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Rebound Headache Treatment in Brooklyn, NYC & NJ

Medication overuse headaches can leave you in an endless loop of withdrawal and a continued need for pain relief. No matter why you use pain medication, the consequences of overuse can lead to more than just rebound headaches, which in themselves are debilitating. When you find yourself in the throes of medication overuse headaches, call the experts at Neuro Injury Specialists. Dr. Mark Cohen finds the cause of your headaches and helps you safely leave the loop and get into appropriate pain management.

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    What Are Rebound Headaches?

    Medication overuse headaches are commonly known as rebound headaches and typically are the result of overusing headache pain relief medication. Rebound headaches are generally a daily occurrence and often start when you first wake up in the morning. It doesn’t matter if you’re using over-the-counter (OTC) or doctor-prescribed medication, when you use more than the recommended dose, you’re at risk of suffering a medication overuse headache.

    Symptoms vary and, in addition to pain, may include:

    • Problems with memory
    • Inability to concentrate
    • Irritability
    • Restlessness
    • Nausea

    If your headache continues for more than a couple days, or symptoms get more acute, consult an experienced headache doctor immediately. Dr. Mark Cohen at Neuro Injury Specialists  is a neurologist and pain management specialist and will find the safest, most effective ways to treat your specific medication overuse headaches.

    Rebound Headache Treatment in Brooklyn, NYC & NJ

    What Causes Medication Overuse Headaches?

    Some medications, whether prescribed by your doctor or OTC, are known to cause these headaches when not used as directed.

    The process usually follows a certain path:

    1. You have a headache.
    2. You take medication to relieve the pain.
    3. The pain lessens or goes away completely.
    4. As soon as the medication wears off, your headache returns.
    5. You take another dose to ease the discomfort.

    The result is overuse — too much medicine too often.

    Common pain relief medications that can lead to rebound headaches includes:

    • Acetaminophen
    • Aspirin
    • Ibuprofen
    • Migraine medications 
    • Sleep sedatives
    • Medications containing codeine
    • Pain relievers containing caffeine

    While these medications can be beneficial if you follow the directions on the bottle, unless you stop taking the pain medicine altogether, this process of overuse can become an endless cycle. Headaches may even start to come more frequently and be more severe.

    How Are Medication Overuse Headaches Treated?

    A medication overuse headache usually goes away once you stop taking the medication. These headaches can happen to anyone but are more common if you have a history of migraines  and tension headaches.  They affect two out of every 100 people yearly; 80 percent of those affected are taking migraine medication.

    Rebound headaches cant be cured, but they do respond well to treatment. Usually, the first thing that the neurologist does is to instruct you to stop taking your current medication. Depending on what you’re taking, your doctor may recommend changing to another.

    Other recommendations include:

    • Taking medication exactly as prescribed
    • Not taking opioid or butalbital medications
    • Never using OTC painkillers for more than 15 consecutive days
    • Never taking triptan medication for more than nine days per month

    Pain relief medications are drugs. Stopping your current medication can cause your body to experience withdrawal symptoms including more severe headaches when the medication wears off. Withdrawal from barbiturates, opioids and benzodiazepines is risky. This may require hospitalization so that your doctor can monitor and supervise your withdrawal and treatment.

    What Happens if Medication Overuse Headaches Aren’t Treated?

    Rebound headaches dont go away unless you stop the medication. But stopping may not be an option, especially if you suffer with chronic migraines or other chronic headaches. Without treatment, however, your headaches will continue to recur. And when they return, you may want to take more medication.

    Forgoing or even delaying treatment for a rebound headache without the guidance of a neurologist increases your risk of more severe health issues including:

    • An increased dependency on medication
    • Toxicity
    • Stomach ulcers
    • Internal bleeding
    • Depression and anxiety
    • Cardiovascular issues
    • Stroke
    • Aneurysm
    • Meningitis
    • Decrease in quality of life

    Chronic use of pain relief drugs can cause your body to build up a tolerance to them. This then renders the medication less effective, increasing the desire to take more. The more you take, the less effective it is. Taking more also increases the risk of damaging your kidneys and liver.

    When Should I See a Doctor for Rebound Headaches?

    Waiting to get diagnosed and treated slows recovery. Slow recovery increases the risks of developing additional complications. Even though headaches are common, and many types of headaches go away on their own, they should never be ignored. Pain management is so much more than prescribing medication.

    It often involves lifestyle changes such as:

    • Exercising regularly
    • Staying dehydrated
    • Controlling your weight
    • Reducing stress

    The doctors and staff at Neuro Injury Specialists are experts in pain management and offer a well-rounded, integrative approach. They are experts in identifying what type of headache you suffer from through advanced diagnostic testing  and offer personal, effective treatment options. They effectively address your symptoms as well as the root cause through comprehensive neurocognitive assessments.

    Because pain medication drugs can be addictive, they also offer complete pharmacological intervention to ensure that the medication you take is right for you. Services also include cognitive behavioral therapy and neurofeedback. Dont suffer needlessly from headaches contact the headache specialists today at Neuro Injury Specialists.