Adherence to migraine treatment does not depend on the number of prescribed medications

Abstract

Objective: To compare the adherence between monotherapy and politherapy in prophylactic migraine treatment. Method: Five hundred consecutive patients with migraine from a tertiary center were retrospectively studied as to the number of preventive medications prescribed during the first visit. Adherence, defined as returning for the next consultation after 4 to 6 weeks and following the prescribed regimens, were also evaluated and compared between patients. Results: 71.8% were women, and 6% of the patients did not receive any preventive medication, 11.4% received one drug, 22.2% two drugs, 41.4% three drugs, and 19% four drugs for the prevention of migraine. The overall adherence was 79.6%. Respectively, 73.7, 71.8, 82.6 and 86.3% of those who received the prescription of one, two, three and four drugs returned, complying with the treatment. Conclusion: There is no difference in adherence to monotherapy or politherapy (one to four drugs) for the prophylaxis of migraine.