Painkillers are a proven and popular remedy for headaches. Many throw it in at the first sign of a headache. However, there is a guideline you should stick to. Taking painkillers too often can itself lead to a headache called a medication-overuse headache (MÜK).

Signs of an ME may include having headaches more than 15 days a month, having headaches more and more often, or taking medication for headaches at least 10 days a month.

To avoid an ME, try to stick to the "10/20 rule": only take painkillers on a maximum of 10 days a month and refrain from taking them on 20 days a month.

Tip: For tension headaches, you can also massage peppermint oil on your forehead and temples. Studies have shown that 10% peppermint oil helps just as well as pain pills and produces similar effects in terms of efficacy, speed of onset, and pain intensity reduction. Compared to placebo treatment, pain is highly significantly reduced by peppermint oil. To achieve this, simply apply the oil to the painful areas (temples and forehead) and massage it in. Just give it a try!

The best way to understand your headaches is to observe them closely. When do they occur? How do they feel? How long do they last? What did you do immediately before? How much did you drink that day? How stressed are you right now? What did you eat beforehand? What measure helps you against the headache? Write down as much as you can, because the more you know, the better you can manage your headaches.

So that you don't have to remember everything, the headache calendar is a proven method to record everything important. You will develop an understanding of your triggers and your therapy strategies.

The best thing to do is to get the CampusPlus-Headache calendar, print it out and hang it on your refrigerator. Here you can enter all the important information and get a good overview. There are also apps that you can use to document your headaches.