Terms to distinguish during headache medical evaluation
Medication Overuse Headache
Related terms · Analgesic overuse headache · Headaches that persist after frequent use of headache medication
Medication overuse headache refers to a state where a person with a pre-existing headache disorder uses acute headache medication frequently, causing the headaches to become more frequent or occur almost every day.
Meaning and Distinctions
What is medication overuse headache?
It is necessary to count not only the names of the medications but also the number of days you had a headache and the days you used medication in a month. Medication overuse headache refers to a condition where a person who already suffered from headaches experiences more frequent headaches, or headaches that continue almost every day, due to the frequent use of acute headache medications.
- Easily confused terms
- It is not diagnosed simply by the number of times medication was taken; medical staff make the determination based on the type of medication and the number of days it was used.
- Why this is checked during medical evaluation
- The treatment sequence is determined based on the headache days and medication use days, without arbitrarily stopping current medications.
- What to note down for your visit
- Please mark the days you had headaches, the names of the medications, and the dates you took them on a calendar for the past month.
Dizziness, Ear, Head, and Face Glossary
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Check guides where this term is used
- Condition GuideChronic recurring headachesChronic headache generally refers to a state of having headaches for more than 15 days a month for over 3 months, but it is not a single cause or diagnosis. Primary types such as chronic migraine, chronic tension-type headache, and new-daily persistent headache must be categorized, and it must be verified whether the overuse of painkillers has reduced the number of headache-free days. Lack of sleep, stress, and irregular meals can be aggravating factors, but if there is a sudden onset of the worst headache of your life or neurological changes, secondary causes such as infection, vascular issues, intracranial pressure, or trauma are evaluated first.→
- Condition GuideMigraineMigraine is not a condition confirmed by a single blood test or MRI; it is clinically diagnosed by synthesizing recurring headache patterns, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, aura, and physical and neurological examinations. If typical migraine patterns are stable and the examination is normal, brain imaging is not always necessary. CT or MRI is selected to identify other causes if the headache starts suddenly and severely, changes rapidly in appearance, or if new headaches, neurological abnormalities, or persistent atypical aura occur after age 50.→
- Medical Evaluation GuideWhat should I prepare before a consultation for dizziness, tinnitus, or headache?Write the first sensation you felt, the posture at onset, the duration, and any concurrent ear symptoms, headache, nausea, or heart rate changes on a single page. Please prepare your MRI, hearing test, nystagmus test, and ECG results along with your medication envelopes, and share what has improved and what remains after treatment. Rather than a perfect diary, recording three representative attacks and scenes that disrupt your daily life is more helpful.→
- Head, Ear, and Face ColumnWhen dizziness, throbbing, and nausea occur together, the order in which they started changes the treatment.→
Evidence and Update Information
The following materials were referenced to verify the basis and scope of the definitions and treatment descriptions.