{"id":1531,"date":"2023-03-03T17:26:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T17:26:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=1531"},"modified":"2023-03-03T17:26:50","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T17:26:50","slug":"when-rheumatoid-arthritis-gives-you-a-headache","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=1531","title":{"rendered":"When Rheumatoid Arthritis Gives You a Headache"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA)<\/a> and experience frequent headaches, you’re not alone. According to one study, published in the Journal of Headache and Pain<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> people with severe headaches known as migraines<\/a> were at least twice as likely to also have rheumatoid arthritis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And a study published in 2021 in the journal BMJ Open<\/em><\/a> found a bidirectional association between migraine and RA; that is, migraine increases the risk of RA and RA is associated with an increased risk of migraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headaches, not necessarily migraine, could also be a result of how RA affects your body. Rheumatologist<\/a> Eric Ruderman, MD<\/a>, a professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, notes that people with RA who have involvement of the cervical spine \u2014 the neck region \u2014 may have headaches related to RA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Headache?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The exact connection between RA and headache isn\u2019t clear, though it\u2019s believed that systemic inflammation plays a role, according to research<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 at least when it comes to migraine and RA. Researchers have also theorized that the underlying mechanism may have to do with dysfunction of the serotonergic system, which involves the neurotransmitter<\/a> serotonin<\/a>, according to a research review published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Managing Headaches and RA Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the best way to manage headache pain<\/a> when you have RA? Depending on your RA treatment<\/a> plan, you could already be taking what seems like a small pharmacy of medications. It is important to make sure that you avoid interactions between the medications<\/a> you take for RA and anything you want to take for a headache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you start popping aspirin<\/a>, ibuprofen<\/a>, or naproxen<\/a> [also known as an NSAID<\/a>] on top of a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug [also an NSAID], you are overdoing it,\u201d warns Dr. Ruderman. These medications can interact with each other and cause side effects that harm the kidneys and gastrointestinal<\/a> tract. He advises sticking with acetaminophen<\/a> for your average headache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For people experiencing migraine and RA, medications known as biologics can be safely used to treat both conditions, notes CreakyJoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other tips for responding to a headache when you have RA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n