Impulsivity prevalence in migraine patients without and with medication overuse

Abstract

Background: Migraine is one of the most common disorders in neurological clinical practice and is part of the group of primary headaches. It often affects individuals in the age group of 25-55 years, when people are at their peak of economic productivity. Many patients ultimately overuse analgesics. Overuse is defined by the use of analgesics for at least 15 times a month - within a minimal three-month period. Impulsivity and migraine cause losses in the lives of individuals suffering from them, as they can compromise these individuals’ social, emotional, and professional spheres. Regarding the professional sphere, it results in economic losses compared with the overall population. Objective: To investigate the presence of impulsive behavior in patients with migraine and with medication-overuse migraine. Methods: Cross-sectional study on 210 female and male patients; 140 were diagnosed with migraine according to criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders and were subdivided into two groups (70 patients each). One of these groups was composed of medication-overuse patients; the control group was composed of non-migraine patients (70 patients). All patients were evaluated with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Results: The group of migraine patients accounted for the highest impulsivity level, followed by the control group and, finally, by the medication-overuse group. However, these differences did not attain statistical significance. Conclusions: It was not possible to establish a clear connection between migraine and impulsive behavior. Association was higher among migraineurs without medication overuse.

Impulsivity in migraine and in medication overuse headache: A literature review

“…The following paragraphs contain descriptive information about these studies (Tables 1 and 2): Santos et al 12 conducted an analysis of impulsivity within a cohort of 210 patients. Among these, 70 presented with migraine and medication overuse headache, 70 had migraine without medication overuse, and 70 were controls without migraine.…”

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults With Migraine

“…The group of migraine patients accounted for the highest impulsivity level, followed by the control group and, finally, by the medication-overuse group. However, these differences did not attain statistical significance (Santos et al, 2020).…”

Enfermedades neurológicas y juego

“…Desde el punto de vista fisiopatológico, neuroanatómico y debido a asociaciones comórbidas y epidemiológicas, plantear una posible relación con la cefalea por uso excesivo de medicación analgésica no parece aventurado ni gratuito. En estos pacientes están claras las conductas adictivas, así como el déficit de control de impulsos, la baja tolerancia a la frustración, la ansiedad anticipatoria y otras asociaciones con comorbilidades psiquiátricas que harían pensar en una posible correlación entre esta entidad y algún tipo de disfunción del control de impulsos que, eventualmente, pudiera llevar a conductas de juego anómalas 56 .…”