Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41721442›Full record

Observational studyHeadache2026

Unmet treatment needs in migraine: Results of the OVERCOME (US) study.

Susan Hutchinson, Elizabeth Johnston, Robert A Nicholson, Michael L Reed, Dawn C Buse, Anthony Zagar, Gilwan Kim, E Jolanda Muenzel, Eric M Pearlman, Richard B Lipton

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Headache, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Susan HutchinsonHaven Headache & Migraine Center, San Francisco, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6353-2846
Elizabeth JohnstonEli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Robert A NicholsonEli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2725-9739
Michael L ReedVedanta Research, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Dawn C BuseDepartment of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA.
Anthony ZagarEli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Gilwan KimEli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
E Jolanda MuenzelEli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Eric M PearlmanEli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
Richard B LiptonVedanta Research, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

Funding

Eli Lilly and Company
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo examine acute and preventive migraine prescription treatment needs among participants with active migraine and identify factors associated with needing treatment optimization.

backgroundA high unmet treatment need exists for individuals with migraine.

methodsObserVational survey of the Epidemiology, tReatment and Care Of MigrainE (United States) is a prospective, multi-cohort, longitudinal, web-based survey in a demographically representative sample of US adults with active migraine in the preceding year. The current study is a pooled analysis of the baseline surveys of the 2018, 2019, and 2020 migraine cohorts. Criteria for determining need for migraine treatment initiation/modification were based on the American Headache Society 2021 consensus statement. For preventive treatment, need was defined based on the number of headache days per month and Migraine Disability Assessment Scale scores. For acute treatment, need was defined using the Migraine Treatment Optimization Questionnaire scores or based on the presence of two or more disability days per month. Participants were categorized into four groups based on their need for initiation/modification of acute or preventive treatment or both. The categories were "not a candidate (no need for treatment initiation/modification)," "acute need only," "preventive need only," or "preventive + acute needs." Interictal burden was measured using the Migraine Interictal Burden Scale-4.

resultsAmong 59,001 participants with migraine, 77.1% of the total population were candidates for migraine prescription treatment initiation/modification. Among those, 39.4% had unmet acute needs only, 2.8% had unmet preventive needs only, and 34.9% met criteria for both. Up to one-quarter of participants in each group were taking preventive medication. Acute prescription medication use was reported by 55.7% of those with preventive + acute needs, 46.9% of those with acute needs only, 36.9% of those with preventive needs only, and 27.1% of those who were not candidates for treatment initiation/modification. The highest rate of acute medication overuse was seen in the preventive + acute needs group (37.0%). Over half of the participants in the preventive + acute (69.9%) and acute (58.7%) needs groups reported experiencing moderate-to-severe interictal burden on the Migraine Interictal Burden Scale-4. Migraine-related stigma was highest among those with acute + preventive treatment needs, with 46.4% experiencing stigma often or very often. Experiencing severe interictal burden was most associated with having acute treatment needs (odds ratio [OR], 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.48-2.86), whereas overusing acute medication was most associated with having preventive treatment needs (OR, 10.04; 95% CI, 8.64-11.65) and preventive + acute treatment needs (OR, 10.19; 95% CI, 9.09-11.43).

conclusionOver 75% of participants with migraine in this population sample were candidates for initiation or modification of migraine prescription treatment. These findings highlight the opportunity for optimizing treatment and improving outcomes for patients with migraine.

Indexed as

Health Services Needs and DemandMigraine DisordersAdolescentAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesSurveys and QuestionnairesUndertreatmentUnited StatesYoung Adultacutemedicationmigrainepreventiveunmet treatment need

Identifiers

PMID41721442
PMCPMC13044567

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.