Migraine headaches are painful. They can also cause nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and throbbing pain in the head. People who experience migraines often rely on several types of treatment for relief. Over-the-counter and prescription medications are among the most popular treatments.
However, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. People who take headache medication too frequently may actually make their headaches worse and more common. Frequent use of headache medication can cause medication-overuse headache (MOH). MOH is also known as rebound headache. Eventually, these people may develop chronic migraines.
Migraine headaches affect about13％of people in the U.S., which is about 37 million people. Worldwide, MOH affects between
While the exact cause of MOH is not yet fully understood, researchers have identified the general pattern that leads to symptoms. Individuals with migraine headaches take medication to relieve the symptoms of a migraine. As headaches return, they take more medicine. Over time, the medicine stops being helpful and starts to become harmful.
由于某些未知原因，您的身体然后打开药物。您服用的药物越多，您的头痛就越多。您的头痛越多，您服用的药物就越多。
Before long, you can develop chronic migraine headaches because of your medicine use.
医生通常开出一种或多种避免疼痛的药物来治疗偏头痛：
- 止痛药（或
简单的镇痛学）：此类别包括阿司匹林，非甾体类
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen, and naproxen and analgesics like acetaminophen (Tylenol). - Ergots:这些组合
药物同时含有咖啡因和止痛药。 - triptans：This class of medicine
constricts blood vessels and reduces headache pain. - 组合镇痛药：这些药物
通常包括一些acetaminophe的组合n, aspirin, and
咖啡因。 - 阿片类药物：Opioid medicines or
毒品（例如可待因）可以养成习惯。
Doctors often prescribe them as a last-resort treatment.
All of these medications can cause MOH if taken too frequently. If you’re taking any of these medicines more than two days per week, ask your doctor for help finding a better treatment option.
您的医生将考虑您的身体症状和使用的药物。您的医生将尝试排除可能引起症状的任何其他疾病，并可能首先检查感染或神经系统疾病。
对您的医生使用您的药物使用诚实。如果您低估了服用多少药物，则可以延迟诊断。这可能会使您的病情恶化，也可能更难治疗。
Diagnosing MOH is difficult. Many healthcare professionals and doctors are unfamiliar with this condition. That means that they are often unable to recognize it in patients with frequent headaches and migraines.
治疗由药物治疗的头痛引起的慢性偏头痛的最佳方法是停止服药。减少对这些药物的使用，您可能能够减缓频繁头痛的进展并预防慢性偏头痛。
这可能是一个困难的待遇。当您的身体经过“排毒”时，您将无法在几个星期内服用任何疼痛药物。
但是，结果是有益的。偏头痛患者在阻止药物过度使用和头痛方面取得了巨大成功。实际上，丹麦学习发现在两个月的无药物期间，偏头痛患者的头痛频率降低了67％。
对于经常使用阿片类药物或处方止痛药的人，您的医生可能会要求您在排毒过程中进入医院。破坏对这些药物的成瘾可能会导致需要医疗监督的其他问题。
Once your treatment is complete, you may be able to begin using pain-relief medication again. This will depend on how severe your migraines are and how often they occur. Talk with your doctor about these medicines and how you can use them safely.
Some doctors prefer to ease a patient’s transition from medication overuse by prescribing additional medications. These medicines are often designed to prevent migraine headaches and the need for pain-reliving medicine. If you can prevent headaches, you might be able to decrease your dependency on the medication.
如果您的头痛比平时更多，请与您的医生谈谈您的头痛药物使用情况。每周服用超过两次服用疼痛药物的人有发展MOH的风险。
要准备预约，请开始头痛日记。当您遇到头痛，服用什么药物，服用多少药物以及头痛是否恢复时记录。如果您在头痛恢复时服用更多药物，请记录该信息。您的医生可以使用此信息来识别您的头痛的可能触发因素。