GuidelineThe journal of headache and pain2011
Self-medication of migraine and tension-type headache: summary of the evidence-based recommendations of the Deutsche Migräne und Kopfschmerzgesellschaft (DMKG), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN), the Österreichische Kopfschmerzgesellschaft (ÖKSG) and the Schweizerische Kopfwehgesellschaft (SKG).
Guideline in The journal of headache and pain, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 25 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
25 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Paracetamol versus ibuprofen in treating episodic tension-type headache: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- Aspirin for acute treatment of episodic tension-type headache in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for acute treatment of episodic tension-type headache in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016Pooled it
- Ibuprofen for acute treatment of episodic tension-type headache in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2015Pooled it
- Use of a fixed combination of acetylsalicylic acid, acetaminophen and caffeine compared with acetaminophen alone in episodic tension-type headache: meta-analysis of four randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover studies.The journal of headache and pain · 2014Pooled it
- Aspirin with or without an antiemetic for acute migraine headaches in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of DFN-11 (sumatriptan injection, 3 mg) in adults with episodic migraine: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.The journal of headache and pain · 2018Trial
- Influence of stress and knowledge on self-medication practices among pharmacy students: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Self-Management Strategies for Treating Pediatric and Adolescent Headaches and Migraines with Over-the-Counter Molecules: Expert Opinion and Literature Review.Pain and therapy · 2025Review
- Paracetamol and Caffeine Combination in Pain Management: A Narrative Review.Pain research & management · 2025Review
- Research Progress on the Experimental Model and Underlying Mechanistic Studies of Tension-Type Headaches.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- Transcranial direct current stimulation for chronic headaches, a randomized, controlled trial.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Photocatalytic Activity of the Blends Based on TiOMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Review
- An Updated Review on the Metabolite (AM404)-Mediated Central Mechanism of Action of Paracetamol (Acetaminophen): Experimental Evidence and Potential Clinical Impact.Journal of pain research · 2023Review
- The Quality of Counseling for Headache OTC Medications in German Community Pharmacies Using a Simulated Patient Approach: Are There Differences between Self-Purchase and Purchase for a Third Party?TheScientificWorldJournal · 2022Article
- Structured headache services as the solution to the ill-health burden of headache: 1. Rationale and descriptionThe journal of headache and pain · 2021Article
- 21st century headache: mapping new territory.The journal of headache and pain · 2021Article
- Dispensing and Variabilities in Pricing of Headache OTC Medicines by Community Pharmacies in a German Big City: A Simulated Patient Approach.ClinicoEconomics and outcomes research : CEOR · 2021Article
- [Tension type headaches : Quo vadis?]Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The current evidence-based guideline on self-medication in migraine and tension-type headache of the German, Austrian and Swiss headache societies and the German Society of Neurology is addressed to physicians engaged in primary care as well as pharmacists and patients. The guideline is especially concerned with the description of the methodology used, the selection process of the literature used and which evidence the recommendations are based upon. The following recommendations about self-medication in migraine attacks can be made: The efficacy of the fixed-dose combination of acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine and the monotherapies with ibuprofen or naratriptan or acetaminophen or phenazone are scientifically proven and recommended as first-line therapy. None of the substances used in self-medication in migraine prophylaxis can be seen as effective. Concerning the self-medication in tension-type headache, the following therapies can be recommended as first-line therapy: the fixed-dose combination of acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic acid and caffeine as well as the fixed combination of acetaminophen and caffeine as well as the monotherapies with ibuprofen or acetylsalicylic acid or diclofenac. The four scientific societies hope that this guideline will help to improve the treatment of headaches which largely is initiated by the patients themselves without any consultation with their physicians.
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