Medication-overuse headache: The effect of a patient educational programme—A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Little is known about the effects of non-pharmacological interventions among medication-overuse headache (MOH) patients, although non-pharmacological approaches combined with pharmacological treatment are recommended. The objective was to evaluate the effect of an educational programme as an add-on to standard treatment. Methods: Medication-overuse headache patients were randomized (1:1) in a single-centre setting to standard treatment with 12 weeks of education (I-group) versus standard treatment (C-group). The primary outcome was measurement of reduction in headache days/last month at 9 months’ follow-up. Secondary outcomes were headache intensity, acute medication intake, bothersomeness, disability, physical activity and patient satisfaction. The between-group differences were analysed using a mixed-effects model for repeated measurements with a between group factor (I-group vs. C-group) and a time factor (baseline, 4 and 9 months). Results: Ninety-eight patients were randomized (I-group: n = 48, C-group: n = 50), with 40 and 39 patients completing the study, respectively. Intention-to-treat analyses showed that both groups experienced statistically significant reductions in headache days/last month (I-group: −4 ± 6 days (95% CI 2.47; 5.95), p