The Frequency and Perceived Effectiveness of Pain Self-Management Strategies Used by Individuals With Migraine

Background: Migraine is ranked among the most important causes of disability worldwide. Some effective migraine treatments have been identified. However, little is known regarding the treatment strategies used by patients with migraine to manage pain or their efficacy.

Purpose: This study was designed to (a) investigate the pain management strategies used by migraineurs and their perceived effectiveness and (b) evaluate the association between the number of strategies used and their overall perceived effectiveness.

Methods: A cross-sectional design with consecutive sampling was used in a medical center in Taiwan. Individuals with migraine (N = 174) completed self-administered questionnaires and in-depth interviews to assess the frequency and perceived effectiveness of a variety of pain management strategies.

Results: Most participants reported using prescription medications (56%) and over-the-counter medications (51%), which were rated as having good efficacy rates of 78% and 81%, respectively. Traditional Chinese medicine (17%) and folk remedies (13%) were used less frequently and rated as relatively less effective at 65% and 48%, respectively. About half (47%) reported using more than one pain management strategy. Significantly more of those who reported using multiple pain management strategies reported at least "some effect" than those who reported using one strategy only (73% vs. 27%, p = .001).

Conclusions: Prescription medications showed good usage rate and good perceived efficacy. However, about half of the participants used multiple pain management strategies, supporting the need for further research to evaluate the efficacy of combination treatments and to identify those combinations that may have the most additive and/or synergistic effects. Furthermore, the findings indicate that continued use of medications for migraine management is appropriate for many individuals because of the relatively high rates of perceived efficacy for this strategy found in this study.