Aspirin is First Line Treatment for Severe Headaches

According to a new report published in the journal Headache, aspirin should be used as the first line treatment before prescription drugs, even for severe headaches. Many doctors, including neurologists and headache specialists advocate the use of prescription drugs as the first line treatment if the pain is severe because of the assumption that over-the-counter medications (OTC) will not be effective in most patients. This is so-called stratified care – where milder headaches are treated with OTC drugs and if the pain is severe, a prescription drug is used right away. The three authors of the study (from Austria, Germany, and Norway) examined the results of clinical trials involving thousands of patients and concluded that even with severe headaches, there is never a need to start with a prescription medication because aspirin will work in a high percentage of patients. This finding is specific to aspirin and definitely does not apply to acetaminophen (Tylenol), which is the weakest (and not necessarily the safest) OTC medication.

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