If at all possible I am for natural remedies over taking drugs of any kind.
When you have a headache, instead of racing for an aspirin or other such product stop and think. A headache is caused when the muscles constrict and this causes pain, the more pain you are in the more you tense up and the worse the pain gets. You need to sit or lay down and concentrate on relaxing. Put on some soft music and a cold cloth or ice on your head and just keep saying to yourself relax, relax, relax. Also picturing something soothing can help too. It is a mind over matter way to take care of the problem when it comes right down to it.
Proper health care, vitamins and sleep can prevent many of the common ailments. Also reducing stress can make you entirely a different person.
Get yourself a book on home remedies or ask older family members as these were practiced by them.
If you do need to go and buy over the counter medication and are on prescription drugs too be sure and ask the person at the drug store if it is okay to take it with your other meds. A simple aspirin may not mix well with other things you are taking so always ask.
If you have prescription meds make sure you take them as directed and never reduce or increase the amount with out asking your doctor. I am on one kind of medication for panic attacks and I decided I was feeling well so cut my dosage way down and when I told the doctor he got upset and told me it might cause me to have seizures and to get right back to the full dosage so ask first because if a certain amount has been prescribed there is a good reason for it.
To save money I always ask my doctor for the generic version of the medication. It works the same but costs much less.
Make sure you keep all medications away from children and pets as they could be fatal to them.
As with anything else just use common sense.