International journal of clinical practice. Supplement
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Int J Clin Pract Suppl · Jan 2013
ReviewHeadache: insight, understanding, treatment and patient management.
Tension-type headache and migraine are the most frequent primary headaches. Diagnosis is based on the patient's history and a normal neurological examination. Most patients with these two headache entities treat headache episodes with over-the-counter analgesics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). ⋯ In patients with migraine who do not respond to analgesics or NSAIDs, triptans should be prescribed. Frequent primary headaches should not be treated with frequent intake of analgesics or triptans. In these cases, preventive therapy needs to be implemented.
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Fever and pain in children, especially associated with infections, such as otitis media, are very common. In paediatric populations, ibuprofen and paracetamol (acetaminophen) are both commonly used over-the-counter medicines for the management of fever or mild-to-moderate pain associated with sore throat, otitis media, toothache, earache and headache. Widespread use of ibuprofen and paracetamol has shown that they are both effective and generally well tolerated in the reduction in paediatric fever and pain. ⋯ However, in the overdose situation, the toxicity of paracetamol is not only reached much earlier, but is also more severe and more difficult to manage as compared with an overdose of ibuprofen. There is clearly a need for advanced studies to investigate the safety of these medications in paediatric populations of different ages and especially during prolonged use. Finally, the recently reported association between frequency and severity of asthma and paracetamol use needs urgent additional investigations.