Information about Rebound Headaches

If you've ever suffered from a migraine, you know the debilitating effects of one. There's the agony that may last for days. Then there are the other symptoms like nausea, vision problems, disorientation, and much more that wreck havoc with your life. With the first sign of an impending migraine you'll find yourself running for the medicine cabinet whether it's for aspirin or a much stronger medication such as Imitrex.

What you may not know is taking medication for a migraine more than two to three times in a seven day period can actually cause more headaches. These are called rebound headaches.

What are rebound headaches? Rebound headaches are headaches, often like migraines, that are actually caused by the medications taken to stop them. They usually hit daily or almost daily and most often begin early in the morning. As the medication wears off, the headache returns, often even worse than before.

Breaking the cycle of rebound headaches can be very painful. The only way to break the cycle is to gradually cut back or stop taking the medication causing the headache.

I suffered from rebound headaches for four years without knowing what they were or why I was having them. Each year I was lucky to have two or three days in which I did not have a headache or have to take medication. I saw one doctor after another with differing suggestions, but mainly they wanted to put me on anti-depressants. I tried several different daily medications, all with a worsening of symptoms, or other added symptoms. Finally I called it quits and struggled through each day on my own.

I found several different things that helped reduce the intensity of the headaches. Ice packs on the neck, neck massage with essential oils like peppermint, lavender, or marjoram in a carrier oil, homeopathic remedy Arnica for inflammation and Nux Vomica for nausea. I also started seeing a chiropractor on a monthly basis to put my head back on straight.

At last I found a doctor that within ten minutes knew exactly what I was going through. I'd already had a stomach ulcer from the painkillers, now I found out that the headaches I'd suffered through daily for the past four years were simply another side affect.

When given the choice to slowly wean myself off the painkillers or go cold turkey I went cold turkey. I went through some withdrawals, feeling nervous, extremely tired, irritable, and of course a headache. But after four years I was determined to get my life back. It took about ten days before I began to feel normal. But those first days without a migraine were oh so sweet!