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Practical management of medication-overuse headache
Koen Paemeleire1, Luc Crevits, Peter J Goadsby
1Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium. Koen.Paemeleire@Ugent.be
Acta Neurologica Belgica
|August 11, 2006
Summary
Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is common in chronic daily headache patients. Effective treatment strategies exist, though clinical trials are limited, and this review details current approaches.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Clinical Pharmacology
Background:
- Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is highly prevalent in patients experiencing chronic daily headache.
- MOH could be the third most common headache disorder globally if all medication overuse leads to it.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current data on MOH, including its clinical features.
- To summarize drugs and strategies for withdrawal from overused medications.
- To describe practical in-patient and out-patient withdrawal procedures.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of available data on medication-overuse headache.
- Synthesis of clinical features, pharmacological treatments, and withdrawal strategies.
- Description of expert-based in-patient and out-patient withdrawal protocols.
Main Results:
- Medication-overuse is a frequent issue in chronic headache sufferers.
- Despite a lack of extensive clinical trials, headache centers report success in treating MOH.
- Various drugs and structured withdrawal approaches are utilized.
Conclusions:
- MOH is a significant and common headache disorder.
- Expert-led withdrawal programs offer effective treatment options for MOH.
- Further research, including randomized controlled trials, is needed to validate specific treatments.
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