Two over-the-counter medicines that many headache and migraine sufferers rely on, Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine, will be hard to find in the coming days.
According to a statement from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the company that makes the drugs, production and distribution have been temporarily halted because of “inconsistencies in how we transfer and weigh ingredients.”
These inconsistencies were uncovered during routine quality control and assurance measures, according to a statement the company made to CNN. The products include Excedrin Extra Strength Caplets and Geltabs and Excedrin Migraine Caplets and Geltabs.
GSK has voluntarily taken the measures to suspend production and distribution as a precaution. Based on the available data, they do not believe the products pose a safety risk to consumers, according to a company spokesperson in an email to Everyday Health.
Still, that’s little consolation to people who have come to rely on these products to relieve pain.
“Millions of migraine sufferers use Excedrin, which is a combination of commonly available acetaminophen, aspirin, and the stimulant caffeine, which so many people consume in their coffee every day and in chocolate,” says Nauman Tariq, MBBS, associate professor and director of Johns Hopkins Headache Center in Baltimore. “Halting its production, although temporarily, will increase the anxiety and frustration in people with migraines.”
Patient advocate Paula K. Dumas, founder, CEO, and managing editor of MigraineAgain.com, agrees.
"Many people with migraine consider Excedrin Migraine to be a 'first-line' treatment. They'll take it first and hope it knocks out the pain before using a more sedating medication," says Dumas. "Running out will only boost anxiety levels, which can make migraine attacks even worse."
No Excedrin Available? What Do You Do?
The company views this halt as a “short-term issue,” and production is expected to begin again shortly. But there is no definite date as to when that will happen, according to the GSK spokesperson.
Excedrin Extra Strength is used for temporary pain relief due to headaches, arthritis, and muscle aches; and Excedrin Migraine claims to help relieve pain in as little as 30 minutes.
Other Excedrin products are still available. These include Excedrin Tension Headache, which does not contain aspirin, and Excedrin PM, which also contains a sleep aid.
For many migraine and headache sufferers, Excedrin is their go-to medication. “If I was to buy a different brand, it doesn’t even touch it. I haven’t seen it empty like this [on store shelves]. It’s kind of scary,” Excedrin-user Ashleigh Eldred told ABC-affiliate WSYR. “If I have a migraine attack, I’m not sure, if I was to not have any on me, what I would do.”
Eldred is not alone. “Excedrin is a very effective drug that people really like,” says Natalia Murinova, MD, neurologist with UW Medicine in Seattle. “It’s great if it’s used sparingly, which means not more than four to six days per month. If someone has headaches one or two days per week, Excedrin is safe and effective.”
RELATED: A Personal Battle With Chronic Pain Gives Rise to MigraineAgain.com
Dr. Tariq points out that consumers have options. “Migraine patients who respond well to Excedrin can easily make a combination of separately available aspirin close to 250 mg strength, acetaminophen [brand name Tylenol close to 250 mg strength], and add a small cup of coffee, which should contain close to 65 mg of caffeine,” he says.
Excedrin Overuse: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Excedrin is one of the top drugs people use on their own, but it can lead to trouble with overuse, says Dr. Murinova. “This is a drug that, if people are taking it 10 days a month or more, they can get into a condition called medication overuse headache,” she says. “If a person is treating three or more headaches a week with Excedrin and have stress, they could very easily be causing themselves to have more headaches.”
In addition to more headaches, long-term use of Excedrin or a “replacement combination” on a frequent basis can also result in damage to kidneys, liver, and stomach, according to Tariq. Patients who take Excedrin or combine drugs as a replacement for Excedrin should not use them frequently, he adds.
Migraines: A Disabling Illness
The World Health Organization (WHO) named migraine as one of the 10 most disabling illnesses. Along with the pain of a migraine, many patients live in fear of the next attack, known as cephalalgiaphobia.
“Typical best practice convention among headache specialists is to prescribe a ‘backup rescue or abortive drug’ to patients,” says Tariq. “In case the first-line drug fails to help or if it’s not available, patients can use a second-line drug.”
There are different types of drugs available to help treat migraines. Some examples include:
- Triptans, which work by constricting specific blood vessels that help block pain pathways in the brain
- Dihydroergotamine (DHE), which helps narrow the blood vessels around the brain and is typically used to treat migraine pain that persists for two or more days
- Gepants, which inhibit the protein calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). Ubrelvy (ubrogepant), the first gepant approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), should be available later this year.
Migraine sufferers who need an alternative or additional treatment should talk to their doctor, neurologist, or a headache specialist about these medication options, says Tariq.
Although it might be challenging for patients to be without Excedrin, it could be a good time to step back and look at the root causes of their migraines, especially if they are having more than one a week, says Murinova.
“For the majority of people, the headache is primary, meaning it’s not a brain tumor. It’s their brain giving them the alarm because they’re stressed, sleep deprived, not getting adequate nutrition, or a combination of those factors and more,” she says. “This could be an opportunity to explore ways to take good care of yourself and take a look at other options to help with headaches.”