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Back| (1) Headache occurring on ≥15 days/month in a patient who fulfills criteria 3 and 41. |
| (2) Regular overuse2 for >3 months of one or more drugs that can be taken for acute and/or symptomatic treatment of headache3. |
| (3) Headache has developed or markedly worsened during medication overuse. |
| (4) Headache resolves or reverts to its previous pattern within 2 months after discontinuation of overused medication4. |
Explanation
Note1: The clinical manifestations of medication overuse headache are diverse, often with a unique pattern of feature transformation. Even within the same day, it can switch from migraine-like to tension-type headache manifestations.
Note2: Overuse is defined based on the duration of medication use and the number of days per week the medication is taken. The key is frequent and regular use, i.e., 2 or more days per week. Some patients use medication intensively for a period and then not at all for a long time, which is less likely to cause medication overuse headache and does not meet criterion 2.
Note3: When medications for acute pain are used for other indications, patients prone to headaches may develop medication overuse headache.
Note4: To confirm the diagnosis of medication overuse headache, headache must improve (resolve or revert to its previous pattern) within 2 months after stopping the overused medication. If improvement is not observed within 2 months after discontinuation, the diagnosis should be reconsidered.
