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Helsinki It is well known that the overuse of various medications can cause headaches. Medication overuse headaches (MOH) also affect migraine patients.

A working group from Kings College London has now presented more precise figures at the annual meeting of the European Academy of Neurology in Helsinki at the end of June. An abstract is available in European Journal of Neurology published (2024, DOI: 10.1111/ene.16338, EPosters 541).

Although it is well established that medication overuse can contribute to the worsening and chronicity of a pre-existing headache syndrome, little is known about its role in relation to existing comorbidities and other disabling symptoms of migraine, the researchers write.

They therefore investigated the relationship between medication overuse and the total number of comorbidities as well as the individual symptoms of dizziness, sleep disturbance, anxiety and depression in a population of 192 patients.

Data were collected through self-administered health questionnaires using various standardized instruments such as the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), the Subjective Vertigo Questionnaire (SVQ), and others.

The model showed that medication overuse was associated with an increased overall number of comorbidities. However, the working group found no statistically significant difference in the scores for the symptoms dizziness, sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression.

These data show that excessive medication use in migraine patients is associated with an increased overall number of comorbidities, the scientists conclude.

Doctors should therefore be aware that not only the headaches themselves, but also comorbidities can trigger and exacerbate medication overuse. © hil/aerzteblatt.de