Does Aspirin Help With Headaches?

23 Dec 2021

Aspirin is a group of salicylate acid and classified into Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. That is used to treat fever, pain, and any inflammation in our body.

Moreover, it is an OTC medication. OTC (over-the-counter) means the prescription is unnecessary to buy this drug you can even buy Aspirin online from an online pharmacy (Patrono, C., 2001. Aspirin).

How does Aspirin help with Headaches and Migraines?

Aspirin is a drug that can control the prostaglandin hormone level; having a high level of prostaglandin level leads to an increase in pain, fever, and inflammation.

So the drug aspirin is helpful to reduce prostaglandin levels. The drug inhibits the chemical reaction in our body and serves as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic drug (Aspirin for acute treatment of episodic tension‐type headache in adults).

Scientific study on the efficacy of Aspirin

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled research looked at the efficacy of a single 1000-mg dose of Aspirin for treating acute moderate to severe migraine with or without aura. 409 of the 485 participants took study medicine, and 401 had a verified migraine attack (201 with Aspirin and 200 with placebo).

At 2 hours, 20% of aspirin-treated subjects were pain-free, compared to only 6% of placebo-treated subjects. The rate of headache recurrence was 21.8 percent for Aspirin (23 of 105 patients) and 27.7% for placebo after 24 hours (19 of 68 subjects).

At 24 hours, only 34% of aspirin-treated participants required rescue medication, compared to 52% of placebo-treated subjects. Aspirin was well tolerated, with no significant differences in adverse events between groups (Efficacy and safety of aspirin, and caffeine in alleviating migraine headache pain).

Dosage for headaches

When you have a severe headache, immediately reach out to your doctor based on your pain and frequency.

900 – 1300 mg used for onset use of headache.
81 – 325 mg used for daily usage of headache.

Forms and Strengths of Aspirin

Aspirin is available in a range of forms and strengths, such as:

Tablet - 81 mg, 325 mg, 500 mg
Tablet, delayed-release - 162mg, 325mg, 500mg
Tablet, chewable - 75mg, 81mg
Tablet, enteric-coated - 81mg, 162mg, 325mg, 650mg
Gum, chewing, oral - 227mg
The extended-release capsule - 162.5mg

Common side effects

Aspirin also has some side effects, so it is necessary to talk to the doctor about the dosage and frequency of the drug before taking medicine. It is not recommended for children under 16 years.