Cost of illness and labour market disaffiliation among patients with migraine discontinuing triptan treatment: A Danish nationwide register study from 1995 to 2021

BACKGROUND: Migraine presents significant health and economic challenges. Despite the widespread use of triptans, some patients discontinue them because of insufficient relief or adverse effects. Using national registers, the present study investigates the excess costs and labour market disaffiliation of Danish patients discontinuing triptan treatment.

METHODS: The study included all individuals ≥18 years ("patients") who discontinued redemption of triptan prescriptions between 1998 and 2019. They were categorized by number of distinct triptans redeemed before discontinuation: one, two or three or more. A control group was established from the general population without triptan redemptions, three per patient, matched by year of birth, sex and region of residence. We estimated excess direct and indirect costs from 5 years prior ("year -5") to 10 years post ("year 10") the first triptan redemption.

RESULTS: We identified 211,026 patients who discontinued triptan redemption, 82% after one, 14% after two and 4% after three or more distinct triptans. Over the period from year -5 to year 10, average excess healthcare costs per patient in these cohorts were EUR 9,554, EUR 10,942 and EUR 12,812 respectively. Over the same period, these patients earned EUR 27,964, EUR 35,920 and EUR 50,076 less than their respective controls, and received higher public transfer payments of EUR 20,181, EUR 23,264 and EUR 26,459.

CONCLUSIONS: Triptan discontinuers, who appear to have exhausted all current treatment avenues, face high direct and very high indirect excess costs attributable to migraine, and experience substantial increased labour market disaffiliation.