Rebound headaches are a common side effect of migraine treatment Researchers say a drug intended to prevent migraine may also help prevent rebound attacks caused by overuse of pain meds The drug in question is atogepant THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- It's a nasty cycle: Chronic migraine sufferers who use too much pain medication sometimes get smacked with rebound headaches. But new research suggests that a medication commonly used to prevent migraines may also help fend off rebound headaches. The study of 755 people with chronic migraine -- meaning 15 or more headache days a month with migraines on eight or more -- found that those who overused pain meds had fewer headache days when taking the migraine prevention drug atogepant (Quilipta).
"There is a high prevalence of pain medication overuse among people with migraine as they try to manage what are often debilitating symptoms," explained study author Dr. Peter Goadsby , from King's College London. "However, medication overuse can lead to more headaches called rebound headaches, so more preventive treatments treatments are needed.
" Two-thirds of the participants, who reported their headache and medication history, met the criteria for medication overuse. That means they took pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on 15 or more days a month; migraine drugs called triptans or ergots for 10 days or more; or any combination for 10 days or more. On average, par.