Are Your Pain Pills Causing Your Headaches? (Find Out What a New Breakthrough Medical Study Has to Say)
Ronald J. Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., M.S.
According to a study published in the May 11, 2004 issue of Neurology, doctors are discovering an increasing number of chronic headache cases are attributable to medication overuse. In addition, the study has found that daily or near-daily use of pain-killers (analgestics), is also associated with chronic pain conditions, such as neck and back pain.
The mammoth study consisting of approximately 65,000 adults age 20 and older was designed "to examine the prevalence of chronic headache associated with painkiller overuse and the association between analgesic overuse and chronic pain"
To assess analgesic use, the study participants were asked whether they had used painkillers (over-the-counter or prescription) daily or near daily in the previous 12 months, and if so, for how many months. Use of analgesics daily or almost daily for one month or more in the previous 12 months constituted "overuse."
The subjects also answered questions concerning the presence of neck and low back pain. Participants were asked: "Have you had pain and/or stiffness in your muscles and joints continuously for at least three months over the last year?" Participants who reported neck or LBP for at least three of the previous 12 months and for at least 15 days in the past month were classified as "chronic pain sufferers." Conclusion of Study
Armed with this wealth of data, the authors determined that the high numbers of individuals with analgesic overuse has important clinical implications, and physicians should be aware of the potential risk of analgesic overuse among those with chronic pain, especially those with migraine." Stay Informed and Subscribe to Dr. Grisanti's Free Health Tip of the Week
References:
Zwart JA, Dyb G, Hagen K, et al. Analgesic overuse among subjects with headache, neck and low-back pain. Neurology, May 11, 2004;62:1540-44. Castillo J, Munos P, Guitera V, Pascual J. Epidemiology of chronic daily headache in the general population. Headache 1999;39:190-96. Colas R, Munoz P, Temprano R, Gomez C, Pascual J.
Chronic daily headache with analgesic overuse: epidemiology and impact on quality of life. Neurology. 2004 Apr 27;62(8):1338-42. Lu SR, Fuh JL, Chen WT, et al. Chronic daily headaches in Taipei, Taiwan: prevalence, follow-up and outcome predictors. Cephalalgia 2001;21:980-86. Wang SJ, Fuh JL, Liu CY, et al. Chronic daily headache in Chinese elderly. Prevalence, risk factors and biannual follow-up. Neurology 2000;54:314-19
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