{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "kind": "condition",
  "id": "tension-headache",
  "name": "Tension-type headache",
  "category": "chronic",
  "sources": "Egyptian National Drug Formulary - Nervous System Disorders 2025 · StatPearls: Ibuprofen (NCBI Bookshelf NBK542299) · Ibuprofen 400mg Tablets SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 1548) · Muscle Contraction Tension Headache - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (NBK562274) - the article states the dose, titration and course for this indication",
  "review_status": "reviewed",
  "verified_against": "Egyptian National Drug Formulary - Nervous System Disorders 2025 · Ibuprofen 400mg Tablets SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 1548) · Muscle Contraction Tension Headache - disease-level clinical article (tension-headache-full.txt) · Tension-type headache - disease-level clinical article (tension-headache-clinical.txt)",
  "verified_date": "2026-08",
  "treatments": [
    {
      "id": 1701,
      "generic": "Paracetamol",
      "line": 1,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": "oral.solid",
      "strength_mg": 500.0,
      "adult_dose": "500-1000 mg orally every 4-6 hours (max 4 g/day)",
      "adult_duration": "as required",
      "dose_source": "Egyptian National Drug Formulary - Nervous System Disorders 2025",
      "rationale": "Simple analgesic alternative to NSAIDs for tension-type headache, preferred when NSAIDs are unsuitable, such as in pregnancy or in patients with gastrointestinal or renal risk.",
      "cautions": [
        "Preferred over an NSAID where there is gastrointestinal or renal risk. On pregnancy MSF Essential Drugs 2024 is explicit: it records no contra-indication.",
        "Strictly adhere to 4 g daily limit to avoid severe liver toxicity.",
        "Check all co-formulated products for hidden paracetamol content.",
        "500 mg is the per-dose ceiling used here for a child. 1000 mg is the adult dose and does not belong in a weight calculation - the daily 60 mg/kg limit is the one that binds first in any case."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": 15.0,
      "peds_mgkg_high": 15.0,
      "peds_max_mg": 500.0,
      "peds_basis": "dose",
      "peds_unit": "mg",
      "peds_note": "15 mg/kg per dose every 4-6 hours (max 60 mg/kg/day)",
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": [
        {
          "weight_kg": 10,
          "low_mg": 150,
          "high_mg": 150,
          "capped": false
        },
        {
          "weight_kg": 20,
          "low_mg": 300,
          "high_mg": 300,
          "capped": false
        },
        {
          "weight_kg": 30,
          "low_mg": 450,
          "high_mg": 450,
          "capped": false
        },
        {
          "weight_kg": 40,
          "low_mg": 500,
          "high_mg": 500,
          "capped": true
        }
      ],
      "brands": [
        {
          "trade_name": "FEBRIMOL 500 MG 20 TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "PHARCO",
          "price_egp": 3.5,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 0.17,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "CETAMOL 500 MG 20 TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MEMPHIS",
          "price_egp": 8.0,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 0.4,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "PARACETAMOL-MUP 500MG B.P. 20 TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MUP",
          "price_egp": 13.0,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 0.65,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "CETAL 500 MG 20 TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "EIPICO",
          "price_egp": 24.0,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 1.2,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "ARKADOLOW 500 MG 30 F.C. TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "UTOPIA",
          "price_egp": 42.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 1.4,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "PARAMOL 500MG 20 TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "MISR",
          "price_egp": 38.0,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 1.9,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "ADOL 500MG 24 CAPLETS",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "JULPHAR",
          "price_egp": 32.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "AUGICETAMIDE 500 MG 20 SACHETS",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "AUG PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 50.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 500.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "FEBRIMOL ORAL DROPS 20 ML",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "PHARCO",
          "price_egp": 4.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": null,
          "exact_strength": false,
          "exact_form": false,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "THERA-LO 3.2G/100ML ORAL SUSP. 100 ML",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "PHAROPHARMA",
          "price_egp": 5.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 3200.0,
          "exact_strength": false,
          "exact_form": false,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        }
      ],
      "condition_id": "tension-headache"
    },
    {
      "id": 1702,
      "generic": "Ibuprofen",
      "line": 1,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": "oral.solid",
      "strength_mg": 400.0,
      "adult_dose": "400 mg orally at onset of headache, repeat every 6-8 hours if needed (max 1.2 g/day OTC)",
      "adult_duration": null,
      "dose_source": "Ibuprofen 400mg Tablets SmPC section 4.2 Posology and method of administration (eMC product 1548)",
      "rationale": "NSAID taken at headache onset to relieve pain via COX-mediated prostaglandin inhibition; a standard option for tension-type headache, used with caution against overuse.",
      "cautions": [
        "WARN AGAINST MEDICATION OVERUSE HEADACHE (limit simple NSAIDs/paracetamol to <15 days/month).",
        "Take with food to minimize GI discomfort.",
        "Avoid in active GI bleeding or severe asthma.",
        "The 400 mg per-dose ceiling comes from the reference literature, not from the suspension label - that label's largest paediatric single dose is 200 mg. Below about 40 kg the weight calculation binds first and the ceiling never comes into it."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": "Not suitable for children under 12 years.",
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [
        {
          "trade_name": "DAJUANOFEN 400 MG 20 F.C. TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "COPAD PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 5.0,
          "pack_count": 20,
          "unit_price": 0.25,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "FLABU 400MG 10 F.C.TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "DELTA PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 3.75,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 0.38,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "NOVA-PROFEN 400MG 30 F.C. TABLETS",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "SANOFI",
          "price_egp": 12.75,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 0.42,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "IBUPROFEN 400 MG 10 TAB.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "SEDICO",
          "price_egp": 6.0,
          "pack_count": 10,
          "unit_price": 0.6,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "MAFO 400 MG  30 F.C.TABS",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "EIPICO",
          "price_egp": 42.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 1.4,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "BRUFEN 400 MG 30 TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "KAHIRA > ABBOTT LABORATORIES",
          "price_egp": 78.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 2.6,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "PROFUSOL 400MG 20 S.G CAPS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "EUROPEAN EGYPTIAN PHARM. IND.",
          "price_egp": 31.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "ANALGIPROF 400 MG 25 SACHETS",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "EVA PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 37.5,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 400.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "NOVA-PROFEN  100MG/5ML ORAL SUSP. 100ML",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "SANOFI",
          "price_egp": 2.25,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 100.0,
          "exact_strength": false,
          "exact_form": false,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "BRUFEMOL-N SUSP. 60 ML",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "ARAB DRUG COMPANY (ADCO)",
          "price_egp": 4.5,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": null,
          "exact_strength": false,
          "exact_form": false,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        }
      ],
      "condition_id": "tension-headache"
    },
    {
      "id": 1703,
      "generic": "Referral & safety-netting (no drug therapy)",
      "line": 1,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": null,
      "strength_mg": null,
      "adult_dose": null,
      "adult_duration": null,
      "dose_source": "Muscle Contraction Tension Headache - disease-level clinical article (tension-headache-full.txt)",
      "rationale": "Carries the referral criteria and warning signs for this condition, which apply whichever treatment is chosen.",
      "cautions": [
        "RED FLAG - Red flags for a secondary headache disorder, which should prompt investigation rather than a diagnosis of tension-type headache with OTC analgesic advice: sudden onset, age of onset >=50, very severe headache, new headache with an underlying medical condition, concomitant systemic illness, focal neurologic signs, papilledema, history of head trauma."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": null,
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [],
      "condition_id": "tension-headache"
    },
    {
      "id": 1704,
      "generic": "Amitriptyline",
      "line": 2,
      "is_adjunct": false,
      "form": "oral.solid",
      "strength_mg": 25.0,
      "adult_dose": "Start at 10 mg to 25 mg once daily at night and increase by 10 mg to 25 mg each week until it works or side effects stop you",
      "adult_duration": "Continue for at least 6 months in responders, then try withdrawing it",
      "dose_source": "Muscle Contraction Tension Headache - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf (NBK562274) - the article states the dose, titration and course for this indication",
      "rationale": "Every drug on the card treats the attack, so a patient with headache on most days has nothing but more analgesia - which is how medication-overuse headache starts. This is the preventive the article calls the most effective.",
      "cautions": [
        "It prevents headaches, it does not stop one - and the response takes weeks, so tell the patient that before he abandons it.",
        "Never combine it with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor.",
        "Expect dry mouth and drowsiness; avoid it in glaucoma, in urinary retention and where an arrhythmia is known."
      ],
      "peds_mgkg_low": null,
      "peds_mgkg_high": null,
      "peds_max_mg": null,
      "peds_basis": null,
      "peds_unit": null,
      "peds_note": "Safety and effectiveness in children have not been established.",
      "peds_min_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_max_weight_kg": null,
      "peds_age_min_months": null,
      "peds_age_max_months": null,
      "peds_age_bands": null,
      "peds_doses": null,
      "brands": [
        {
          "trade_name": "TRYPTIZOL 25 MG 30 TABS.",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "KAHIRA",
          "price_egp": 33.0,
          "pack_count": 30,
          "unit_price": 1.1,
          "strength_mg": 25.0,
          "exact_strength": true,
          "exact_form": true,
          "discontinued": false,
          "also_contains": null
        },
        {
          "trade_name": "GRANITYLLIN 25MG/5ML SYP. 120 ML",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "GRAND PHARMA > DELTA GRAND PHARMA",
          "price_egp": 5.0,
          "pack_count": null,
          "unit_price": null,
          "strength_mg": 25.0,
          "exact_strength": false,
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        },
        {
          "trade_name": "ZINOTRAVAL 25MG/5ML SYP. 120 ML",
          "scientific_name": null,
          "normalized_ingredient": null,
          "manufacturer": "DEBEIKY > PHARMACHEMIC",
          "price_egp": 10.0,
          "pack_count": null,
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          "strength_mg": 25.0,
          "exact_strength": false,
          "exact_form": false,
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        }
      ],
      "condition_id": "tension-headache"
    }
  ]
}