What Headache Pain Medications Cause Medication Overuse Headache?
Almost every pain medication that promises fast headache relief can cause MOH. Some of the most common MOH instigators are medications containing butalbital with either acetaminophen or aspirin, usually with caffeine. Unfortunately, they are also some of the most commonly prescribed medications for the relief of many types of headache. These medications include Fiorinal®, Fioricet®, Esgic®, Medigesic® and Phrenilin®. Many over-the-counter headache pain medications are also known to cause medication overuse headaches. For example, aspirin, acetaminophen (also known as Tylenol®) and ibuprofen (the main ingredient in Advil®, Motrin®, Aleve® and Midol®) have all been associated with the onset of MOH. Migraine-specific medications present an even larger problem, in that they not only are known to cause medication overuse headaches, but many of these headache medications feature opiates, which can be highly addictive. These include Tylenol 3®, Vicodin® and Percocet®. Additionally, the key in