Reduction of Medication Costs After Detoxification for Medication-Overuse Headache

TY - JOUR

T1 - Reduction of Medication Costs After Detoxification for Medication-Overuse Headache

AU - Shah, Asif M

AU - Bendtsen, Lars

AU - Zeeberg, Peter

AU - Jensen, Rigmor H

N1 - © 2012 American Headache Society.

PY - 2013/4

Y1 - 2013/4

N2 - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether detoxifying patients with medication-overuse headache can reduce long-term medication costs. BACKGROUND: Direct costs of medications in medication-overuse headache have been reported to be very high but have never been calculated on the basis of exact register data. Long-term economic savings obtained by detoxification have never been investigated. METHODS: We conducted a registry-based observational retrospective follow-up study on 336 medication-overuse headache patients treated and discharged from the Danish Headache Center over a 2-year period. By means of the Danish Register of Medicinal Product Statistics, we collected information on the costs and use of prescription-only medication 1 year before admission and 1 year after discharge from Danish Headache Center. RESULTS: The average medication costs per patient per year decreased with 24%, from US$971 before treatment to US$737 after (P = .001), and the average medication use decreased with 14.4% (P = .02). Savings were most pronounced for patients overusing triptans. In this group, the average medication costs per patient per year decreased with 43% (P 

AB - OBJECTIVE: To examine whether detoxifying patients with medication-overuse headache can reduce long-term medication costs. BACKGROUND: Direct costs of medications in medication-overuse headache have been reported to be very high but have never been calculated on the basis of exact register data. Long-term economic savings obtained by detoxification have never been investigated. METHODS: We conducted a registry-based observational retrospective follow-up study on 336 medication-overuse headache patients treated and discharged from the Danish Headache Center over a 2-year period. By means of the Danish Register of Medicinal Product Statistics, we collected information on the costs and use of prescription-only medication 1 year before admission and 1 year after discharge from Danish Headache Center. RESULTS: The average medication costs per patient per year decreased with 24%, from US$971 before treatment to US$737 after (P = .001), and the average medication use decreased with 14.4% (P = .02). Savings were most pronounced for patients overusing triptans. In this group, the average medication costs per patient per year decreased with 43% (P 

U2 - 10.1111/head.12031

DO - 10.1111/head.12031

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0017-8748

JO - Headache

JF - Headache

ER -