Medication overuse calculator
Too much pain medication can keep headaches going. Enter how many days a month you take it: the calculator compares them with the thresholds neurologists use.
This calculator is not a diagnosis. It helps you see more clearly and prepare for an appointment. If in doubt, talk to your doctor.
Your result
Enter your medication days to see where you stand.
Let Mellow do the counting
Log each attack and each medication in two taps. Mellow counts your medication days and prepares a PDF report for your doctor.
The thresholds, drug by drug
The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) defines medication overuse headache as headache on at least 15 days a month in someone who already has migraine or another headache disorder, with regular use of acute medication above these thresholds for more than 3 months.
| Medication | Overuse threshold |
|---|---|
| Acetaminophen (paracetamol) | 15 days a month or more |
| Anti-inflammatories and aspirin (ibuprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen…) | 15 days a month or more |
| Triptans (sumatriptan, rizatriptan, zolmitriptan…) | 10 days a month or more |
| Combination painkillers (with codeine or caffeine…) and opioids (tramadol, codeine…) | 10 days a month or more |
| Several of these classes, none above its own threshold | 10 days a month or more in total |
These thresholds count days, not pills: a day when you take two pills, or two different drugs, counts as one day.
What to do if you are above a threshold?
Don't stop everything at once on your own. Talk to your doctor: they will help you cut down gradually, often with a preventive treatment to get through it.
The good news: for many people, headaches clearly improve once medication days drop back below the thresholds, usually within a few weeks to a few months.
To keep track of your medication days through the month, use the printable migraine diary.
Frequently asked questions
Do I count days or pills?
Days. A day when you take two pills, or two different drugs, counts as one day.
Do preventive treatments count?
No. Only acute medication, taken to ease the pain, counts. Preventive treatments taken every day to prevent attacks do not.
Does this calculator give a diagnosis?
No. It compares your answers with the medical thresholds to help you talk to your doctor. Only a doctor can confirm medication overuse headache.
