Preventing and Treating Medication Overuse Headaches (MOH): Expert Advice

2023-07-07 04:48:00

‘stubborn doctor’ Prof. Dr. Teerawat Hemajutha Director of Emerging Diseases Health Science Center Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University Facebook post Thiravat Hemachudha Open the information “The more you take medicine for headache, The more you get a headache.”

which we all may have been headacheOh once in a lifetime When we have a headache, we will eat. ‘Painkillers’ which is attached to the house, such as paracetamol or to buy drugs at a pharmacy to eat Are these painkillers safe? Really? pain medication These are often eaten. Does the pain go away every time? And can it really cause more headaches than before?

It is well known that Painkillers we take It’s not entirely safe if you take “too much,” either. paracetamol affecting the liver NSAID (such as ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.) are toxic to the kidneys. and cause stomach ulcers to bleed Or even ergot medicines that we have seen in the news that can cause ischemia of the hands or feet to the point of amputation. In addition, these headache medications If used too much or too often, it still causes more headaches. This type of headache can be called “Medication overuse headache” or ‘MOH’

‘MOH disease’ What is it and who is likely to get the disease? ‘MOH’ some?

Headache from overuse of painkillers ‘MOH’ It usually occurs in patients who suffer from recurring headaches (such as migraines) and who take too many painkillers to increase their frequency of headaches. Or have a headache that has changed from the original For the words “too much” or “more than necessary”, it was found that if it was a group of drugs paracetamol or drug group NSAID This usually means taking the medication for 15 days per month or more.

But if it’s an opioid, ergot, or triptan, it means taking the drug for 10 days or more per month. In addition, patients may easily notice additional symptoms. that there is a risk of disease MOH The patient may take painkillers and have a shorter duration of action. Or following eating and not getting rid of the headache

Why ‘Painkillers’ to make headache More than before?

for disease mechanisms ‘MOH’ In summary, it is believed to be caused by the use of large amounts of painkillers for a reasonable period of time. It will cause the brain to produce more pain receptors. Thus, when the level of painkillers decreases, the brain automatically becomes more sensitive to pain even without stimuli. headache

‘MOH disease’ How to treat, must use ‘Painkillers’ How to be safe and not cause MOH disease ?

treatment ‘MOH’ There is a simple principle. is to stop the pain medication that causes MOH including visiting a doctor to treat the original headache correctly However, simple principles are difficult to achieve in the real world. due to stop ‘Painkillers’ Often causes patients to suffer from pain for a period of time.

Therefore, it is better to prevent MOH in the first place. ‘MOH disease’ This can be prevented very easily by using painkillers correctly and appropriately, for example, in migraine patients, painkillers should only be used when there is pain. and use painkillers early at the onset of each headache Most importantly, if the migraine sufferer has an unusually increased or frequent headache. which may require ‘Painkillers’ So much so that it is close to the amount that can cause MOH (mentioned above). “Controller or anti-headache medication,” which is not the same as pain medication. Taking these headache medications can help reduce the severity and frequency of your headaches. The patient does not need to take a lot of painkillers.

In addition, behavioral modifications to reduce the frequency of headache the same, such as getting enough sleep exercise Avoiding headache trigger factors is also important

disease MOH not widely known This may be the root cause for many patients who overuse painkillers without realizing that their headaches are exacerbated. so this year Especially in June, which is the month of campaigning to be aware of headache especially pain migraine The Headache Study Club therefore planning a campaign to raise awareness of Overuse of pain reliever headache (MOH) together with a simple slogan, “More pills, More pain” or “The more you take pills, the more you have a headache” to let people, including medical personnel, know and be aware of the disease. MOH more

Dr. Prakit Anukulwittaya and Asst. Prof. Dr. Sek Tanprasertsuk, M.D.
Neuropathologist Headache Clinic Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society
President of Education Development and president of research Headache Study Club under the Neurology Society of Thailand

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#MOH #disease #painkillers #headache

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