I chose to enter this field more than 25 years ago because people with migraines and other severe headaches know how disabling they are and because I wanted to offer treatment that was multidisciplinary, that was more than stronger and stronger medication. The vast majority of headaches should not be treated with opioids or any other pain medications. It depends upon what kind of medicine you are taking, of course, but a good rule of thumb is not to take any pain medication more than two days in any week, and no more frequently than recommended on the label or as prescribed. If you need more medication to control pain, you should consult a physician. Overuse of acute medications can actually increase the frequency of your headaches. Headaches can be worsened by overusing off-the-shelf and prescription medications: analgesics, barbiturates, caffeine and ergotamine tartrate. The simple solution would be to stop overusing pain relievers. But it isn’t that easy. Most patients with analgesic rebound who have tried to stop overusing pain relievers have found that their headaches got worse before they got better. Their headaches typically became more intense within four to six hours after stopping the medication and were at their worst within one to two days. This worst period may last for two to three weeks. If this describes you and you have not already consulted a physician, now is the time.