The title of a video I came across on YouTube is “Headache Stay Gone Cures and Prevents Migraines.” After I watched the video, I visited their web site.
Their web site brazenly promises:
- “Headache Stay Gone will cure your headaches; even migraines and end your nightmare.”
- “Headache Stay Gone is formulated using all-natural herbs and vitamins. To date; we know of no side effects after thousands have taken Headache Stay Gone.
- “Headache Stay Gone has been on the market since May 2006 and was used by people who chose to try it even before that; for a couple of years. We have NEVER heard of even one Headache Stay Gone customer having a problem taking Headache Stay Gone when he or she was taking prescription drugs.”
- “Even migraines are cured. After you have been headache free for 3 months, you can stop taking Headache Stay Gone and still be headache free. “
Pretty bold statements, and there’s nothing on their site other than “testimonials” to back their claims. No study results or anything like that.
A glance at the ingredients makes me wish this was believable:
- rosemary
- peppermint
- ginger mint
- blue vervain
- slippery elm
- nettles
- meadowsweet
- basil
- hops
- white willow bark
Those ingredients look so “natural,” so “safe.” And that’s a problem. These “natural” substances are durgs, but since this type of prroduct is so looselly regulated by the FDA, they can get away with making these claims.
I didn’t take time to look up all the ingredients, but here’s what I found out about a few of them:
White willow bark:
“Because willow bark contains salicin, people who are allergic or sensitive to salicylates (such as aspirin) should not use willow bark. Some researchers suggest that people with asthma, diabetes, gout, gastritis, hemophilia, and stomach ulcers should also avoid willow bark. If you have any of these conditions, take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) regularly or blood-thinning medication, be sure to consult your health care provider before taking willow bark. Willow bark should not given to children under the age of 16.”
Side Effects
“Side effects tend to be mild. However, gastrointestinal irritation and ulcers are potentially associated with all compounds containing salicylates. Overdoses of willow bark may cause skin rash, stomach inflammation/irritation, nausea, vomiting, kidney inflammation, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).”“Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Salicylates are not recommended during pregnancy, so pregnant and breastfeeding women should not take willow bark.”“Interactions and Depletions
Because willow bark contains salicylates, it has the potential to interact with a number of drugs and herbs. Talk to your doctor before taking willow bark if you take any other medications, herbs, or supplements.”“Willow bark may interact with any of the following:
- Anticoagulants (blood-thinning medications) — Willow bark may strengthen the effects of drugs and herbs with blood-thinning properties.
- Beta blockers — including Atenolol (Tenormin), Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol-XL), Propranolol (Inderal, Inderal LA). Willow bark may reduce the effectiveness of these drugs.
- Diuretics (water pills) — Willow bark may reduce the effectiveness of these drugs.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs — including ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve). Taking willow bark with these drugs may increase risk of stomach bleeding.
- Methotrexate and phenytoin (Dilantin) — Willow may increase levels of these drugs in the body, resulting in toxic levels.
(Drugdigest.org)”
Hops:
“Although Hops has sedative effects it is not recommended for administration to infants and children. Individuals who suffer from major depression or who use medication for insomnia or anxiety such as: carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, alprazolam, diazepam, Ambien, diphenhydramine, doxepin and nortriptyline are advised to avoid taking hops due to it sedative properties as well.”
“Because Hops has diuretic properties which may affect certain enzymes in the liver, individuals using prescription drugs such as Allegra, Sporanox and Nizoral, etoposide, paclitaxel, vinblastine , lovastatin and oral contraceptives should contact their health care provider before start using Hops. Combining Hops with other sedative herbs such as: Catnip, St. John’s Wort, Valerian, or Kava Kava may result in excessive sedation.”
(University of Maryland Medical Center)
Meadowsweet:
“When should I be careful taking it?
Meadowsweet has been shown to cause tightening of the air passages in the lungs. Such tightening–known as a bronchospasm–can cause or worsen an asthma attack. Therefore, individuals with asthma should avoid using meadowsweet.”“Because of its aspirin-like component, meadowsweet should not be given to children. Although no cases involving meadowsweet have been reported, aspirin may cause a rare but potentially dangerous condition called Reye’s syndrome in children. Reye’s syndrome usually develops as a patient is recovering from a viral illness such as flu or chickenpox. The first signs of Reye’s syndrome include intense vomiting and drowsiness. Behavior changes, confusion, seizures, and coma may follow.”
“Individuals with allergies to aspirin or sulfites should also avoid taking meadowsweet due to its similarities to aspirin.”
“In animal studies, meadowsweet showed a slight possibility of causing uterine contractions, therefore women who are pregnant should avoid taking meadowsweet.”
“Some laboratory studies appear to show that meadowsweet flowers and seeds (which not usually included in medicine) contain a chemical similar to heparin, a drug used to prevent blood clotting. The salicylate component found in meadowsweet may also have some inhibiting effect on blood clotting. Individuals with disorders of blood clotting should avoid using meadowsweet.”
(Drugdigest.org)
So…
- There’s no proof that Headahe Stay Gone can “cure” headaches and Migraines.
- They claim not to know of any side effects, yet there are clearly possible side effects for some if not all of the ingredients.
- They claim not to have heard of even one drug interaction, yet there are clearly possible interactions.
Shouldn’t they have to reveal possible side effects and interactions. I certainly think so. How do they get away with not doing it? Well, that’s a question for the FDA.
Best,
Arabella
A clear example that “natural” doesn’t mean harmless!
One note: the manufacturers might claim that the peppermint and slippery elm counteract some of the other herbs’ intestinal side effects, but nothing counteracts an allergic reaction to the salicin and aspirin-like components of the white willow bark and meadowsweet.
A health food store manager (whose shop has since gone out of business) once told me to go ahead! Take white willow bark! It’s the only safe alternative for people with aspirin allergy!
This might be useful as a headache/migraine management supplement for someone in whom the ingredients aren’t otherwise contraindicated, but it sure ain’t no cure.
And I wouldn’t take it because aspirin gives me asthma attacks.
[…] unknown wrote an interesting post today onHeadache Stay Gone Claims Cure and NO Side Effects « Migraine TruthHere’s a quick excerptMulti-level marketing of MonaVie. • No More Headaches G.S. Coles. Seems to specialize in tearing down other people’s work rather than proving his own theory. • pulse4theheart.com Jessica & Daryl Woods. Multi-level marketing of MonaVie. … […]
Willow bark should not be taken by anyone with kidney problems. I have 33% loss of renal function & my nephrologist said NSAIDs are verboten! Only exception is ONE adult aspirin per day because I have history of thrombophlebitis. Medicinal herbs are drugs & one should use them only after the same careful research one would do for a prescription drug. Rare is the drug, herbal or man-made, that has minimal side effects. Some herbs can interact with other herbs & pharmaceuticals. That said, I do use several herbs (most for safe alternative to NSAIDs & for eye health) ~ only those recommended or approved by my neurologist & internist.
Just an observation, not really a comment. Why are the people in the “testimonials” and the rest of the “commercial” all wearing bathing suits? And why are they all like model thin and on the beach? Is that supposed to imply that since your headache is gone, you’re no longer photophobic and can go to the beach? No… I don’t think so. I don’t think they put THAT much thought into it. Just the beautiful women selling stuff old deal. If I wanted a bathing suit ad, I’d go to Speedo.
And of course, you’re right about the ingredients, but other people have commented on that. I just thought I’d add my 2 cents on their “wonderful” sales technique advertisement.
Cheers,
Jamie
If they use willow bark, far from permanently curing headache and Migraine, they could very well be causing medication overuse headaches!
You do not need to exploit women in their skimpy bathing suits to advertise YOUR PRODUCT. I hate the fact, when I am looking at a site about medications and their side effects other sites attached has to be there too and exploiting women like their objects and showing their breasts and showing people having sex. This is why the world is sick and there is so many child & women abductions, child molesters & rapists & murderers & SEXUAL DISEASES because internet has to show PORNOGRAPHY AND PEOPLE HAVING SEX ON SITES when we are innocently looking for information about MEDICATIONS & ITS SIDE EFFECTS. I hate the internet and people and their sick porn and exploitions. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I wish that people would be more descreet like in the old days 1930’s instead of being immoral and TRASHY in exploitation on the internet. Things like this causes people to go SICK & MURDER PEOPLE. After ALL “WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?” CERTAINLY NOT EXPLOITING WOMEN & PORNOGRAPHY child teenagers fucking and WITH TRASH SUCH AS ALL INTERNET PORN SEX & EXPLOITING WOMEN LIKE WE ARE OBJECTS…..THE INTERNET IS A VERY SICK PLACE IN THIS DAM BOX MONITOR SCREET WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. TRASH
Anna,
Please bear in mind that I didn’t p0ost the “trash” you’re talking about. I’m glad you felt free to speak you mind here, but telling me won’t help. Did you also post these comments on the sites that offended you? If not, I hope you will. THEY need to see them.
Best,
Arabella
As a trained herbal practitioner, I can tell you that this herbal “remedy” may help with your nausea but do little else. The White Willow Bark is what aspirin was originally derived from — so it, quite honestly, will do little for your migraine pain.
I’m surprised that the two herbs most implicated in migraine prevention are not even in the blend — feverfew and butterbur.
I have also suffered from migraines for 30 years — undiagnosed/misdiagnosed for 25 of those years. I now have what’s called “Transformed Daily Migraine” which has disabled me for the last 5 years.
Until I started using Butterbur (Petadolex), I was having up to 25+ severe migraines every month. Now that I’m on Butterbur (Petadolex caps, 150 mg/day), I am seeing excellent results — frequency of severe migraines has reduced to 2-4 days per month. I still get “mild” migraines for 15 days or so, but can function so much better and I actually am having some migraine-free days now.
The video turned me completely off for
one thing. It just kept on repeating
the same thing over and over and
over. Now I love woman but what
does one in a bathing suit repeating
themselves over,and over non stop
have to do for your headache?
To be honest it caused a headache
for me.
anyone who trusts the safety of their health to the FDA, AMA, or pharmaceutical companies is fooling themselves. There’s a revolving door of opportunity and kickbacks between them. Go to your Dr, take your drugs. Yeah, you’re really safe.