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Epidemiology and management of medication-overuse headache in the general population

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Abstract

Medication-overuse headache is a worldwide challenge as it affects 1–2% of the general population. Some people are more prone to medication overuse, which can be ascertained by applying five simple questions about dependence. Detoxification of the overused medication is a cheap and effective treatment strategy. A short advice seems to be sufficient for people from the general population whom seek their general practitioner. Treatment is often more complicated in neurologist and hospital settings, most likely due to a combination of treatment failure in general practice and co-morbidity of other disorders including different types of headaches.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Head and Neck Research Group, Research Center, Akershus University Hospital, 1478 Lørenskog, Oslo, Norway

    Michael Bjørn Russell

  2. Institute of Clinical Medicine, Campus Akershus University Hospital, University of Oslo, 1474 Nordbyhagen, Oslo, Norway

    Michael Bjørn Russell

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  1. Michael Bjørn Russell
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Correspondence to Michael Bjørn Russell.

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This is a review article–based paper. The reference studies comply with the ethical standards. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Russell, M.B. Epidemiology and management of medication-overuse headache in the general population. Neurol Sci 40 (Suppl 1), 23–26 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-019-03812-8

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