What Doctors Don't Tell YouAnalgesics that are supposed to ease headaches may in fact be making the pain worse, a new study has discovered.
Many analgesics contain caffeine, a known trigger for headache, to improve absorption. But researchers who studied 151 patients at a headache clinic found that 30 of them were using caffeine containing medications more often than recommended. In 21 cases, the patient was exceeding the dose prescribed by a doctor.
Among those who overused caffeine, 245 mg every day came from beverages and 214 mg from medications (Headache, 1997; 37: 7572-6).
Daniel Redwood DC
Tom Ferguson MD
