Medication Overuse Headache - Causes

Causes

These types of headaches are known to occur with frequent use of many different medications, including most commonly: triptans, ergotamines, analgesics, opioids. The underlying mechanisms that lead to the development of MOH are still widely unknown and the clarification of their role is hampered by the lack of experimental research or suitable animal models. Various pathophysiological abnormalities have been reported and they seem to have an important role in initiating and maintaining chronic headache (genetic disposition, receptor and enzyme physiology and regulation, psychological and behavioural factors, physical dependencies, recent functional imaging results).