Will painkillers harm me?
Apr 23, 2013
I am aged 29 and I have never had serious sickness, until about a year ago. I developed a chronic headache, which bothers me a lot. My doctor carried out several tests including; malaria, Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS, in vain.
Q Dear Doctor,
I am aged 29 and I have never had serious sickness, until about a year ago. I developed a chronic headache, which bothers me a lot. My doctor carried out several tests including; malaria, Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS, in vain.
My blood pressure, too, is normal. The doctor says I could be having tension headaches.
A while back, he advised me to reduce my workload at the office and stress, but despite doing this, my condition has not changed. This headache starts at about 11:00am every day and gets worse by the end of the day. I take a painkiller to ease the pain. I cannot stand bright light or noise, as this worsens the headache.
I have tried different kinds of painkillers, including Paracetamol, Ibrufene, Diclofenach and Headex, but they do not relieve the pain. The only painkiller that works is Action. Won’t I develop other complications by constantly taking the painkiller? What should I do?
Alfred
A Dear Alfred,
This pain cannot be ignored because headache usually signals something serious. If blood pressure tests, Hepatitis and HIV/AIDS tests point to nothing, it is advisable that you continue seeing a doctor for more tests. Are you stressed?
Could there be something bothering you that is causing a lot of anxiety, thus resulting in headache. Consult a doctor for an explanation and diagnosis on the possible causes.
Headache is a symptom of a number of medical conditions. Taking some tests may help to rule out many of these. Dealing with the underlying medical condition is the best way to deal with headache.
Taking a lot of painkillers though, is not good as they will cease to be effective. Meanwhile, drink a lot of water and stay away from over-the-counter medication as it may harm your liver and kidney.