Observational studyCNS drugs2018
Polypharmacy Among Headache Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.
Observational study in CNS drugs, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Applying the Bradford Hill Criteria to Assess the Independent Causal Roles of Aging and Medication in Frailty Progression: A Systematic Review.Drugs & aging · 2026Pooled it
- Fremanezumab for the Treatment of Migraine Complicated by Medication Overuse: A Systematic Review.Clinical drug investigation · 2025Pooled it
- Polypharmacy in Older Adults: A Narrative Review of Clinical Risks, Deprescribing Strategies, and Interdisciplinary Management.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Estimating risk of reported versus theoretical drug-drug interactions in headaches medicine: an exhaustive comparison between DrugBank and FAERS database for abortive and preventive combinations.Journal of oral & facial pain and headache · 2025Article
- Exploring Contraindicated Medications and Corresponding Targeted Genes for Migraine Through Integrated Genetic Approaches.Brain and behavior · 2025Article
- Drug-induced headache reports: a comprehensive disproportionality and time-to-onset pharmacovigilance study using the FAERS database (2018-2024).Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Unpacking excessive polypharmacy patterns among individuals living with chronic pain in Quebec: a longitudinal study.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Acute Treatment of Migraine: Expert Consensus Statements from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Neurology and therapy · 2024Article
- Comprehensive list of preventative migraine headache medications without significant drug-drug interactions.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Article
- Pain relief and associated factors: a cross-sectional observational web-based study in a Quebec cohort of persons living with chronic pain.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Review
- Anticholinergic Medication and Caries Status Predict Xerostomia under 65.Dentistry journal · 2023Article
- Polypharmacy and Excessive Polypharmacy Among Persons Living with Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Prevalence and Associated Factors.Journal of pain research · 2023Article
- Drug Safety in Episodic Migraine Management in Adults Part 1: Acute Treatments.Current pain and headache reports · 2022Review
- Real-world assessment of the relationship between migraine-related disability and healthcare costs in the United States.Headache · 2022Article
- Non-interacting, Non-opioid, and Non-barbiturate Containing Acute Medication Combinations in Headache: A Pilot Combinatorics Approach Based on DrugBank Database.Frontiers in neurology · 2021Article
- Improving access to care for patients with migraine in a remote Pacific population.Neurology. Clinical practice · 2020Article
- Optimising migraine treatment: from drug-drug interactions to personalized medicine.The journal of headache and pain · 2019Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPolypharmacy can appropriately treat multiple chronic conditions, but it can also increase potential harm. Polypharmacy information for primary headaches is minimal, despite drugs being the main tools to manage headaches.
objectiveThe aim was to evaluate the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of polypharmacy in patients with primary headaches and examine whether these variables differ between episodic and chronic headache patients.
methodsWe analysed polypharmacy (simultaneous use of five or more medications), medication type, comorbidity, and risk factors in 300 patients (mean age 42.81 ± 13.21 years) with primary headaches, divided into episodic and chronic, afferent to a headache centre.
resultsPatients took an average of 4.37 medications. Polypharmacy was common in 40.7% of patients, and among chronic patients, it reached 58.8%. Most patients used medications (mainly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; 73.5%) to treat acute headaches, and 30.4% of episodic and 64.7% of chronic sufferers underwent prophylactic treatment (P < 0.0001), mostly using antidepressants (77.3%). Up to 76.7% of the cohort was taking other medications, primarily for acid-related disorders (21.7%). Comorbidities were present in 59.7% of the cohort. Variables significantly associated with polypharmacy were comorbidities, prophylactic treatment, and triptans (P < 0.001).
conclusionsPatients with primary headaches, mainly young adults, are exposed to high polypharmacy, comparable to that of the elderly. Because increased numbers of drugs increase the risk of adverse reactions, the many medications concomitantly taken by primary headache sufferers should be frequently reviewed.
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