Medication Overuse

Abstract

Abstract Refractory daily headache is usually the result of misdiagnosis, inappropriate or inadequate pharmacotherapy, or failure to identify and treat coexisting exacerbating factors. Refractory daily headache commonly occurs in the setting of medication overuse. This chapter on medication overuse describes the phenomenon of headache worsening in frequency and severity when acute medications are taken too frequently. The chapter provides the definition of medication overuse headache, and it discusses management options when medication overuse is a concern. The chapter also shares the 2020 Quality Improvement headache updates from the American Headache Society and the American Academy of Neurology that provide new clinical recommendations on how to address medication overuse in the context of the underlying primary headache disorder.