Dealing with drug side effects

January 2004     View PDF     En español

Headache

The most common cause of headache is tension, something most people have at some point! Medications, including anti-HIV drugs, can also cause them. Headaches are mostly just a pain and can be eased by over-the-counter medications like aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium. They can also be helped, and prevented, by reducing stress.

Tips for headaches

• For on-the-spot headache relief: try resting in a quiet, dark room with your eyes closed; place cold washcloths over your eyes; massage the base of your skull with your thumbs and massage both temples gently; take hot baths.
• To prevent headaches from recurring: try to anticipate when pain will strike. Avoid or limit foods known to trigger headaches, especially caffeine (from coffee, tea, soft drinks or some medications), chocolate, red wine, citrus fruit (if more than ½ cup a day), food additives (like monosodium glutamate, or MSG), nuts, onions, hard cheese and vinegar.