Rebound Headaches HELP!

[Miss Sparkly]

Well, crap! I took Advil for too long for sinus headaches during a nasty bug and now I have rebound headaches. Does anybody know of some wonderful and natural headache cures to help me suffer thru this until it gets better on its own? I'm only taking one Advil a day so I can't really wean myself off it. fyi - the headaches are actually low level migraines

 

[iLander]

Have you tried Excedrin Migraine?

Do you drink a lot of caffeine? The caffeine in Excedrin is the magic ingredient, it carries the ingredients a little faster through the blood stream.

For natural, remember that aspirin is actually willow tree bark.

 

[elrohwen]

iLander, excedrin will cause rebound headaches as much as any other pain killer, so I don't think that's a good solution (though I agree that Excedrin migraine is great!)

Sparkly, do you normally drink coffee, tea, soda, or anything else caffeinated? Caffeine can help headaches, though it can also cause rebound headaches. However, drinking a cup of tea when you feel the headache coming on could be helpful and it's not much caffeine, so it might not cause the rebound headaches.

Do you have a history of migraines? I have a history of low level migraines every day though I don't seem to have issues with rebound headaches. If this has happened more often than this one time, it might be worth a visit to a headache specialist to talk about options for daily meds. If it's only this time though, you might just have to go cold turkey for a week until your body readjusts to life without advil.

eta: Neck and head massages can help! I have a lot of tension back there that contributes to my headaches. Sometimes I take a couple minutes to just massage my neck and back of my head and it can help a lot. My doctor actually told me to go for physical therapy for it to help my headaches (but I haven't made an appointment yet)

 

[iLander]

If muscle tension is causing headaches, then Aleve is the way to go for all things muscle related.

 

[elrohwen]

If muscle tension is causing headaches, then Aleve is the way to go for all things muscle related.

In the case of chronic headaches, I think it's better to fix the root of the problem than self medicate every day. Pain killers are fine for occasional use, but it's a slippery slope and you end up taking them daily (I've been in this position for years and am trying to get on a daily med for headaches that is not a pain killer). If Sparkly is trying to stop the rebound headaches, taking extra pain killers isn't going to help her.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I have a history of period related migraines which are under control with bc. The long lasting bug that killed my sinus did me in. I took the advil for over a month which is way too long. Also my doc is the tough love type that feels in this case a little suffering will fix the issue the quickest

 

[soocool]

Sparkly, is tis regular Advil or Advil Cold and Sinus?

If you still need to take somethingthen in either case Excedrin is fine since it is aspirin, acetominophen, and caffeine. Advil is ibuprofen. Otherwise, a little caffeine will be ok, coffee, tea, coca cola.

 

[elrohwen]

I have a history of period related migraines which are under control with bc. The long lasting bug that killed my sinus did me in. I took the advil for over a month which is way too long. Also my doc is the tough love type that feels in this case a little suffering will fix the issue the quickest

I tend to agree with your doctor on this. Taking another med will just put you in the same position (it doesn't always matter if you try different meds - sometimes you just get overly sensitive after too many pain killers in general). Using some caffeine could help, but caffeine withdrawls can also cause headaches. In my experience, the rebound headaches only last a couple of days. I'd do it on the weekend and hopefully you'll be functional by work on Monday.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Sparkly Blonde, I am so sorry you are going through this. I have been where you are myself and it is not fun.

The only thing I would add is try to eliminate as much sugar from your diet as you can. It can make the inflammation worse. If I eat
sugar I sometimes will wake up with a giant headache the next day.

When I was getting the rebound headaches I just toughed it out and went without pain meds at all. I don't think I was in quite as
much pain as you however. I would try some teas that contain willow bark or go to the health food store and see if they have
something they can recommend.

 

[kittybean]

Sparkly Blonde, do you ever use triptans for your migraines (Imitrex, Zomig, etc.)? I find that they knock out all but my worst my migraines quickly and without the rebound pain. Maybe it could break the rebound pain cycle for you? It has worked for me in the past.