Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Symposium 1

Treatment of chronic migraine and medication overuse headache

Junichi Hamada, M.D.

Kitasato University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology Kitasato Institute Hospital

Evidence has accumulated recently indicating biochemical, physiologic, pathophysiological alterations in the brain of patients with chronic migraine. Another type of the refractory headache for treatment is medication overuse headache. Both headaches are severely disabling and difficult to manage, as affected patients experience substantially more-frequent headaches, comorbid pain and affective disorders, and fewer pain-free intervals, than do those with episodic migraine. One principle for treatment is to stop medication of acute treatment (triptans, NSAIDs etc). Then preventive treatment must be started.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (160K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 52: 976|977, 2012)
key words: chronic migraine, medication overuse headache, refractory headache, treatment

(Received: 23-May-12)