TY - JOUR
T1 - Drug and Nondrug Treatment in Tension-type Headache
AU - Bendtsen, Lars
N1 - 10.1177/1756285609102328
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Tension-type headache (TTH) is a common primary headache with tremendous socioeconomic impact. Establishment of an accurate diagnosis is important before initiation of any treatment. Nondrug management is crucial. Information, reassurance and identification of trigger factors may be rewarding. Psychological treatments with scientific evidence for efficacy include relaxation training, EMG biofeedback and cognitive-behavioural therapy. Physical therapy and acupuncture are widely used, but the scientific evidence for efficacy is sparse. Simple analgesics are the mainstays for treatment of episodic TTH. Combination analgesics, triptans, muscle relaxants and opioids should not be used, and it is crucial to avoid frequent and excessive use of simple analgesics to prevent the development of medication-overuse headache. The tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline is drug of first choice for the prophylactic treatment of chronic TTH. The efficacy is modest and treatment is often hampered by side effects. Thus, treatment of frequent TTH is often difficult and multidisciplinary treatment strategies can be useful. The development of specific nonpharmacological and pharmacological managements for TTH with higher efficacy and fewer side effects is urgently needed. Future studies should also examine the relative efficacy of the various treatment modalities; for example, psychological, physical and pharmacological treatments, and clarify how treatment programs should be optimized to best suit the individual patient
AB - Tension-type headache (TTH) is a common primary headache with tremendous socioeconomic impact. Establishment of an accurate diagnosis is important before initiation of any treatment. Nondrug management is crucial. Information, reassurance and identification of trigger factors may be rewarding. Psychological treatments with scientific evidence for efficacy include relaxation training, EMG biofeedback and cognitive-behavioural therapy. Physical therapy and acupuncture are widely used, but the scientific evidence for efficacy is sparse. Simple analgesics are the mainstays for treatment of episodic TTH. Combination analgesics, triptans, muscle relaxants and opioids should not be used, and it is crucial to avoid frequent and excessive use of simple analgesics to prevent the development of medication-overuse headache. The tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline is drug of first choice for the prophylactic treatment of chronic TTH. The efficacy is modest and treatment is often hampered by side effects. Thus, treatment of frequent TTH is often difficult and multidisciplinary treatment strategies can be useful. The development of specific nonpharmacological and pharmacological managements for TTH with higher efficacy and fewer side effects is urgently needed. Future studies should also examine the relative efficacy of the various treatment modalities; for example, psychological, physical and pharmacological treatments, and clarify how treatment programs should be optimized to best suit the individual patient
U2 - 10.1177/1756285609102328
DO - 10.1177/1756285609102328
M3 - Review
C2 - 21179525
SN - 1756-2856
VL - 2
SP - 155
EP - 161
JO - Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
JF - Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders
IS - 3
ER -