michigan Head-Pain Neurological Institute, says Peterson's experience is not uncommon.
Saper has treated a number of people over the years with rebound headaches. Duane Soderquist, one of his patients, was taking up to 50 tablets a day to treat his headaches. Saper hospitalized Soderquist and took him off the medication.
"That's when I learned the power and the potency of the rebound effect and the need to take people off those medicines," says Saper.
Soderquist is almost headache-free after 10 years of suffering.
Saper says nearly 90 per cent of his patients are diagnosed with rebound headaches.
Saper warns rebound headaches can be triggered by the overuse of a wide variety of over-the-counter and prescription medicines.
"If you're using this medication more than two or three days a week regularly, talk to your doctor about…rebound headaches," says Saper.
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