Drug-associated headache is unrecognized in patients treated at a neurological centre

Acta Neurologica Scandinavica
Svein Ivar Bekkelund, Rolf Salvesen

Abstract

We studied the frequency of unrecognized headache associated with overuse of analgesic drugs in a population of headache patients treated at a neurological centre. Patients in North Norway referred to a neurologist for headache during a 2-year period completed a questionnaire. From a total of 945, 262 patients (28%) reported headache 3 days or more per week and used analgesic drugs on a daily bases. A specific diagnoses given by the neurologist was reported in 134 of the patients (51%). Only two patients reported that they suffered from a possible drug-associated headache. This study shows that drug overuse may be the cause of chronic headache in more than 1/4 patients referred to neurologists. Drug-associated headache is a difficult diagnosis which deserves more attention because it is a common and treatable condition.

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Citations

Nov 13, 2002·Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
Sep 25, 2007·Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache·J Zidverc-TrajkovicN Sternic
Oct 1, 2008·Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache·K HagenL J Stovner
Oct 14, 2011·The Journal of Headache and Pain·Espen Saxhaug KristoffersenMichael Bjørn Russell
May 2, 2006·Journal of Clinical Neuroscience : Official Journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia·Ozlem CoskunLevent E Inan
Aug 2, 2014·Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety·Espen Saxhaug Kristoffersen, Christofer Lundqvist
Dec 3, 2013·Cephalalgia : an International Journal of Headache·Maria L WestergaardRigmor H Jensen
Mar 27, 2018·European Journal of Neurology : the Official Journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies·I CorbelliUNKNOWN SAMOHA Study Group
Jun 19, 2019·Brain and Behavior·Svein I Bekkelund, Kai I Müller

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