Treatment of medication-overuse headache: A systematic review

Cephalalgia ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Chun Chiang ◽  
Todd J Schwedt ◽  
Shuu-Jiun Wang ◽  
David W Dodick

Introduction The objective of this review is to provide an evidence-based discussion of different treatment strategies for medication-overuse headache (MOH). Method We searched PubMed for articles discussing the treatment and prognosis of MOH published between 2004 and August 2014. Titles, abstract and articles were reviewed systematically. The level of evidence provided by each study of the included articles was determined according to the American Academy of Neurology Clinical practice guideline manual. We discuss the level of evidence to support the early discontinuation/withdrawal of overused medications, the level of evidence to support the use of preventive treatment, the short- and long-term prognosis, and the outcome according to the class of drug overused in patients diagnosed with MOH. Results The initial search resulted in 1313 articles; 68 articles met our inclusion criteria and were discussed. The level of evidence to support early discontinuation of overused medications alone is low due to the absence of controlled studies. Adding preventive medication to early discontinuation led to a better outcome than early discontinuation alone. For patients with chronic migraine (CM) and medication overuse (MO), there are large randomized control trials supporting the use of onabotulinumtoxinA and topiramate without early discontinuation of overuse; however, the evidence is limited since data were obtained from post hoc analysis. Conclusion Considering current available evidence and the systemic toxicity of overusing acute headache medication, we suggest discontinuation of the overused medication with the addition of preventive medication. Appropriately sized, randomized controlled trials evaluating the safety and long-term efficacy of preventive medication plus early discontinuation of overuse vs preventive medication alone vs early discontinuation of overuse alone are needed.

Cephalalgia ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinta L Johnson ◽  
Mark R Hutchinson ◽  
Desmond B Williams ◽  
Paul Rolan

Introduction Patients with chronic headache who consume large amounts of analgesics are often encountered in clinical practice. Excessive intake of analgesics is now considered to be a cause, rather than simply a consequence, of frequent headaches, and as such the diagnosis “medication-overuse headache” (MOH) has been formulated. Despite the prevalence and clinical impact of MOH, the pathophysiology behind this disorder remains unclear and specific mechanism-based treatment options are lacking. Discussion Although most acute headache treatments have been alleged to cause MOH, here we conclude from the literature that opioids are a particularly problematic drug class consistently associated with worsening headache. MOH may not be a single entity, as each class of drug implicated may cause MOH via a different mechanism. Recent evidence indicates that chronic opioid administration may exacerbate pain in the long term by activating toll-like receptor-4 on glial cells, resulting in a pro-inflammatory state that manifests clinically as increased pain. Thus, from the available evidence it seems opioid-overuse headache is a phenomenon similar to opioid-induced hyperalgesia, which derives from a cumulative interaction between central sensitisation, due to repeated activation of nociceptive pathways by recurrent headaches, and pain facilitation due to glial activation. Conclusion Treatment strategies directed at inhibiting glial activation may be of benefit alongside medication withdrawal in the management of MOH.


2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 746-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Wadt Hansen ◽  
Anders Hvelplund ◽  
Steen Zabell Abildstrøm ◽  
Eva Prescott ◽  
Mette Madsen ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate possible gender differences in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and without significant stenoses on coronary angiography (CAG) regarding prognosis and use of secondary preventive medication. Design: Nationwide register-based cohort study. Patients: By compiling data from Danish registries, we identified 20,800 patients hospitalized with AMI during 2005–2007. We included the 834 women and 761 men without significant stenoses on CAG who were discharged and alive after 60 days. Main outcome measures: All-cause mortality, recurrent AMI, and redeeming a prescription for a lipid-lowering drug, beta-blocker, clopidogrel, or aspirin within 60 days of discharge. Results: During follow-up, 97 women and 60 men died, resulting in a crude female/male hazard ratio (HR) of 1.51 (95% CI 1.09–2.08). After adjustment for age, time-period, and comorbidity, the gender difference was attenuated (HR 1.22, 95% CI 0.86–1.72). AMI recurrence was experienced by 28 women and 29 men with a female/male HR 0.88 (95% CI 0.52–1.48). After multivariable adjustment results were similar (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.50–1.43). More women than men redeemed a prescription for lipid-lowering drugs with no differences in other medication. In the adjusted models lipid-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, clopidogrel, and aspirin were all redeemed equally with odds ratio (OR) 1.25 (95% CI 0.99–1.59), OR 1.10 (95% CI 0.88–1.37), OR 1.09 (95% CI 0.88–1.34), and OR 1.13 (95% CI 0.90–1.42), respectively. Conclusion: Our study shows that in a population of patients with a first admission for AMI and no significant stenoses on CAG, women share the same prospects as men regarding long-term prognosis and the extent of secondary preventive medical treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin R Wakerley

Medication-overuse headache is defined as headache occurring on more than 15days in a month in people with pre-existing primary headache, and developing as a consequence of regular overuse of acute headache treatments. Medication-overuse headache is common in general neurology clinics and can be difficult to manage. Most patients have a background of migraine, which has slowly transformed over months and years from the episodic to chronic form; with this comes an increased use of acute migraine treatment. This paper identifies who is at risk of developing medication-overuse headache, and reviews preventive measures and current treatment strategies.


2021 ◽  
pp. 088307382110045
Author(s):  
Eric Strong ◽  
Emily Linda Pierce ◽  
Raquel Langdon ◽  
Jeffery Strelzik ◽  
William McClintock ◽  
...  

Introduction: New daily persistent headache (NDPH) is a primary headache disorder characterized by an intractable, daily, and unremitting headache lasting for at least 3 months. Currently, there are limited studies in the pediatric population describing the characteristics of NDPH. Objective: The objective of the current study is to describe the characteristics of NDPH in pediatric patients presenting to a headache program at a tertiary referral center. Methods: The participants in the current study were pediatric patients who attended the Headache Clinic at Children’s National Hospital between 2016 and 2018. All patients seen in the Headache Clinic were enrolled in an institutional review board–approved patient registry. Results: Between 2016 and 2018, NDPH was diagnosed in 245 patients, representing 14% of the total headache population. NDPH patients were predominantly female (78%) and white (72%). The median age was 14.8 years. The median pain intensity was 6 of 10 (standard deviation = 1.52). Most patients reported experiencing migrainous features, namely, photophobia (85%), phonophobia (85%), and a reduced activity level (88%). Overall, 33% of patients had failed at least 1 preventive medication, and 56% had failed at least 1 abortive medication. Furthermore, 36% of patients were additionally diagnosed with medication overuse headache. Conclusion: NDPH is a relatively frequent disorder among pediatric chronic headache patients. The vast majority of these patients experience migrainous headache characteristics and associated symptoms and are highly refractory to treatment—as evidenced by a strong predisposition to medication overuse headache and high rates of failed preventive management.


Cephalalgia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasna J Zidverc-Trajkovic ◽  
Tatjana Pekmezovic ◽  
Zagorka Jovanovic ◽  
Aleksandra Pavlovic ◽  
Milija Mijajlovic ◽  
...  

Objective To evaluate long-term predictors of remission in patients with medication-overuse headache (MOH) by prospective cohort study. Background Knowledge regarding long-term predictors of MOH outcome is limited. Methods Two hundred and forty MOH patients recruited from 2000 to 2005 were included in a one-year follow-up study and then subsequently followed until 31 December 2013. The median follow-up was three years (interquartile range, three years). Predictive values of selected variables were assessed by the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results At the end of follow-up, 102 (42.5%) patients were in remission. The most important predictors of remission were lower number of headache days per month before the one-year follow-up (HR-hazard ratio = 0.936, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.884–0.990, p = 0.021) and efficient initial drug withdrawal (HR = 0.136, 95% CI 0.042–0.444, p = 0.001). Refractory MOH was observed in seven (2.9%) and MOH relapse in 131 patients (54.6%). Conclusions Outcome at the one-year follow-up is a reliable predictor of MOH long-term remission.


Author(s):  
Giovanni Luigi De Maria ◽  
Adrian Banning

Restoration of normal coronary bloodflow and relieving myocardial ischaemia is the main goal of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, whilst reducing an epicardial coronary stenosis by balloon dilatation may appear to be a relatively easy task, subsequent detrimental changes in bloodflow can paradoxically result in reduced/impaired myocardial perfusion. This condition of mismatch between post-PCI epicardial coronary patency and impaired myocardial reperfusion is defined as slow-flow or no-reflow. It is typically caused by and related to the presence of a damaged, dysfunctional, and/or obstructed coronary microvasculature. When no-reflow occurs, it has an adverse effect on the subsequent mid- and long-term prognosis as it is associated with a higher risk of reinfarction, arrhythmias, heart failure, and a higher in-hospital and long-term cardiac mortality. Frustratingly, nearly four decades after the first PCI, there is still uncertainty about the pathophysiology of no-reflow and a need to define successful prevention and treatment strategies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Galli ◽  
Annalisa Tanzilli ◽  
Alessandra Simonelli ◽  
Cristina Tassorelli ◽  
Grazia Sances ◽  
...  

Background. Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is a type of chronic headache, whose mechanisms are still unknown. The impact of psychological factors has been matter of debate from different perspectives. The role of personality and personality pathology in processes involved in MOH development has been advanced but was poorly studied. The hypothesis of addiction-like behaviors sustaining the drug misuse has been examined and reached contrasting findings. Objectives. This study is aimed at detecting personality and its disorders (PDs) in MOH, with a specific attention to the addiction aspect. Methods. Eighty-eight MOH patients have been compared with two clinical populations including 99 patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and 91 with PDs using the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (SWAP-200), a clinician-report tool that assesses both normal and pathological personality. MANCOVAs were performed to evaluate personality differences among MOH, SUD, and PD groups, controlling for age and gender. Results. MOH patients were predominantly women and older. They showed lower traits of the SWAP-200’s cluster A and B disorders than SUD and PD patients, who presented more severe levels of personality impairment. No differences in the SWAP-200’s cluster C have been found, indicating common personality features in these populations. At levels of specific PDs, MOH patients showed higher obsessive and dysphoric traits and better overall psychological functioning than SUD and PD patients. Conclusion. Although MOH, SUD, and PD populations have been evaluated in multiple sites with different levels of expertise, the study supported the presence of a specific constellation of personality in MOH patients including obsessive (perfectionist) and dysphoric characteristics, as well as good enough psychological resources. No similarities to drug-addicted and personality-disordered patients were found. Practitioners’ careful understanding of the personality characteristics of MOH patients may be useful to provide a road map for the implementation of more effective treatment strategies and intervention programs.


Author(s):  
MJ Marmura ◽  
H Diener ◽  
J Hirman ◽  
R Cady ◽  
T Brevig ◽  
...  

Background: Eptinezumab is a preventive migraine treatment approved in the US. We evaluated the impact of eptinezumab on acute headache medication (AHM) use in patients diagnosed with chronic migraine (CM) and medication-overuse headache (MOH) in PROMISE-2. Methods: PROMISE-2 randomized patients with CM to eptinezumab 100mg, 300mg, or placebo for 2 intravenous doses administered every 12 weeks. Trained investigators diagnosed MOH at screening using 3-month medication history and ICHD-3b criteria. Endpoints included days/month of any AHM use (days of ≥1 medication class), total AHM use (summed days for each medication class), and triptan use over Weeks 1-12 and 13-24. AHM classes included triptan, ergot, opioid, simple analgesic, and combination analgesic. Results: Of 1072 PROMISE-2 patients, 431 (40.2%) were diagnosed with MOH (100mg, n=139; 300mg, n=147; placebo, n=145). During the 28-day baseline period, mean days of any AHM was ~16.4, total AHM was ~20.4, and triptan was ~8.9 across treatment arms. Over Weeks 1-12, mean days/month of any AHM was 8.8 (100mg), 9.9 (300mg), and 11.8 (placebo); total AHM was 10.8, 12.2, and 14.8; triptan was 4.3, 4.4, and 6.4. Similar or lower rates were observed over Weeks 13-24. Conclusions: In patients diagnosed with both CM and MOH, eptinezumab treatment reduced AHM use.


2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 483-488
Author(s):  
Aygul Tantik Pak ◽  
Sebahat Nacar Dogan ◽  
Yildizhan Sengul

Abstract Background: Migraine is a prevalent neurological disease that leads to severe headaches. Moreover, it is the commonest among the primary headaches that cause medication overuse headache (MOH). The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is one of the structures most associated with medication overuse. Objective: To determine microstructural changes in the OFC among migraine patients who developed MOH, through the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) technique. Methods: Fifty-eight patients who had been diagnosed with migraine based on the Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-III-B) were included in the study. Patients were sub-classified into two groups, with and without MOH, based on the MOH criteria of ICHD-III-B. DTI was applied to each patient. The OFC fractional anisotropy (FA), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values of the two groups were compared. Results: The mean age of all the patients was 35.98±7.92 years (range: 18-65), and 84.5% (n=49) of them were female. The two groups, with MOH (n=25) and without (n=33), were alike in terms of age, gender, family history, migraine with or without aura and duration of illness. It was found that there was a significant difference in FA values of the left OFC between the two groups (0.32±0.01 versus 0.29±0.01; p=0.04). Conclusions: An association was found between MOH and changes to OFC microstructure. Determination of neuropathology and factors associated with medication overuse among migraine patients is crucial in terms of identifying the at-risk patient population and improving proper treatment strategies specific to these patients.


2021 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/CPJ.0000000000001037
Author(s):  
Todd J. Schwedt ◽  
Dawn C. Buse ◽  
Charles E. Argoff ◽  
Michael L. Reed ◽  
Kristina M. Fanning ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:To estimate the relative frequency of acute medication overuse (AMO) among people with episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM), to characterize the types of acute medications overused for migraine, and to identify factors associated with AMO.Methods:We analyzed data from the Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes (CaMEO) Study (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01648530), a cross-sectional and longitudinal Internet study that included a systematic sampling of the US population. From September 2012 to November 2013, the CaMEO Study respondents participated in different modules to collect data on the clinical course of migraine, family burden, barriers to care, endophenotypes, and comorbidities. Among people who met criteria for migraine consistent with the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3), we evaluated types and frequency of medications used for headache/migraine, selected comorbidities, and emergency department (ED) and urgent care (UC) use. AMO was defined by days/month of medication use as specified by ICHD-3 criteria for medication overuse headache (MOH) without the requirement for ≥15 monthly headache days (MHDs). Nested, multivariable binary logistic regression modeling was used to identify factors associated with increased risk of AMO.Results:Of 16,789 CaMEO respondents with migraine, 2,975 (17.7%) met AMO criteria. Approximately 67.9% (2,021/2,975) of AMO respondents reported <15 MHDs. Simple analgesics, combination analgesics, and opioids were the medication classes most commonly overused. Factors associated with AMO in the final multivariable logistic regression model included ≥15 MHDs, moderate to severe disability, severe migraine interictal burden, use of preventive medication, and an ED/UC visit for headache within 6 months.Conclusions:Approximately two-thirds of respondents with AMO reported <15 MHDs and therefore did not meet criteria for MOH. Those with AMO had greater disease burden and increased ED/UC utilization relative to people with migraine but not AMO.


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