Could painkillers be causing headaches? asks UK's NICE

People who regularly take medicines, such as aspirin, paracetamol and triptans could be causing themselves more pain than relief. New guidance out today (September 19) from the UK drugs watchdog the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advises general practitioners and other health care professionals to consider the possibility of “medication overuse” in their patients who have been taking medicines for up to half of the days in a month, over three months.

More than 10 million people in the UK experience regular or frequent headaches, making them one of the most common health complaints. They account for around 1 in 25 of GP consultations.

While common over-the-counter treatments are effective for easing the pain of occasional headaches, it has been estimated that around one in 50 people experience headaches caused by medication overuse and that women are five times more likely to get them than men. They occur when people take painkillers or triptan drugs too often for tension-type (“every day”) headaches or migraine attacks. Doing this can reduce their effectiveness and cause further pain.