The Truth about Over the Counter Medicines for Headaches

By Kristi Patrice Carter

Almost everyone has used over the counter medications at one time or another in their lives to treat headaches. Lets face it, when your head starts throbbing, the fasting thing you can to alleviate the pain is grab some over the counter ibuprofen, aspirin or acetaminophen. These types of medications have become a way of life for many people.

Over the counter pain relievers such as these are made to obstruct the production of prostaglandins in your body. Prostaglandins are the source of pain in the body. They are a made up of a substance much like hormones. Prostaglandins play very important roles in the body and most people are not aware of exactly what those roles are. By blocking the production of prostaglandins, you can effect other parts of your body’s regular functions.

Prostaglandins help to keep your blood pressure regulated as well as helping your kidneys functions properly and the also with the gastric acid secretions. By using over the counter medications to treat your headaches, you are really in a no win situation. On one hand your headache is gone but on the other hand you can be risking complications with your blood pressure as well as your kidneys or possibly even your liver.

With repeated use of such over the counter medications you can run the risk of even greater problems including such side effects as: nervous behavior, breathing problems, high blood pressure, cramping, nausea, diarrhea and indigestion, tension, constipation and even more headaches. Many people overlook such side effects as they are only focused on getting rid of the pain.

Before choosing an over the counter pain management for your headache, be sure you know the side effects of the medications. You want to make an educated choice and weigh your options carefully. If you are looking for short term relief, such medications as aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can be a good choice. If you suffer with headaches on a regular basis then you will want to talk with your doctor to find a better pain management plan.

It is better to find the cause of the headache and treat it rather then to just treat the headache symptoms. Once you and your doctor know why you are getting the headaches, you can begin to fix the real problem not just the symptoms. Perhaps it is stress that is causing the headaches, therefore if you help to alleviate the stress the headaches won’t be a problem. Some people can even suffer headaches from certain foods, so avoidance of those foods that trigger the headaches will keep the pains at bay.

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