Table 3 Pillars of the educational approach to MOH sufferers

Explanation of the role of medication overuse in making headache chronic and in reducing the effectiveness of preventive and behavioural treatments

Explanation in detail of the phenomenon and symptoms of withdrawal headache

Emphasis on the beneficial long-term effects, on headache natural history, of reducing symptomatic medication intake (including reduction of the disease-reinforcing properties of short-term pain relief)

Discouragement of anticipatory use of medication

Emphasis on the need for a detoxification programme prior to other therapeutic options