Painful migraine news - Extra Health - Brief Article

Muscle & Fitness/Hers, Dec, 2002

If you take over-the-counter migraine pain relievers to alleviate intense headaches more than three times a week, you could be making things worse: Recent research indicates that using migraine pain relievers may affect the brain's ability to naturally switch off the pain, thus perpetuating the frequency of migraines.

To safely withdraw from OTC migraine meds with your physician's approval, reduce your dosage by 20% every four days until you're at a minimal dose, suggest doctors at the Pain Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. At the same time, reduce or eliminate common migraine "triggers" such as stress, anxiety, caffeine, and foods high in tyramine, sulfites and nitrates (including cheese, wine, nuts and pressed meats). Regular exercise and adequate sleep can help, too.