The Frequency and Perceived Effectiveness of Pain Self-Management Strategies Used by Individuals With Migraine.
Hao-Yuan Chang, Chih-Chao Yang, Mark P Jensen and 1 others
PMID 33840771WHAT IT FOUND
Over-the-counter medications were used by 51% and rated most effective (70% mean relief), while 14% found all strategies ineffective.
Many patients combine Western, traditional, and folk approaches, so ask about all treatments.
Key findings
01Fifty-six percent used prescription medications and 51% used OTC medications; these were reported totally ineffective least often (8% and 10%).
02Forty-seven percent used more than one strategy, and among those using two or more, 73% reported at least some effect versus 27% of those using one.
03Patients using three or more strategies reported worse pain (7.3 vs 5.8, p = .004), and 14% found all strategies they used totally ineffective.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants recalled and self-reported their strategies and relief, so perceived effectiveness may not match measured treatment effect. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that any strategy caused relief or that using more strategies improved or worsened outcomes. The sample included adults aged 20 to 65 with certain migraine types from clinics in one medical center, and people with rare migraine, mixed headache, or medication overuse headache were excluded. All participants were receiving physician care, so the findings may not apply to people who do not seek care or whose attacks are very different from those studied.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No funding source is stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that OTC medications are proven more effective than prescription medications for migraine. The study reports self-selected, recalled perceived relief in people already receiving physician care, not a randomized comparison, and it notes medication overuse headache as a risk of frequent OTC use.