The Current State of Headache Treatment and the Involvement of Pharmacists in Treatment of People with Chronic Headache

Abstract

To clarify the current status and challenges of pharmacist involvement in headache treatment, we conducted a questionnaire survey of people who were aware of having headaches. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the Internet of 600 subjects between the ages of 20 and 40 who had suffered from headaches in the past three months. Subjects were divided into a migraine (n = 250, 55.2% women) and other headache (n = 350, 46.3% women) groups. The degree of interference with daily life was higher in the migraine group than in the other headache group. Regarding headache consultations with pharmacists, many people in the migraine group had not consulted a pharmacist even when the severity was high; however, 43.5% of those who had consulted a pharmacist had been recommended to see a doctor. Regarding the status of medical visits, approximately half of the migraine group did not visit a doctor even when the degree of disability was high, and only 44.4% of the migraine group were treated with prescription drugs. Regarding the level of awareness of headaches caused by overuse of analgesics, the majority of respondents in both groups answered “I don't know” or “I hardly know.” Since many people with headache are treated with over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, pharmacists are required to follow up with those who are treating their headaches with OTC drugs, and to recommend treatment with prescription drugs if their headaches are interfering with their daily lives.