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Table 4 Medication use in the past 4 weeks for participants with chronic (CM) and episodic migraine (EM) in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain

From: Cost of healthcare for patients with migraine in five European countries: results from the International Burden of Migraine Study (IBMS)

Medication class

UK (N = 1,070)

France (N = 1,461)

Germany (N = 1,449)

Italy (N = 976)

Spain (N = 699)a

CM (n = 57)

EM (n = 1,013)

CM (n = 57)

EM (n = 1,404)

CM (n = 52)

EM (n = 1,397)

CM (n = 55)

EM (n = 921)

CM (n = 55)

EM (n = 644)

Over the counter or other prescription medication used (% yes)

66.70

75.90

87.70

71.90

44.20

49.20

83.60

64.00

90.90

61.80

Acute Medication Use (% yes)

57.90

63.70

52.60

47.60

34.60

45.80

56.40

35.50

87.30

59.20

 Combination with Opioids (% yes)

45.60

49.50

31.60

34.30

13.50

14.00

30.90

17.20

49.10

23.00

  Mean days (SD)

20.43 (8.70)

7.08 (6.95)

15.55 (10.02)

5.80 (5.38)

12.33 (9.46)

5.72 (4.97)

13.00 (10.67)

4.83 (4.58)

15.84 (9.07)

4.52 (4.55)

 Combination without Opioids (% yes)

7.00

10.00

N/A

N/A

5.80

6.90

12.70

6.40

10.90

5.00

  Mean days (SD)

16.25 (9.60)

5.33 (5.00)

N/A

N/A

10.00 (0.00)

5.15 (4.59)

15.00 (13.91)

5.49 (5.45)

21.67 (5.69)

5.70 (6.82)

 Ergotamines (% yes)

N/A

N/A

3.50

1.90

N/A

N/A

14.50

3.40

20.00

9.80

  Mean days (SD)

N/A

N/A

17.50 (14.85)

18.26 (11.83)

N/A

N/A

8.60 (6.99)

5.00 (4.58)

15.43 (9.76)

4.02 (3.50)

 NSAIDS (% yes)

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0.00

0.40

10.90

7.90

78.20

49.40

  Mean days (SD)

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

–

7.50 (3.32)

12.00 (5.29)

5.03 (4.84)

17.72 (9.62)

6.08 (5.55)

 Simple analgesics (% yes)

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

26.90

37.10

N/A

N/A

16.40

12.00

  Mean days (SD)

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

16.80 (10.75)

6.68 (5.94)

N/A

N/A

11.00 (9.56)

3.43 (3.65)

 Triptans (% yes)

28.10

24.50

26.30

20.80

5.80

14.50

21.80

15.10

29.10

16.50

  Mean days (SD)

12.18 (7.19)

5.22 (5.28)

11.67 (9.53)

4.31 (4.79)

14.50 (16.26)

4.85 (4.59)

10.70 (9.36)

4.80 (5.14)

11.93 (8.87)

3.82 (4.32)

Preventive (% yes)

31.60

27.60

19.30

9.00

9.60

10.20

3.60

4.10

23.60

7.50

 Antidepressants (% yes)

22.80

17.60

1.80

2.00

7.70

7.20

N/A

N/A

7.30

2.50

  Mean days (SD)

28.00 (0.00)

23.16 (8.97)

28.00b

13.96 (11.91)

12.50 (10.61)

13.78 (10.72)

N/A

N/A

24.50 (7.00)

18.14 (11.88)

 Antiepileptics (% yes)

8.80

5.00

5.30

2.80

0.00

1.00

3.60

1.50

9.10

3.00

  Mean days (SD)

28.00 (0.00)

21.58 (10.27)

28.00 (0.00)

17.70 (11.33)

–

15.82 (12.01)

2.00b

4.57 (4.13)

20.60 (8.59)

20.53 (10.29)

 Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers (% yes)

10.50

5.70

10.50

3.80

1.90

3.10

0.00

2.00

12.70

3.10

  Mean days (SD)

28.00 (0.00)

23.19 (9.14)

23.40 (10.29)

22.24 (10.44)

10.00b

21.31 (10.88)

–

13.14 (11.20)

18.80 (12.77)

16.95 (12.32)

 Serotonergic (% yes)

7.00

5.10

3.50

1.90

0.00

0.10

0.00

1.60

N/A

N/A

  Mean days (SD)

21.50 (13.00)

23.43 (9.21)

21.00 (9.90)

15.23 (11.96)

–

8.00b

–

8.73 (9.95)

N/A

N/A

Other drugs (% yes)

38.60

32.30

63.20

37.60

19.20

16.80

50.90

36.20

16.40

14.60

 Mean days (SD)

22.29 (7.63)

7.92 (8.39)

19.50 (7.36)

6.85 (6.66)

17.75 (9.82)

6.73 (7.04)

16.45 (7.89)

7.02 (7.08)

19.71 (10.50)

6.84 (6.42)

Do not know the medication name (% yes)

0.00

1.10

3.50

2.90

1.90

0.50

3.60

4.20

0.00

0.30

 Mean days (SD)

–

7.89 (11.43)

28.00b

6.32 (5.50)

–

7.25 (4.50)

21.50 (9.19)

8.04 (8.80)

–

2.00b

Total medications

 Mean (SD)

2.68 (1.16)

2.18 (1.28)

1.72 (0.88)

1.56 (0.87)

2.04 (1.02)

2.23 (1.31)

2.07 (2.11)

1.63 (1.54)

3.36 (1.79)

2.62 (1.58)

 Minimum–maximum

1–6

1–22

1–4

1–10

1–4

1–10

1–15

1–22

1–8

1–13

 Median

3

2

2

1

2

2

2

1

3

2

Number of classes of medications usedc

 Mean (SD)

2.53 (1.11)

1.99 (0.96)

1.70 (0.84)

1.50 (0.71)

1.87 (0.92)

2.06 (1.07)

1.78 (0.89)

1.49 (0.86)

2.74 (1.41)

2.25 (1.14)

 Minimum–maximum

1–5

1–8

1–4

1–6

1–4

1–6

1–5

1–8

1–6

1–7

 Median

3

2

2

1

2

2

2

1

3

2

  1. Medication classes may include one or more medications of that type. For participants using more than one medication type within a class, medication days were calculated using the maximum duration of all drugs in a particular class
  2. –, mean (SD) could not be calculated because 0 patients received medications in the therapeutic class or did not report number of days of use
  3. SD standard deviation, n number of patients, N/A no medications in the therapeutic class were included in the survey for that country
  4. aTwo patients were excluded because they had extreme values for certain RU parameters (One patient with 45 ER visits and 20 hospitalizations and one patient with 25 X-ray tests
  5. bSD not calculated because data were reported by only one respondent
  6. cIncludes participants who had used an OTC or prescription medication to treat headache. Other and do not know the medication name were counted as a single medication class