Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 14, 2026
10:39
3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Breaking the cycle of medication overuse headache
Stewart J Tepper1, Deborah E Tepper
1Center for Headache and Pain, Neurological Institute, T33, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. teppers@ccf.org
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
|April 3, 2010
Summary
Frequent migraine sufferers risk daily headaches from medication overuse. This occurs when pain relievers like butalbital and opioids are overused, leading to medication overuse headache. Breaking this cycle requires stopping the overused medication and starting preventive treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Frequent migraines can lead to medication overuse, causing a cycle of increased headache frequency.
- Medication overuse headache (MOH) is a common complication of treating disabling migraine attacks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the phenomenon of medication overuse headache in patients with frequent migraines.
- To identify risk factors and patterns associated with medication overuse headache.
- To outline strategies for managing and breaking the cycle of medication overuse headache.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical patterns and pharmacological properties of medications used for migraine relief.
- Analysis of factors contributing to medication overuse, including drug type and dosing frequency.
- Description of treatment approaches for medication overuse headache.
Main Results:
- Medication overuse headache is more prevalent with butalbital and opioid analgesics compared to migraine-specific medications.
- Partial treatment responses can lead to repeated dosing and eventual medication overuse.
- The rebound effect of certain medications can paradoxically increase headache frequency.
Conclusions:
- Breaking the cycle of medication overuse headache is essential for effective migraine management.
- Strategies include discontinuing overused medications, initiating preventive therapy, and establishing strict acute medication use guidelines.
- Patient education on appropriate medication use is crucial to prevent medication overuse headache.
Related Concept Videos
01:02Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
Prescription drugs require a prescription from a medical practitioner and can only be obtained from a pharmacy. They have many applications, including treating pain, anxiety, and hypertension.
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
01:28Drug Therapy
The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
Antianxiety Medications
01:24Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Substance use disorders involve a pattern of using drugs more extensively than intended and continuing use despite harmful consequences. This includes legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, as well as illegal drugs. These disorders often involve both physical and psychological dependence, reflecting compulsive use of substances that significantly alter thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, contributing to a major public health issue.
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
01:17Drug Dependence
Medications are typically administered to achieve therapeutic effects. Some drugs can modify an individual's mood and perception, frequently resulting in various enjoyable experiences. However, this can result in drug dependency, a condition marked by continuous drug use despite potential negative consequences. Drug dependency primarily falls into two categories: psychological and physical dependence. Psychological dependence occurs when the pleasurable feelings induced by the drug...
01:20Desensitization and Tachyphylaxis
Tachyphylaxis is described as a rapid decrease in response to a drug after repeated or continuous administration of the same drug dose. It is a phenomenon where the body becomes less responsive to a particular substance or intervention over time, requiring higher doses or stronger interventions to achieve the same effect. It results from adaptive changes in the body's receptors, signaling pathways, or physiological processes that occur in response to prolonged exposure to a stimulus.
Several...
Several...
01:15Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Drug dependence, abuse, and addiction are complex phenomena that can precipitate various abnormal states. Physical dependence refers to a state of pharmacological adaptation to a drug. This adaptation often results in tolerance—a reduced response to the drug after repeated administrations. When the drug use is abruptly stopped, withdrawal symptoms occur due to the body's need to readjust from the pharmacologically induced imbalance. However, tolerance and withdrawal symptoms do not necessarily...