Medication-overuse headache is a kind of headache caused, paradoxically, by taking too much pain medicine. It is common, often missed, and tracking how often you take medicine is one of the first steps to spotting it. Please read on gently. Nothing here is meant to blame anyone for trying to relieve real pain.
What it is
When migraine medicines (such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, codeine, or the special migraine drugs called triptans) are taken too often, the brain can become more, not less, sensitive to pain. The headaches then become more frequent. People take more medicine to cope. The headaches get worse still. It is a difficult cycle, and easy to fall into without realising.
The medical name is medication-overuse headache, sometimes shortened to MOH.
How often is too often?
The general thresholds described in the research are:
- Simple painkillers (such as paracetamol or ibuprofen): more than 15 days a month, for more than three months.
- Stronger painkillers, codeine-based medicines, or triptans: more than 10 days a month, for more than three months.
A useful rule of thumb is: if you are taking acute migraine medicine on more than half the days in a month, that is a signal worth noticing.
This does not mean you have done anything wrong. It is simply a signal that another approach may help more.
What it feels like
Medication-overuse headache often:
- Is there most days, in the background.
- Is dull rather than throbbing.
- Often present on waking, before any medicine has been taken.
- Mixes with regular migraine attacks, making it hard to tell them apart.
If this sounds familiar, please do not feel alone. It happens to a great many people who are simply trying to get through the day.
How MigraineMe can help
The app makes it easy to see how often you are taking medicine.
- Log every medicine you take with the Medicine Quick Log button.
- Open the Monitor tab and tap the Medicines card.
- Scroll through the 14-day chart to see your pattern.
Seeing the number in front of you is often the first step to changing it.
In short
Medication-overuse headache is a headache caused by frequent use of pain medicine. Tracking how often you take medicine is one of the most useful things the app can do for you.
This is general information only.
