Painkillers are the main cause of chronic headaches, according to a study presented on Thursday.
Dutch neurologist Natalie Wiendels says the vast majority of people who suffer from chronic headaches take too many painkillers. ( dpa )
In her PhD thesis presented at the University of Leiden, Wiendels said the government should oblige all pain medication manufacturers to print a warning on the packaging that painkillers cause headaches.
Wiendels defines chronic headaches as pains that occur more than 14 times per month for at least three consecutive months.
Some 4 per cent of Dutch nationals suffer from chronic headaches. Wiendels says most people who take painkillers, eventually become addicted to them. If they stopped taking the medication, their headaches would lessen, Wiendels says.