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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffRisk factors for developing rebound headaches include:
- History of chronic headaches. Anyone who has a history of migraines, in particular, but also tension-type headaches or other chronic headaches is at risk of developing rebound headaches from the overuse of pain relievers.
- Frequent use of headache medications. Your risk increases if you use combination analgesics, ergotamine or triptans 10 or more days a month or simple analgesics more than 15 days a month — especially if this regular use continues for three or more months.
People who don't have frequent headaches but use pain medications daily to treat other conditions such as arthritis typically don't have rebound headaches.
References
- Headache: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/headache/detail_headache.htm. Accessed Aug. 21, 2011.
- Evers S, et al. Clinical features, pathophysiology and treatment of medication overuse headaches. The Lancet Neurology. 2010;9:391.
- Cupini LM, et al. Medication overuse headache: Neurobiological, behavioural and therapeutic aspects. Pain. 2010;150:222.
- Bigal ME, et al. Overuse of acute migraine medications and migraine chronification. Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2009;13:301.
- Felice MD, et al. Update on medication-overuse headache. Current Pain and Headache Reports. 2011;15:79.
- Tepper SJ, et al. Breaking the cycle of medication overuse headache. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2010;77:236.
- Rapoport AM. Medication overuse headache: Awareness, detection and treatment. CNS Drugs. 2008;22:995.
- Sun-Edelstein C, et al. Alternative headache treatments: Nutraceuticals, behavioral and physical treatments. Headache Currents. 2011:469.
- Loder E, et al. Evaluation for secondary causes of headache: The role of blood and urine testing. Headache Currents. 2011:338.
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