Drugs that Can Increase Your Chance Of Migraines
The National Headache Foundation and the American Academy of Neurology teamed up for a honkin’ big study of 24,000 people on which drugs might make a person more prone to getting migraines. The key thing to remember about this study is that it looked at the OVERUSE of drugs (which can happen even to the best of us, admit it), and not drugs that are used as directed or only used briefly.
The study also noted that overuse of these medications could give someone with the occassional migraine or headache a chronic migraine problem.
The No-No Drugs
Well, no big surprise. The drugs that can increase your chance of migraines are drugs that you shouldn’t be overusing anyway. They include:
- Codeine, or even medicines including codeine like Co-Tylenol
- Oxycodone (my Mom takes this but she has spinal stenosis and so I think she’s welcome to get all she can take)
- OxyContin (the brand name of oxycondone)
- Any other opiate (including opium — sorry, but some people need practical advice)
- Other barbituates, (of which Oxycodone is a prominant member of)
Drugs That Don’t
Before we get onto this list, let me tell you that you shouldn’t overuse any drug. That won’t be a tactic that King Solomon would exactly approve of. But, if you are going to risk you life by overiusing some drugs, at these won’t give you any more migraines than you are already getting. Bleeding ulcers, maybe, but not migraines. These include:
- NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, naxoproxen and that crazy little thing called aspirin
- Triptans, including Imitrex
- Marijuana (I’m joking — this was never mentioned in the entire study, but it does make you wonder)
The study also didn’t mention anything about rebound headaches, which happen often when the body has become dependent on high does of painkiller and gives you a nasty headache in order to force you to take the drug it wants.
The moral of the story: We need better drugs that makes us complacent to the asurdity of life that doesn’t give us any more headaches than we already get from Big Pharma, inflation, global warming, governments that don;t do a damn thing and the Geicko Gecko. Thank you sir, may I have another?
No, seriously, only take medication when you absolutely need to and follow the directions. And keep your drugs locked away from kids.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:40 am
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May 19th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
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