Headaches are one of a few side effects suffered from overusing pain relievers that contain butalbital, caffeine and aspirin. Other side effects include lightheadedness, dizziness, drowsiness, upset stomach, nausea, and sleeping disturbance. Patients should be reminded to take the lowest dosage needed for the shortest possible time. Additionally, keeping a record of the ingredients contained in all of their medication, particularly if one is taking more than one medicine, would help prevent any anomalies.
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A butalbital headache in particular is a result of overuse of medicine or a dependency on drugs containing butalbital compounds by patients suffering from chronic headaches. The over-reliance on self-administered 'pain killer' drugs obtained over the counter, by prescription or over the Internet has been linked to the increased prevalence in rebound headaches.
According to medical experts, over-reliance is usually when someone takes medications more than two times a week. To prevent headaches from the overuse of medications, it is advisable to use pain medications less than twice a week, stay hydrated, get lots of rest and learn how to manage your time to avoid stress and the headaches that follow it.
People who usually take pain killers every time they have a headache rather than when it's really necessary are likely to end up suffering from rebound headaches. In most cases they may not know that the chronic nature of their headaches is as a result of medication overuse because rebound headaches tend to feel similar to tension headaches and in some cases may be as severe as light sensitive, migraine-like headaches. And once a person starts to suffer from rebound headaches, then most likely, any other medicines will cease to have an effect in treating their illness. The only way to treat rebound headaches is to completely discontinue the use of all pain medications, but in some cases improvement may not be seen for up to two months.
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Butalbital on its own is one of the most abused barbiturates. Mood swings or changes in behavior or mental ability are common with butalbital addicts. Although it is a great stress reliever, prolonged use could lead to physical dependence upon it and result in withdrawal headaches - also referred to as a butalbital headache - as soon as the person stops its intake.
Abrupt butalbital discontinuation in cases following prolonged use can sometimes produce life-threatening barbiturate withdrawal such as seizures and delirium. Oral phenobarbital loading has been advocated as a safe and effective method of withdrawing patients with headaches caused by butalbital or any of its compounds. It involves reintoxicating the patient by giving them small doses of barbiturates - usually phenobarbital because it has a half life of 92 hours - and then slowly decreasing the dosage with the end-point just exceeding the patient's level of tolerance.
The amount of phenorbarbital used in such an exercise can be used as a good, clinical indicator of the patient's degree of dependancy on butalbital. However, once the end point is reached no more doses are given to avoid any further butalbital headache reoccurring. Overall, the technique is both effective and safe.
The above information thankfully comes from theheadacheinfosite.com at the following link.