Painkiller Overuse & Medication Overuse Headache

Medication Overuse Headache (MOH) is a condition in which painkillers or migraine drugs, taken to relieve headaches, end up triggering and worsening them instead. Generally, the risk rises when simple painkillers are used 15 or more days a month, or combination painkillers and migraine-specific drugs are used 10 or more days a month, for over 3 months. A typical pattern is brief relief after taking the medication, followed by pain returning as the effect wears off, leading to another dose. The key to treatment is reducing the causative medication, but because a rebound worsening of headaches can occur early in the tapering process, medical guidance is necessary.

Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective

Dongjedang views this condition as one where long-term reliance on painkillers has suppressed the body's own ability to manage headaches and regulate circulation. From a detox and weight-management perspective, rather than abruptly stopping medication, we focus on cushioning the rebound headaches and disrupted sleep that arise during tapering, helping the body readjust. Herbal medicine plays a supportive role in buffering symptoms during tapering, not a substitute for painkillers, and reducing the causative medication is always carried out together with medical staff.