Deciphering optimal management options for headache

Abstract

Headache is one of the most common, painful, and disabling conditions that affects people of all ages worldwide and can have a substantial impact on quality of life of those affected. Stress is one of their main aggravating factor for headache across geographies, more so in millennials and females. Headache disorders are most troublesome in the productive years of life with lost working days and reduced productivity. Majority of those with headache have primary headache disorder especially migraine, tension-type headache and medication-overuse headache. Without proper treatment, headaches can be severe and interfere with day-to-day activities and can also become chronic or recurring affecting the well-being of an individual and predispose them to other illnesses. Self-care with simple analgesics in managing primary headache disorders can help reduce frequency of attack and severity with positive effect on physical symptoms and functional capacity. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a safe analgesic with good gastrointestinal tolerance and is recommended as 1 line treatment option to reduce pain in various conditions including primary headache disorders. Caffeine, a common additive to analgesic drugs is known to increase the analgesic potency. The anti-nociception enhancing effect of caffeine when given with acetaminophen significantly improves efficacy over use of only paracetamol.