Do you take painkillers for relief from headaches more than two to three times a week?
Painkillers are often the ‘go to’ solution for people struggling with headaches. However, NHS Choices says that if you take them more than two or three times a week over a period of several months, they could actually start to cause your headaches.
Painkiller, or rebound, headaches are frequent or daily headaches that develop after taking over the counter painkillers for tension headaches and migraines over a prolonged period. The treatment advised for medication-overuse headaches is simple – stop taking painkillers. This includes codeine, paracetamol, aspirin or ibuprofen.
But what if your tension headaches and migraines come back once your painkiller headaches have stopped?
Chiropractors and osteopaths offer a drug free approach to treating headaches and migraines. They focus instead on looking at what’s causing the headaches and addressing the cause(s) with a range of different techniques. These include acupuncture, joint mobilisations or adjustments, stretching and massage techniques, nutritional advice, relaxation techniques, home stretches and exercises.
For more information on different types of headaches and our headache clinic, click here.