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ISSUE 3 JUNE
Letters to the Editor

Medication overuse headache

  • Karen Honson, David Williams

The Editorial Executive Committee welcomes letters, which should be less than 250 words. Before a decision to publish is made, letters which refer to a published article may be sent to the author for a response. Any letter may be sent to an expert for comment. When letters are published, they are usually accompanied in the same issue by their responses or comments. The Committee screens out discourteous, inaccurate or libellous statements. The letters are sub-edited before publication. Authors are required to declare any conflicts of interest. The Committee's decision on publication is final.

 

Letter to the Editor

Editor, – It is of great interest to note the high prevalence of medication overuse headache (Aust Prescr 2005;28:143-5) yet a corresponding paucity, or in many cases, absence, of warning statements on many common over-the-counter analgesics. Likewise, little prominence is given in consumer medication information leaflets about the potential for developing this disorder, signs and symptoms to be aware of, and the importance of seeking medical help should the disorder become apparent. Given the ready availability of codeine-containing combination analgesics without a prescription, the prevalence of this undiagnosed disorder in people who are unknowingly trapped in a vicious circle must be cause for concern. Moreover, it is disappointing to note a corresponding lack of suitable warnings in some of the 'triptan' product information for healthcare professionals - a factor which must be considered in the over-prescribing of these products in the first place.

Karen Honson
Pharmacist
The Royal Melbourne Hospital
Melbourne

Karen Honson

Pharmacist, The Royal Melbourne Hospital Melbourne

David Williams

Neurologist, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, New South Wales