Taking painkillers: When you need to stop, see a neurologist
At some point in your life, you have experienced a headache.
A headache is pain or discomfort in the head or the face area and can be a migraine, tension, and cluster.
In most cases, those affected by a headache of whatever nature always rush to self-medicate by taking painkillers.
Even though painkillers are a relief to the pain, it is advisable to know when to take them and when to stop and see a medic.
Dr Sylvia Mbugua, a Neurologist at the Aga Khan University Hospital warns against the overuse of painkillers saying it can cause rebound headaches.
Medication overuse headaches, also known as rebound headaches, are caused by the long-term use of medicines to treat headaches such as migraines.
“If your headaches become more frequent, for instance, they are trickling to seven to 10 headache days, you need to see a neurologist. You really need to stop the painkillers and see a specialist,” she warns.
Dr Mbugua advices on the importance of counting your headache days. This means that experiencing a headache for some hours in a day should be counted as a headache day.
In most cases, patients who present with headaches are advised to use painkillers but should the headache days go beyond five days despite taking medication, you are advised to stop.
“The reason is, if you use too many analgesics you develop another headache called a medication overuse headache so you find that with time the painkillers don’t really help you,” she says.
“In fact, they predispose you to getting rebound headaches so you take analgesics but within a few hours the headaches are back and that is already a red flag.”
According to health experts from Harvard University, medication overuse headaches can be disabling, forcing people with this condition to take sick leave and to be less productive at work and home.
They further note that to be diagnosed with medication overuse headaches, a person must experience headaches on more than 15 days per month for at least three months while taking pain-relieving and/or antimigraine drugs.
In addition to headache, other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, irritability, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, restlessness, and constipation, they say. BY THE STAR
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