Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Migraines: Why Don’t Painkillers Work Anymore?

Living under constant stress, long hours of computer work, and anxiety have made headaches and back pain a daily norm for many Ukrainians. However, doctors warn: uncontrolled use of pills only masks the problem and drives the disease into a dead end. How to recognize dangerous symptoms and regain your quality of life?

This material was prepared by the team of the clinic <-block _nghost-ng-c18614069="" class="ng-star-inserted">neurologist in Khmelnytskyi https://www.nevrologbilan.in.ua/ Inna Bilan for those who seek to maintain their health and restore their quality of life. Modern man is accustomed to ignoring pain. We perceive it as an annoying obstacle that needs to be quickly eliminated in order to get back to work. Instead of looking for the cause, the hand automatically reaches for the medicine cabinet for another pill of ibuprofen or paracetamol.

However, the statistics are inexorable: more than 60% of patients who consult specialists with complaints of chronic pain already have complications due to self-medication. The nervous system is an extremely complex mechanism, and pain is its main signal that a malfunction has occurred. Ignoring this signal is not just harmful, but also dangerous.

The painkiller trap: What is overuse pain?

The biggest mistake that patients with regular headaches make is the constant use of analgesics. Neurologists around the world are sounding the alarm about the so-called "overuse" (ricochet) headache.

The mechanism of its occurrence is paradoxical: the more often you take headache pills (more than 10-15 days a month), the more the brain receptors lose their own ability to relieve pain. Over time, the medications themselves become the cause of new, even more severe attacks. It is almost impossible to break this vicious circle without the help of a qualified doctor.

“Red flags": When a visit to the doctor cannot be postponed

Most episodes of headache or discomfort in the neck are associated with muscle overstrain (the so-called tension pain). But there are symptoms that require immediate neurological examination:

• The pain has changed its character: it has become sharp, throbbing, unbearable ("as if hit in the head").
• The attacks are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, intolerance to bright light and loud sounds (typical signs of migraine).
• The pain radiates to the arm or leg, is accompanied by numbness of the limbs, muscle weakness or a feeling of "crawling ants".
• There are problems with coordination, dizziness, tinnitus or vision impairment.

Modern approach to treatment: More than just a prescription

Medicine has long since departed from Soviet standards, when the treatment of neurological problems was reduced to the appointment of ineffective "vascular droppers" or vitamins. Modern neurology is based on the principles of evidence-based medicine.

For residents of the city and region, European standards of treatment are available nearby. A professional neurologist in Khmelnytskyi, Dr. Inna Bilan, offers a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the nervous system.

What does the correct treatment protocol involve?

1. Accurate diagnosis: There is no such thing as a diagnosis of “vegetarian dystonia." The doctor finds out the real cause: whether it is a migraine, or a pinched nerve, or the consequences of COVID-19, or an anxiety disorder.
2. Individual therapy: Instead of a handful of pills “for everything," specific drugs are prescribed. For example, for the treatment of migraine today there are modern triptans and monoclonal antibodies that act in a targeted manner.
3. Blockades and local therapy: For acute back pain, drug blockades are used that relieve inflammation directly at the source of the pain.
4. Lifestyle correction: A neurologist helps to choose the right sleep regimen, ergonomics of the workplace and methods of dealing with stress.

Conclusion

Tolerating chronic pain is a crime against your own health. It exhausts your psyche, destroys your career and spoils relationships with loved ones. If headaches or back pain have become your constant companions, it’s time to give up self-medication.

Entrust your health to a specialist who uses modern methods of evidence-based medicine. You can get a consultation and make an appointment with Dr. Inna Bilan on the website and check out the prices: https://www.nevrologbilan.in.ua/price/.