Treatment-Resistant Medication Overuse Headache Can Be Cured

Objective.— To evaluate the long‐term efficacy of a structured, multidisciplinary treatment program in patients who had been treated unsuccessfully for medication overuse headache by specialists in an open‐label design. Background.— Medication overuse headache is a common and disabling disease. Management is complicated by substantial treatment failure and relapse, and those who relapse and nonresponders to treatment are often excluded from studies on medication overuse headache. Methods.— Patients with medication overuse headache who had previously been unsuccessfully treated by specialists and referred to a specialized, tertiary headache centre were recruited. They underwent a structured 2‐month detoxification program and were subsequently closely followed up for 10 months by a multidisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and psychologists. Results.— Eighty‐six of 98 patients completed the study. Primary Outcome.— At 12‐month follow‐up, headache frequency was reduced by 39.3% (P