Drug-induced headache, NEC, not intractable

This code signifies a headache directly caused by a medication, where the headache is not classified elsewhere and is responsive to treatment or withdrawal of the offending agent. It represents a secondary headache disorder where a drug is identified as the etiologic factor, and the headache is not considered chronic or difficult to manage.

Use this code when documentation clearly links a headache to the administration of a specific drug, and the headache is not refractory to standard interventions. This typically applies to acute or subacute headaches that resolve upon discontinuation of the medication or with appropriate symptomatic treatment. Documentation should specify the drug implicated and confirm the headache is not intractable.

• Always sequence this code after the code for the adverse effect of the drug (T36-T50 with 5th or 6th character 5).
• Distinguish from medication overuse headache (MOH), which has specific diagnostic criteria and is coded differently.
• Ensure documentation explicitly states the headache is "not intractable" or implies it is responsive to treatment; otherwise, a different code may be more appropriate.