Painkillers Can Cause Headaches Warns UK Watchdog

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Main Category: Pain / Anesthetics
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Headache / Migraine;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 19 Sep 2012 - 3:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Painkillers Can Cause Headaches Warns UK Watchdog

Overuse of common painkillers could be the reason nearly a million people in the UK have headaches, according to the health watchdog.

The warning comes from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), an "arms length" body funded by the government, as it releases its first guideline for doctors in England and Wales on diagnosing and managing headaches in young people and adults.

The watchdog was given the task in 2009, since when it has been conducting a review and consultation.

The NICE panel that carried out the review says "medication overuse headaches" can come from taking aspirin, paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs such as ibuprofen) on more than 15 days a month, or opioids, ergots, triptans (a group of specific anti-migraine medicines), or combination analgesic medications on at least 10 days per month.

Professor Martin Underwood, of Warwick Medical School, led the panel. He says people can end up in a "vicious cycle" where their headaches get worse, so they take more painkillers, which make the headaches even worse, and so it continues.

NICE estimates that one in 50 people who suffer from headaches could be doing so because of painkiller overuse.

Manjit Matharu, a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, told BBC News, medication overuse was a "huge problem" in the population.

He said estimates suggest as many as 1 in 50 people are affected, which is about one million people in the UK having headaches nearly every day because of painkillers.

It is thought that most people trapped in this vicious cycle started out using painkillers to relieve an everyday, tension-type headache or migraine.

Matharu said there was a "tipping point" at 10 to 15 days of using pain relief each month, when normal use turns into overuse.

The new NICE guidelines advise doctors to tell patients who are over-using painkillers to stop taking all painkillers immediately. This will most likely cause a month of suffering headaches with no pain relief, but after that the symptoms should improve.

The watchdog recommends other options for treating headaches, including acupuncture for patients susceptible to migraine and tension headaches.

Underwood says there is good evidence that acupuncture is effective for the prevention of both these types of headache.

Fayyaz Ahmed, a consultant neurologist at Hull Royal Infirmary, and chair of British Association for the Study of Headache, says in a BBC News report on the new NICE guidelines:

"Headache is the most prevalent condition and one in seven of the UK population has migraine. The condition puts an enormous burden on the healthcare resources and the economy in general."

On an NHS Choices website about "painkiller headaches" Ahmed says about 5% of the patients that come to his headache clinic have medication overuse headaches from taking painkillers regularly over a long period.

"Strangely, painkiller headaches only become a problem in people who take painkillers to treat headaches. They don't occur in people who take painkillers for long periods for other painful conditions such as arthritis and back pain," he explains.

Ahmed says most people with medication overuse headaches aren't taking more than the dose recommended on the packet, the problem arises when they take them for long periods, often months on end.

He says some people even take painkillers every day to prevent headaches, which just makes matters worse.

His advice for stopping medication overuse headaches is the same as NICE's: stop taking painkillers.

"Your headaches will probably get worse immediately after stopping, and you may feel sick or sleep badly, but after seven to 10 days when the painkillers are out of your system you'll feel better," he says.

However, if the painkiller headaches are the result of taking drugs containing codeine, then you should see a doctor about how to stop, because stopping abruptly in these cases could be dangerous, according to NHS Choices.

In Ahmed's experience, around three quarters of people with medication overuse headaches manage to stop taking painkillers in one go and feel better as a result.

The other quarter or so experience relapses, and may have to go through several withdrawal periods, he says.

Written by Catharine Paddock PhD
Copyright: Medical News Today
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posted by Mike on 19 Sep 2012 at 4:56 am

The article text clearly says that the NICE estimate of people who could be experiencing headaches due to painkiller overuse is only 1 in 50. Therefore this doesn't apply to the other 49 people out of the 50.

Yes I agree that cutting down on painkiller use is probably a good thing, but there's a more than good chance that this isn't the cause of your headaches.

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'Painkillers Can Cause Headaches Warns UK Watchdog'

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First Study To Refute A Common Health Misconception: Children's Headaches Rarely Indicate A Need For Eyeglasses

Main Category: Headache / Migraine
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 14 Nov 2012 - 0:00 PST Current ratings for:
First Study To Refute A Common Health Misconception: Children's Headaches Rarely Indicate A Need For Eyeglasses

A new study provides the first clear evidence that vision or eye problems are rarely the cause of recurring headaches in children, even if the headaches usually strike while the child is doing schoolwork or other visual tasks. Many parents assume that frequent headaches mean their child needs glasses, so they ask their doctor to refer their child for an eye exam. This study was conducted by pediatric ophthalmologists who wanted to find reliable answers for parents, family doctors and pediatricians facing this common health question. The research was presented at the 116th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, conducted jointly this year with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology.

In this retrospective study, which was conducted at the ophthalmology clinic of Albany Medical Center in New York state, researchers reviewed the medical records of 158 children under age 18 who were seen at the clinic for frequent headaches from 2002-11. All of the children received complete eye exams by the clinic's ophthalmologists.

No significant correlation was found between their frequent headaches and a need for vision correction. The researchers reached this conclusion by comparing the results of the clinic's exams of the children with headaches to the records of their previous eye exams and other relevant medical care. Eye health and vision test results remained unchanged from earlier exams for 75 percent of the children. Also, children who already had eyeglasses were not found to need new prescriptions at the time they were seen at the clinic for headaches. Although about 14 percent of the children reported that their headaches occurred while doing visual tasks like homework, and about nine percent reported visual symptoms associated with their headaches, a need for vision correction did not appear to be the primary cause or a significant factor in any of these cases, according to the study.

The researchers considered it positive that most of the children's headaches resolved over time. Follow up reports from parents showed that headaches improved in 76.4 percent of all study subjects, including those who did and those who did not receive new vision correction prescriptions. Children who received new prescriptions were not more likely than others to have their headaches improve. Assessing the causes of the headaches and addressing the children's long-term outcomes were beyond the scope of this study.

"We hope our study will help reassure parents that in most cases their children's headaches are not related to vision or eye problems, and that most headaches will clear up in time," said Zachary Roth, M.D., who led the research team. "The information should also be useful to family doctors and pediatricians in caring for children and parents who have this common health concern."

About thirty percent of the children in the study had eye conditions that went beyond the need for vision correction, including strabismus (misaligned eyes) amblyopia ("lazy eye") or other rarer, more serious conditions. Seventeen percent had a family history of migraine. Because this was a retrospective study, the researchers were unable to connect these factors with headache causes.

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Tell us about your life at the college, and how you deal with your headaches!

As anyone who suffers from migraines, getting things done can witnesses can sometimes be impossible. So what happens if you're a student taking a full-load of courses, work a part-time job, and try to have some semblance of a social life? I've suffered from chronic daily headache (CDH) for over 7 years now, but I can say with confidence that I live as a successful college Junior despite my pain am life. I am not saying that my headaches have disappeared, and I am not saying that the pain does not ever get the best of me. Road to the college, however, has provided me a unique opportunity to take control over my health. Here are some things that I like about my headache in the past two and a half years at the college have discovered:

Migraine attacks are going to happen. And they are likely to happen at the worst possible time. Getting upset and stressed about it is a normal reaction, but it is not going to help anything. Take some medicine, some sleep, and concentrate on getting the cycle. Treat everything as soon as you feel more comfortable.People are more understanding than you might think. Talk to your professors, your roommates, and your employers early on. it is up to you to your college experience as headache-friendly as possible.Don't be afraid to say no. If you are experiencing a migraine attack, it may not be a bad idea to stay in for the night. There will be more parties. You can feel excluded in the moment for not going, but that's better than not being able to get out of bed the next day because you overdid it.Don't be afraid to say Yes. This is college! These four years go by faster than you can think of, and you want to look back on it with no regrets. If you have the anticipation of a headache stop you from diving in to let you all the great opportunities, you will miss college brings in front of you.Remember, you're not alone. I came to college thinking that I had nobody to run here. Ironically, within the first month of school, I had a good friend via my rhetoric class which turned out to be terrible migraine five or six times per month! It was important to know that I had someone to talk to who understood what I was going through. Since then I've meet a handful of other people experiencing the same thing.

Dealing with headache is never an easy thing to do, especially if the hectic life of a college student. All tips and tricks in the world won't change that. But if you take the driver's seat, your college experience doesn't have to be anything less than amazing. So for all you students out there, what is your advice? Tell us about your life at the college, and how you deal with your headaches!

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Porn-Induced Headaches Suffered By Young Man

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Main Category: Headache / Migraine
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 30 Jun 2012 - 8:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Porn-Induced Headaches Suffered By Young Man

A single young man who was found to develop severe headaches five minutes into watching pornographic videos has been reported by researchers from India in the journal Archives of Behavior. The 24-year old professional, whose headaches were described as exploding holocranial headaches, had been complaining of porn-linked head pains for over two years, the authors added.

Authors, Kuljeet Singh Anand and Vikas Dhikav, from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India, explained that the patient's headaches would peak within eight to ten minutes into watching a pornographic movie. In most cases, his pain became so intense that he could no longer watch the video. The young man had no history of diabetes or hypertension (high blood pressure).

As a means of avoiding the severe headaches, the man started to refrain from watching the videos. He had no symptoms of vomiting, nausea or phonophobia (dislike of loud sounds - classic symptom of migraine). There was no history of any head injury or meningoencephalitis when he was a young child.

The researchers said the patient had never suffered any headaches linked to sexual intercourse or masturbation - his problem only occurred when he watched pornographic videos.

After carrying out a systemic and physical examination of the young man, the authors found "nothing remarkable". There was no family history of migraine, no personal medical history that might be suggestive of migraine, tension type or exertional headache (headache as a result of straining or exertion). MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans of his brain came back normal.

The researchers advised him to take paracetamol (Tylenol, acetaminophen) 500 mg plus ibuprofen 400 mg thirty minutes before watching pornographic videos. The patient reported that this non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent combination provided "significant relief".

Kuljeet Singh Anand explained that headaches linked to sexual activity are rare. Sometimes, pre-orgasmic headache may be associated with space-occupying lesions.

What made this case unusual was that the man was getting headaches from watching pornography and not from sexual intercourse or masturbation. He was becoming aroused but experiencing no release - whether this fact might explain the severe headaches, the researchers are not sure.

Approximately 1% of people, most of them men, have sexual-activity linked headaches. Experts believe that simple arousal may, in some people trigger changes in nerve sensitivity, muscle tension and bloodflow in the brain which may alter pain perception.

In most cases, headaches linked to certain activities, such as sex or exercise can be treated with painkillers. Sometimes, however, they may be a sign of a tumor or aneurysm (not the case with this man).

The authors concluded:

"The probable mechanisms behind occurrence of headache in the present case could be alteration of nocioceptive* mechanisms in the trigemino-vascular system with increased pain sensitivity associated with a heightened emotional state associated with viewing pornorgraphy."

* ("nocioception" refers to the neural processes of encoding and processing noxious stimuli)

The trigeminovascular system is made up of neurons in the tregeminal nerve that supply the blood vessels in the brain with nerves. Some experts believe that the trigeminovascular system may play a role in some types of headaches.

Head deep facial and trigeminal nerves

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our headache / migraine section for the latest news on this subject. "Headaches Induced by Pornography Use"
Kuljeet Singh Anand and Vikas Dhikav
Archives of Sexual Behavior 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9988-5 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

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posted by Jenny Hutchings on 3 Jul 2012 at 6:05 am

The original article was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior and written by Kuljeet Singh Anand and Vikas Dhikav as shown in the references tab under the article. Christian Nordqvist is our head editor and simply reported on the study.

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posted by Su Su on 3 Jul 2012 at 5:52 am

This study was done on 1 or 2 people and written by a man named "Christian". What a joke! The brain in this person must have been smarter than he is. Then they said to take aspirn so you can watch that dirty stuff. Read the Bible there are no headaches there.

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posted by Memphis Eddy on 30 Jun 2012 at 8:26 am

I like it!
College of Medicine study porn related illness.
Old hip is turning over in his grave!
I like it!

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'Porn-Induced Headaches Suffered By Young Man'

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'Brain Freeze' Headaches May Be Caused By Changes In Brain's Blood Flow

Main Category: Headache / Migraine
Article Date: 24 Apr 2012 - 1:00 PDT Current ratings for:
'Brain Freeze' Headaches May Be Caused By Changes In Brain's Blood Flow

'Brain freeze' is a nearly universal experience - almost everyone has felt the near-instantaneous headache brought on by a bite of ice cream or slurp of ice-cold soda on the upper palate. However, scientists are still at a loss to explain this phenomenon. Since migraine sufferers are more likely to experience brain freeze than people who don't have this often-debilitating condition, brain freeze may share a common mechanism with other types of headaches, including those brought on by the trauma of blast-related combat injuries in soldiers. One possible link between brain freeze and other headache types is local changes in brain blood flow.

In a new study, Melissa Mary Blatt, Michael Falvo, and Jessica Jasien of the Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System, Brian Deegan and Gearold O Laighin of the National University of Ireland Galway, and Jorge Serrador of Harvard Medical School and the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center of the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System use brain freeze as a proxy for other types of headaches. By bringing on brain freeze in the lab in volunteers and studying blood flow in their brains, the researchers show that the sudden headache seems to be triggered by an abrupt increase in blood flow in the anterior cerebral artery and disappears when this artery constricts. The findings could eventually lead to new treatments for a variety of different headache types.

An abstract of their study entitled, "Cerebral Vascular Blood Flow Changes During 'Brain Freeze,'" was discussed at the meeting Experimental Biology 2012 being held April 21-25 at the San Diego Convention Center. The abstract is sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS), one of six scientific societies sponsoring the conference, which last year attracted some 14,000 attendees.

Bringing on Brain Freeze

According to study leader Serrador, previous studies meant to assess what physiological changes might prompt headaches have mainly relied on various drugs, or brought in patients already in the throes of a migraine to the lab. However, both methods have their limitations. Pharmacological agents can induce other effects that can make research results misleading, he says, and since researchers can't wait for migraine sufferers to experience a migraine in the lab, those studies miss the crucial period of headache formation that occurs sometimes hours before scientists were able to study these patients.

To induce headache inside the lab and study it from start to finish, Serrador explains, brain freeze is a perfect fit. It's easy to bring on and resolves quickly without expensive or complicated equipment or drugs.

In this study, Serrador and his colleague recruited 13 healthy adults. The researchers monitored the volunteers' blood flow in several brain arteries using transcranial Doppler while they first sipped ice water with the straw pressed against their upper palate - ideal conditions for bringing on brain freeze - and then while sipping the same amount of water at room temperature. The volunteers raised their hand once they felt the pain of a brain freeze, then raised it again once the pain dissipated. Findings showed that one particular artery, called the anterior cerebral artery, dilated rapidly and flooded the brain with blood in conjunction to when the volunteers felt pain. Soon after this dilation occurred, the same vessel constricted as the volunteers' pain receded.

Changing the Course of Headaches

Serrador and his colleagues speculate that the dilation, then quick constriction, may be a type of self-defense for the brain. "The brain is one of the relatively important organs in the body, and it needs to be working all the time," he explains. "It's fairly sensitive to temperature, so vasodilation might be moving warm blood inside tissue to make sure the brain stays warm." But because the skull is a closed structure, Serrador adds, the sudden influx of blood could raise pressure and induce pain. The following vasoconstriction may be a way to bring pressure down in the brain before it reaches dangerous levels.

He notes that similar alterations in blood flow could be at work in migraines, posttraumatic headaches, and other headache types. If further research confirms these suspicions, then finding ways to control blood flow could offer new treatments for these conditions. Drugs that block sudden vasodilation or target channels involved specifically in the vasodilation of headaches could be one way of changing headaches' course.

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''Brain Freeze' Headaches May Be Caused By Changes In Brain's Blood Flow'

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Childhood Headaches Activated By Stress - ENS 2012

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Anxiety / Stress;  Headache / Migraine
Article Date: 13 Jun 2012 - 0:00 PDT Current ratings for:
Childhood Headaches Activated By Stress - ENS 2012

School and computer stress trigger childhood headaches

Stress factors are among the most important triggers of headaches and migraines in children, Italian researchers reported at the Meeting of the European Neurological Society in Prague. School stress and nightly computer sessions ranked highest among the causes of such pain.

Stress factors were the trigger for headaches or migraine attacks in two-thirds of the children examined at an outpatient clinic, Italian researchers reported at the 22nd Meeting of the European Neurological Society (ENS) in Prague. "In 72% of the cases we studied, stress could be identified as a major factor behind their headaches," said Dr Dacia Dalla Libera (San Raffaele Institute, Milan). "School stress and a burdensome lack of sleep due to night time computer or television activities head the list of frequent stress factors. In the future, we will need to incorporate these insights much more into the individual counselling and therapy of childhood headache patients."

More and more children and adolescents suffer from headaches. In studies during the mid 1970s, only 14% of children and young people admitted to having suffered from a headache in the previous six months. Now, every other child is familiar with the painful condition. In adolescents between eleven and 18 years of age, migraine affects 7% of boys and 12% of girls. There are no guaranteed hypotheses as to why headaches occur more and more among young patients. It is assumed, however, that an unfavourable lifestyle is partially responsible.

School and IT stress: most important trigger factors

At the Headache Center of the San Raffaele Institute in Milan, the research group assessed the headaches and migraine history of 125 children and adolescents. Standardised interviews with parents were conducted in order to determine the cause of the children's painful attacks in detail. Among those children for whom stress played a role as trigger factor, 78% - the highest ranking - was attributed to school related stress: among the essential elements, that included academic stress, exhaustive reading assignments and homework, exams, fear of failure but also bullying in the classroom.

In second place, involving 68% of the cases, sleep deprivation was identified as a trigger factor - caused by nightly television, computer games or use of social networking. Other stress factors triggering pain were family stress (25%), travelling (20%), extracurricular activities such as sport (20%), environmental factors such as weather changes or noise (10%), or stressful life events such as the illness or death of someone close (10%). For many of the children studied, the researchers also found other symptoms in addition to headaches that were caused by stress, such as stomach aches, nightmares or trouble concentrating.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
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The effects of hallucinogens on cluster headaches

Hallucinogenic drugs are illegal in the u.s., but for people who have headaches so painful that they are commonly referred to as "suicide headache", these drugs might be the only answer. New studies of Dr. John Halpern of McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School shows that the use of psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin (found in a kind of mushroom) have helped many people suffer from cluster headaches, generally accepted as the most painful kind of headache.

Dr. Halpern and his team were inspired by the Cluster Busters, a group of cluster headache patients determined to find a cure for their unbearable headaches that have turned to the hallucinogens, because they believe that it is currently the only hope. Dr. Halpern conducted a series of interviews with cluster headache patients and found that these types of drugs headache attacks less painful and/or less frequent for 41% of subjects created, and cluster cycles all for 52% finished.

These results motivated Dr. Halpern to go even further. His team launched a small pilot study testing the effects of BOL (2-Bromo-LSD), which is almost identical to LSD, but without the psychedelic effects on cluster headache patients. Although only a few subjects participated in the study, all of them very positive results.

This early success of BOL gives patients hope for a legal, low-side effect therapy for their cluster headaches. With so many legal issues involved, it can, however, years before BOL can be sold on the market as a treatment for cluster headaches. For the moment, let this many cluster headache patients with the unfortunate decision between toughing out this terrible headache or as regards illegal substances.

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Veterans prone to headaches

While our in honor of the brave soldiers who fought so hard for our country's Veterans ' Day reminds, let's not forget that many of them still today fight in a different way yet. A new study from the University of California, San Diego, suggests that veterans who physical injuries or developed post-traumatic stress disorder after combat in Iraq or Afghanistan can suffer from recurring headaches.

According to the study, 308 veterans surveyed, were those who had suffered injuries against greater risk of the development of the headaches of the migraine. At the same time, those who had screened positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) elevated rates of migraine and tension-type headache. Overall, vets with physical injuries only had more than twice the risk of recurring headaches as those without such injuries. The risk was four times higher among veterans with PTSD than those without it.

In addition, the researchers found that bodily injury veterans more prone to migraines only, created while PTSD was linked to migraine and tension-type headache. The study authors write that PTSD can be linked to headaches because psychological stress lead headache by natural physiological reactions of the body to stress can.

Regardless of what the cause of headaches in veterans, but the researchers say that this link between wartime injury and recurring headache suggests that veterans of comprehensive evaluations of their physical, mental and emotional health can benefit in order to find the best treatment options for them.

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