Intramural call to promote research IIS Aragón 2022
18 April 2022
Graphene to fight infections: "If we can 'hear' a bacteria we can know if it is alive or dead"
19 April 2022
The pharmacist from the Healthcare Services Area of the General Council of Official Colleges of Pharmacists has warned of the appearance of this new type of headache.
The pharmacist of the Healthcare Services Area of the General Council of Official Colleges of Pharmacists (CGCOF), Tamara Peiró, has warned of the appearance of a new type of headache, the one caused by excessive use of symptomatic medication (CUEM).
"It is a secondary headache that appears due to the worsening of a previous type of headache", explained Peiró. As he warned, almost 4 percent of the world's population consumes excessive painkillers and, in some cases, medication abuse is what increases the frequency of headaches. In others, the habitual use of medication is a reflection of the recurrent headache.
For this reason, beyond the discontinuation of drugs that cause CUEM, the pharmaceutical company has insisted on the importance of patient information and education to adequately address this problem; as well as providing pharmacological and non-pharmacological preventive treatment. "It is also important to rebound headache treatment and withdrawal symptoms and monitoring of the patient at risk of recurrence," argued Peiró.
Lack of adherence in patients with migraine
Although, as the expert has repeated, The most common symptomatic treatment for patients with headaches is analgesics, Being the ibuprofen the most prescribed, when these become moderate o serious (that is, if more than 3 occur per month) other preventive drugs are introduced, such as antiepileptics or antidepressants, among others.
"In these cases, The patient has to take them every day, not wait until it hurts, and they begin to take effect two or three weeks after starting to take it," explained the pharmacist from the Care Services Area of the CGCOF, who has warned of the lack of adherence to this type of treatment.
Firstly, this lack of adherence is due to "perceptual barriers", Peiró stated, which include the fear of adverse reactions to treatment, the fear of taking antidepressants or simply not following the treatment.
To avoid these cases, the role of the Pharmacy is essential. "The pharmacist must reduce concerns regarding adverse reactions, explaining that the frequency is usually low. Regarding the fear of taking antidepressants, it is necessary to insist that they are safe drugs and that preventive therapy in chronic headaches is essential and manages to reduce the number of attacks," defended Peiró.
Finally, he has praised the importance of the informative and training work of this professional, which must highlight to the patient the need for treatment even in the absence of symptoms and the importance of taking medications to achieve clinical goals.
On the other hand, the expert has mentioned the practical barriers that make adherence to treatment difficult, namely: forgetfulness, the difficulty of use (novel pharmaceutical forms) and a high number of daily tablets, with complex dosing schedules or polypharmacy.
For those forgotten, the pharmaceutical company advocates link drinking to a daily activity and provide the patient with a medication sheet or calendar. It might also be helpful to propose an alarm or pattern management app. To address the difficulty of using the drug, it is necessary "do not assume that the patient knows how to use the medication and explain its management". Finally, an organization of the intakes is necessary so that following the treatment is not so complicated.
When to refer to a doctor
On the other hand, the CGCOF has reminded when a patient with a migraine should be sent to the doctor. First of all, they advocate pay attention to the intensity and frequency of seizures, whether it is unilateral and resistant to treatment. It is also important to pay attention to whether there is a recent worsening of chronic headache.
It is also necessary to refer to a doctor when migraine manifests itself with epileptic seizures, neurological focality, progressive psychological alteration, fever and/or neck stiffness, unexplained nausea and vomiting. Other worrying factors aren if the headache wakes the patient up at night and if it has a sudden onset, especially in people over 50, and lasts between 4 and 5 days.
To avoid crisis episodes, pharmacists recommend follow a balanced diet, avoiding some foods such as caffeine or ultra-processed foods, that are rich in glutamate, as is the case with chocolate or cured cheese; as well as alcohol consumption. "In addition, fasting or restrictive diets will also make headaches worse," Peiró has warned.
Other tips are to carry out moderate physical activity and take care of your body posture; control stress through relaxation techniques; sleep well and have quality rest; use sun protection glasses if symptoms are aggravated by light; avoid places with a lot of noise and very strong smells; do not abuse painkillers or self-medicate; Consult the dentist if you suffer from bruxism, and check your vision periodically.
Source: Heraldo de Aragón
