Headache Medication Habits in Northern Finland

• Published in: Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain
• Main Author: Nikiforow, Rita
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1980
• Subjects: Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4610.1980.hed2005274.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1526-4610.1980.hed2005274.x; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4610.1980.hed2005274.x/fullpdf

SYNOPSIS In a survey conducted by questionnaire of an urban and a rural area in Northern Finland the respondents were asked about their headache medication habits. Of the 2018 persons who had suffered from headache during the year previous to the survey, 400 (20%) had managed entirely without medicine and 548 (27%) with less than 10 tablets a year, these including some suffering from frequent severe headaches. Only 4% took 10 tablets a week or more. The men and women took almost equal amounts of medicine, the rural women taking more than their urban counterparts. The use of medication for headache increased with age, was more abundant in those with exhaustion or depressive traits, and was possibly influenced by education. Less than half of those who had migraine diagnosed acquired an ergotamine prescription, and only 4 persons, all women, took more than 10 mg of ergotamine a week.