How to Get Rid of Rebound Headaches

Overview

A rebound headache is a type of head pain that is experienced on a regular basis (sometimes every day) and occurs when a person is taking medications to treat frequent headaches. Rebound headaches are typically described as being a tight pressure around the head. A person suffering from a rebound headache may also become very sensitive to light and have extraordinarily tight neck muscles. Rebound headaches generally stem from the overuse of painkillers that are prescribed to treat headaches.

Step 1

Stop, or greatly reduce, taking pain medication for your headaches in order to get rid of rebound headaches. Overuse of headache medicine can be one of the causes of the rebound effect. The Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine recommends that people who experience headaches take no more than 10 doses of pain medication per month to avoid and reverse rebound headaches.

Step 2

Manage stress effectively to help relieve your rebound headaches. Though your first thought may be to pop a pill when your head begins to hurt, try to find a nonmedicated way to work through your pain. Deep-breathing relaxation techniques may help alleviate your stress and your headache.

Step 3

Enlist a physical therapist to help you learn exercises that may reduce your pain. Mobilization of your neck and shoulder muscles may release tension that could be contributing to your rebound headaches.

Step 4

Consider using biofeedback as a way to get rid of rebound headaches. Biofeedback helps people learn to use cues from their bodies to relieve pain. Biofeedback machines use electrical impulses from your muscles to show you when your muscles are tense or when your pain level is high by flashing a light or giving some other visible sign. Seeing your physical response turned into something tangible may help you learn to relax your neck muscles, for example, that can in turn help ease your pain.