Patterns of specific antimigraine drug use--a study based on the records of 18 community pharmacies.

The objective of this study was, first, to characterize the usage patterns of specific antimigraine drugs, and second, to compare these in patients with one type of drug with patients with two or more types of drug. Dispensing data on triptans and ergotamine were collected from community pharmacy records over a 1-year period. In a population of approximately 168,000 specific antimigraine medication has been dispensed to 2343 patients (1.4%). Oral dosage forms were prescribed in most prescriptions (77.1%), subcutaneous injections in 9.7%, rectal suppositories in 7.1% and nasal sprays in 6.1%. We identified 292 patients (12.5%) to whom more than one type of drug was dispensed. Multiple drugs patients showed significantly higher drug consumption and deviating patterns of specific antimigraine drug usage, receiving significantly more non-oral dosage forms (32.8% vs. 20.4%, P<0.001). Our data indicate substantially suboptimal treatment of migraine patients.