title: Prescription patterns in preventive and abortive migraine medication.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Migraine is considered a common but under-diagnosed and untreated condition. Treatment patterns have pointed at frequent over-the-counter medication use and low use of preventive therapies. Studies exploring migraine prescription practice among doctors are few.
  
  
  METHODS
  A population-based study was carried out to examine the prescription practice in the use of acute and preventive migraine medications. The data covered 4864 working-age people reporting they have been diagnosed with migraine. Data on reimbursed prescription medicines from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2006 were drawn from the registers of the Social Insurance Institute of Finland and compared with age- and sex-matched controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anti-inflammatory analgesics were prescribed for 71% of female and 62% of male migraine patients vs. 56% and 50% of controls. Triptans were prescribed for 21% of female and 10% of male patients. Combinations of analgesics and muscle relaxants were offered to 37% of female and 29% of male patients vs. 26% and 21% of controls, and antidepressants to 19% of women and 14% of men vs. 13% and 9% of controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although use of preventive medication among migraineurs was high, the prescription patterns in acute treatments showed that NSAIDS were used more often than triptans. Assimilation of national guidelines to treat migraine published in 2002 in Finland was not reflected in the prescription patterns up to 2006.
authors: University of Tampere, Finland. marja-liisa.sumelahti@uta.fi
authors: Marja-Liisa
authors: ML
authors: Sumelahti
authors: Kari
authors: K
authors: Mattila
authors: Lauri
authors: L
authors: Sillanmäki
authors: Markku
authors: M
authors: Sumanen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014363:Tryptamines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D014363:Tryptamines