Via practica 4/2006

Headache as an adverse drug effect

Headache is a very frequent adverse drug effect. In both domestic and foreign databases headache belongs to one of the most often reported adverse drug reactions and it continues to have an increasing trend. The aim of this article is to report the incidence, discuss the mechanisms of origin, and outline the possible prevention of this drug-induced symptom. It occurs mainly after the use of vasodilators, chemotherapeutics, antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Of special concern is the analgesic headache which may be observed during an excessive treatment with drugs that should primarily relieve this pain. In case headache occurs without a pathophysiologic background, a physician should consider the possibility of drug-induced headache and inform the patient adequately.

Keywords: drug-induced headache, adverse drug effect, analgesic headache.