Constant pain through drugs. Since childhood, she suffers from migraines, a doctor visited by one, tried pain therapy and acupuncture. "During the pregnancy, it was particularly bad," says the 37-year-old woman from Hamburg. With painkillers, she tried to keep fit. "You can not even log sick all the time. One has to work." But the headache was getting worse.
For Ulrike Bingel, neurologist at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), a case in point. For what many headache patients do not: Excessive intake of analgesics or migraine drugs (triptans) may develop a permanent headache. "It's as if you were pressing a gas pedal, "said Ulrike Bingel, which oversees the 37-year-old in the head pain consultation at UKE.
" According to a study by the German Migraine and Headache Society (DMKG) affects up to two percent of the population in such drug-induced headache ", says Prof. Andreas Straube, a neurologist at the University of Munich and DMKG Vice President. Of these, approximately 80 percent of all migraine patients and 20 percent of patients with chronic tension headache. For such connect with drugs increased pain only in patients who already have a primary headache suffer.
When will an over use leads to chronic headache, is According to Straube different. The rate therefore DMKG's guidelines do not take drugs for headaches more often than ten days a month and not more than three days in a row.
especially migraine patients with a high performance awareness, take preventive painkillers before a major professional event, were affected, says Straube. "It slipped as in quickly, for fear of a headache," the mother confirmed from the Hamburg headache hours, their names do not prefer to read in the newspaper: "Migraine is so many employers still considered not serious female disease," said their experience.
leaves the patient only to drugs, increases the risk of developing a chronic headache. Which may be different depending on the medication of the original headache: The typical migraine headache is unilateral, throbbing and pulsating. Triptans are taken too often, increases the frequency of migraine attacks, said Ulrike Bingel. In case of use of painkillers such as Paracetamol is a dull aching added headache as the classic tension headache.
What happened in the body when to be taken too much medication for the headache, be explored not sure yet, Straube said. It will, however, suggested that there was a sort of awareness in the nervous system is, supplies the head and face, Ulrike Bingel said.
The scientist and author, Klaus-Peter Kolbatz is already on and has found that by taking painkillers the body's own morphine (endorphins) are reduced accordingly, and thus inevitably created a substitute must painkillers. This means that the more pain medication taken, the less the body's own morphine are used. If the painkillers are submitted, it takes about a week until the demand made on morphine again. The endorphins also includes the happiness hormone serotonin. Endorphins have to be made every day. they control in humans including the state of mind and are important for depression and exhaustion.
To find out if they suffer from a headache caused by pain medication, should therefore lead patients a pain diary. It asserted that drugs are taken against the headaches and whether they have ever helped. "Seldom do not patients take pain medication, which they say they no longer really help," says Kolbatz.
developed a chronic headache, the only cure for strict administration pause of about 8 to 10 days, "is about 80 percent of the patients better afterwards," says Kolbatz. The actual migraine attacks occur less frequently. However, patients must cope with the fact that they are in the first days withdrawal even more headaches than usual
Anyone who feels strongly enough, a break to try drugs or outpatient basis, taking the morning's first pain pill, gradually pull further and further out. Latter which are, for example, already has relapsed recommends Kolbatz hospitalization. In this typical migraine-associated symptoms such as nausea and vomiting may be relieved by infusions. Could the pain with cortisone treatment during withdrawal. In some cases, antidepressants are also prescribed to facilitate the withdrawal, says professor Peter Kropp, psychotherapist at the University of Rostock and Secretary General of DMKG.
order it at all not to let come to that, should address their migraine patients with non-drug alternatives. "This can also Fakir - Contribute methods," says Kolbatz.Die migraine prophylaxis provides, amongst other new medications such as beta-blockers also relaxation techniques. These include progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback or cognitive behavioral therapy. This
learn the interested parties to focus on specific body signals, says Kropp. "You have in mind is sharpened to ensure that they can perform certain signals." Relaxation techniques have migraine patients in pain-free Stages of practice. According to studies, sports and endurance helps. "Sport leads to a reduction of migraine attacks by 40 to 50 percent."
ways for stress management and behavior therapy but are an important component in migraine prophylaxis. "For the typical migraine patient is a perfectionist who tries hard to avoid mistakes," said Kropp. Therefore, techniques for relaxation and self-awareness are so important. He believes that patients can reduce the number of migraine attacks with the right medication. "You can cure migraine is not, but deal in any case."
This hope has the patient by Ulrike Bingel: The 37-year-old mother is after her last withdrawal of alternatives. "I want to actually take any medication," she says. Instead, they want to get their headaches with relaxation under control.
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AURORA is a appear short prequel for the AION-novels, the first volume of "Children Of The Sun" in February 2008 in Ravensburg Book publishing is. The story is set in the same universe and plays a few months before the events of the first AION band, or about the year 2129th However, the reader meets the protagonist AURORA - if any - again in a later volume. 
