1% Thursday – One way to cut down on Medications

This week, think about a new way to decrease the medications you’re taking.

This is a longer Thursday entry than usual, because I want to explain carefully.  This tip will only help a few of you, and you need to proceed with caution under the care of your doctor.  But for those few of you it helps, it really can make a big difference over time.

In last month’s edition of HeadWay we talked about the controversial topic of medication overuse headache (MOH), or rebound headache.  The idea behind MOH is that many symptoms can start to become more frequent when you’re taking too many drugs.

Of course, there are other issues with medications – side effects, for example, both long and short term.  I’m guessing most of us would rather take less, if we could do it without an increase in our symptoms.

There are many different philosophies going around about cutting down on medications.  Most medical professionals seem to feel that, if you’re in a cycle where you’re taking too much and you’re dealing with MOH, you need to discontinue the medication completely (at least for a time).  You may be put on other treatments or drugs, but that’s a topic for another day.

But sometimes it is possible to cut back, just a little, and improve your quality of life by doing so.  Or, at the very least, decrease the drugs you’re taking with a minimum of increase of symptoms.

Now please remember, you need to talk to your doctor about changing the amounts of drugs you’re taking.  This is especially important with prescription medication, and over the top critical with prescription preventative medication.  I am not telling you to change the medication you’re taking without talking to your doctor first.

With that disclaimer, here’s a simple way to try decreasing your abortive medication instead of the cold turkey method.  This is the medication you take when you feel an attack coming on.

If you can, try taking less medication (with your doctor’s permission) the next time you have an attack.  However, do not wait longer to take it.  A common mistake when you’re trying to cut down is simply to delay and delay taking something.  This more often leads to worse attacks, and more medication.

Instead, continue taking your abortive drug early in the attack, but take a little less.  Try that for a while, then maybe try even less.

This won’t work with everything, but it may work for you.  For example, some medications you can’t take less of – they won’t work.  But others you can.  If you’re taking 2 aspirin (a simple example), you could go to 1.5, and 1.  Sometimes we get so into the habit of 2 every time, we miss the fact that 1 in many cases may be sufficient.

Instead of taking 2 (of whatever), maybe take 1 and try sometime else too – some deep breathing, a walk, massage – whatever else helps you ward off an attack.

Over time, a little less of something really adds up to a lot.  You can save a lot of money, and a lot of wear and tear on your body.  But remember, it’s not always safe or wise to cut down this way – talk to your doctor first.

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better.  Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge.  Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!