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Medication overuse and drug addiction: a narrative review from addiction perspective

Tatiane Teru Takahashi1,2, Raffaele Ornello3, Giuseppe Quatrosi4

  • 1Headache Research, Wolfson CARD, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, 20 Newcomen St, London, SE1 1YR, UK. tati.pharmacy@gmail.com.

The Journal of Headache and Pain
|April 29, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Medication overuse headache (MOH) shares addiction-like features with drug addiction. This review explores correlations between medication overuse and addiction, comparing sensitization, neuronal pathways, and genetic factors.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Addiction Psychiatry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Chronic headache, common in migraineurs, can evolve into medication overuse headache (MOH).
  • MOH results from the overuse of acute attack medications like analgesics and triptans.
  • Medication overuse (MO) can lead to addiction-like behaviors, including psychological dependence and withdrawal symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine medication overuse in MOH from an addiction perspective.
  • To identify correlating features between medication overuse and drug addiction.
  • To compare sensitization, neuronal pathways, and genetic susceptibility in both conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Review of analgesic and medication classes implicated in MOH and MO.
  • Comparative analysis of sensitization mechanisms in MO versus drug addiction.
  • Examination of overlapping neuronal pathways and genetic factors.

Main Results:

  • Medication overuse can induce sensitization similar to drug addiction.
  • Shared neuronal pathways and genetic predispositions may exist between MOH and drug addiction.
  • Specific drug classes carry a higher risk for inducing medication overuse.

Conclusions:

  • MOH exhibits characteristics that overlap with drug addiction, suggesting a potential addiction framework for understanding and treating it.
  • Further research into shared mechanisms can inform novel therapeutic strategies for MOH.
  • Understanding these correlations is crucial for managing chronic headache disorders effectively.
Keywords:
DependenceDrug abuseMigraineSubstance abuseVulnerability

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