Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 5;12(5):714-722.
doi: 10.3390/clinpract12050074.

Factors Associated with Over-the-Counter Analgesic Overuse among Individuals Experiencing Headache

Maram Alshareef  1
Affiliations

Factors Associated with Over-the-Counter Analgesic Overuse among Individuals Experiencing Headache

Maram Alshareef. Clin Pract. .

Abstract

The prevalence of chronic daily headache (CDH) worldwide is 4−5%. Treatment for CDH with prophylaxis and abortive medications is often delayed, increasing disease severity. Consequently, increased usage of over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics can lead to medication overuse headache (MOH). This study aimed to assess factors affecting OTC analgesic overuse causing headaches. Methodology: A cross-sectional structured survey was conducted using voluntary response sampling. Among 1177 respondents, 459 individuals with headache were enrolled in the study. Results: Most participants were female (73.5%), almost half were aged 20−39 years (48.1%), and over half used OTC analgesics (56%). A significant association was found between OTC analgesic overuse and factors, such as chronic disease (p = 0.007), working status (p = 0.015), smoking (p = 0.02), headache frequency >15 days per month (p = 0.000), migraine-type headache (p = 0.01), preventive medicine use (p = 0.018), and emergency department visit (p = 0.018). Conclusion: OTC analgesic overuse among individuals with headache is affected by several factors, including the presence of chronic diseases, working status, smoking, and migraine-type headaches. However, preventive medicine and emergency department visits were considered to have protective effects. Health care providers should screen patients for MOH, increase their awareness, and follow MOH guidelines to treat chronic headache.

Keywords: chronic daily headache; medication overuse; over-the-counter analgesic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Pascual J., Colás R., Castillo J. Epidemiology of chronic daily headache. Curr. Pain Headache Rep. 2001;5:529–536. doi: 10.1007/s11916-001-0070-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chronic Daily Headache: Diagnosis and Management—American Family Physician. [(accessed on 5 March 2022)]. Available online: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2014/0415/p642.html.
    1. Van Vliet J.A., Eekers P.J., Haan J., Ferrari M.D., Dutch RUSSH Study Group Features involved in the diagnostic delay of cluster headache. J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry. 2003;74:1123–1125. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.74.8.1123. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dodick D.W., Loder E.W., Adams A.M., Buse D.C., Fanning K.M., Reed M.L., Lipton R.B. Assessing Barriers to Chronic Migraine Consultation, Diagnosis, and Treatment: Results from the Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes (CaMEO) Study. Headache J. Head Face Pain. 2016;56:821–834. doi: 10.1111/head.12774. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Elisabetta S.W., Sabrina G., Ronald L., Elia Z., Marco L., Marco M., Pedrazzoli M., Ferraris M. Management of migraine and the accessibility of specialist care: Findings from an extended multinational survey (my migraine center survey) Neurol. Ther. 2020;9:551–556. doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.12698417. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources