I have seen many articles about rebound headache, all offer a lot of oppinions, but few facts.

None has ever offered an explenation of how simple analgesics such as ibuprofen would cause rebound headache, but not rebound backache, or rebound knee pain etc.

The lsit of medicatiosn that cause rebound seems quite variable, and there are no controled studies to back up the oppinions.

So, i dont buy it!

There are plenty of experts that "offer explanations" for this puzzling but very real condition. It starts when a person takes too much of the prescribed or otc medication, and then their body adapts and you may not realize you are dosing yourself too often and too much. You are now in a cycle. And people with tension, migraine, or transformed migraines are at greatest risk.
There are many reliable groups out there telling us to beware of rebound headaches, I for one believe them and use my meds as directed.

Lori

Lori, I get that, but why is it only headache pain, why does a person taking advil or tylenol for back ache, neck pain, period cramos etc, not get labled as having rebound pain?

That ius the bit that is never explained

I don't know why either, but they did tell me not to take BC or Advil more than three days in a week. I could alternate them as long as I did not take more than three days each. These were always my first line of attack for the headaches that many times turned into migraines. If they don't work, I try Maxalt sublinguals or Imitrex injections, but can't do both in one day. Next comes the pain meds as a "rescue" drug.

I got rebound headaches before from pain medicine.

When I was on high doses of Prednisone for a while for respiratory issues I was having, when the doctor started weaning me down I got severe rebound knee and ankle joint pain. Once my body got used to not getting all the prednisone the rebound pain I had in my knees and ankles stopped.

I hate rebound headaches and pain. I don't know why they say just rebound headache and not rebound pain either.