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Next Steps

Prevention

Headaches can be annoying and even debilitating. You should make an effort to identify any behaviors that may trigger or contribute to your headache pattern.

• Any pain medication taken on a long-term basis can cause headache when suddenly stopped. This is called rebound or withdrawal headache. If you take more medication to relieve the pain, the headache-rebound-headache cycle continues.
  
  
• Caffeine withdrawal can cause mild headache. Options are to avoid caffeine entirely or to continue moderate use to avoid withdrawal. If you choose to stop chronic caffeine use and get caffeine withdrawal headaches, they should last no more than a few days.
  
  
• Alcohol use can cause headache and dehydration especially after consumption of large quantities (binge drinking). One way to try to stop the "hangover" headache from occasional binge drinking is to take 1000 milligrams of acetaminophen and drink a large quantity of fluids before going to sleep.
  
  
• Nicotine in tobacco products has been shown to cause headache. Avoiding these products may decrease the number of headaches as well as greatly improve overall health.
  
  
• For stress-induced headache various forms of stress reduction can be helpful as can biofeedback and meditation.