The name varies. You'll see these headaches called "rebound headaches," "analgesic rebound headaches," "medication overuse headaches," and other terms. The newer term in use by specialists in the field of headache and Migraine disease treatment is "medication overuse headache" (MOH), and that's what I'll be using here because it truly does seem to be the most accurate.
Every person who has headaches or Migraine disease should be told about MOH by our doctors because knowing about it in advance could save us a great deal of pain. Unfortunately, we're not. If your doctor has prescribed any medication for you to take when you have headaches or Migraines such as triptans, ergotamines, pain medications, etc., or recommended that you take over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen, etc., and has not told you about their potential to cause MOH, ask him or her about it. Find out what the potential for MOH is with the medications they're prescribing or recommending.
There have been nearly as many questions as answers about MOH for quite some time now, especially regarding which types or classes of medications can cause MOH. Those questions haven't been easy to answer because, for some time, there wasn't a clear enough consensus about which medications could induce MOH. Studies with empirical evidence were lacking, and conflicting opinions among experts easily left us to think one way one day and another way the next. While it's highly unlikely that everyone in any field will ever agree, today there's at least a fair consensus regarding the issues related to MOH. To help us avoid medication overuse headache and deal with it if it occurs, there are issues we need to explore:
- What is MOH?
- What medications cause it?
- How can we avoid MOH?
- How can we distinguish MOH from other headaches and Migraines?
- How do we stop MOH?
- Will taking pain medications for pain other than head pain cause MOH?
What is Medication Overuse Headache?
The best explanation of MOH comes from the The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition, from International Headache Society. For the sake of clarity and brevity, I'll paraphrase:
