Stopping headache meds may be key to reducing chronic pain, study finds

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If you’re struggling with chronic headaches, the solution may not be taking more medication — in fact, it may be stopping it altogether, according to new research.

A team led by Dr. Park Hong-kyun, a neurologist at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, found that patients with medication overuse for headaches saw a dramatic improvement after reducing or discontinuing their use of acute headache drugs. Their average number of headache days per month was cut in half within just three months of proper treatment.

The study, released March 19, analyzed the progress of 309 patients who visited seven specialized neurology clinics across South Korea between April 2020 and March 2022.

Medication overuse headache (MOH) occurs in people who experience headaches 15 or more days per month and have overused acute treatment drugs — such as migraine medications — for more than three months. Acute treatments are intended to relieve symptoms quickly during migraine attacks. Overuse is defined as taking common painkillers like aspirin or acetaminophen more than 15 days a month, or migraine-specific drugs like triptans more than 10 days a month.

The researchers found that patients who reduced their intake of these acute medications saw their monthly headache days drop from 24 to 12 on average. The results were even more significant for those who completely stopped taking the medication — they experienced a 15-day reduction. In contrast, patients who continued to overuse acute drugs saw no improvement, and some even reported worsened symptoms.

The World Health Organization has identified MOH as a major public health issue, and cases are rising, particularly among chronic headache sufferers.

“Patients with medication overuse headaches often fall into a vicious cycle where frequent use of headache medication actually worsens the headache,” Park said. “The more often you take these drugs, the more likely you are to experience frequent headaches.”

He added, “Rather than automatically taking medicine whenever a headache occurs, it is important to consult a specialist and develop an appropriate treatment plan.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.