Table 6 Management of Medication Overuse Headache (MOH)
From: Consensus of the Hellenic Headache Society on the diagnosis and treatment of migraine
| • For decision-making physicians should take into account the patients’ preferences, life-style particularities and personal expectancies. | |
| • Physicians should educate patients for the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of MOH and the ways the patients should avoid overusing medications for treating their migraines. | |
| • Depending on the patients’ personality, individual preferences and comorbidity, acute withdrawal or tapering down of the drug overuse is recommended. | |
| • Immediate prophylactic treatment together with the drug overuse withdrawal or tapering down, is recommended as well, including topiramate 100-200 mg/day and prednisone or prednisolone 60 mg/d. The use of botulinumtoxinA and/or anti-CGRP monoclonal antibodies (erenumab, fremanezumab, and galcanezumab) is recommended, as second-line treatment. | |
| • Not only migraine, but all potential comorbidities should also be treated. | |
| • To treat anxiety and/or depression like symptoms that are highly likely to co-occur with MOH, venlafaxine 150 mg/df is recommended. | |
| • Inpatient withdrawal therapy may be needed, in particular for patients overusing opioids, benzodiazepines, or barbiturates. | |
| • Because the prognosis of MOH is poor and the relapse rate high, close follow-up of patients is recommended. |