Japan System Techniques Co., Ltd. announced that it has been performing research jointly with Dr. Masahito Katsuki concerning the relationships among migraines, migraine drugs and headaches caused by the overuse of these drugs. Dr. Katsuki is a neurosurgeon and provides outpatient headache care at Itoigawa General Hospital and Japanese Red Cross Suwa Hospital. The results of this joint research were announced at the 51st Assembly of the Japanese Headache Society.

Background: Approximately one in four people in Japan have problems with headaches. Substantial expenses are needed for treating this problem, which can often continue for many years. Furthermore, 8.4% of people in Japan suffer from migraines.

In recent years, there has been progress with the development of migraine acute treatment and preventive drugs. However, there have been instances where excessive dosages for acute treatment have produced headaches (headaches due to overuse of drugs) and other problems. With the cooperation of Dr. Katsuki, JAST started a joint research project in October 2022 with this hospital. The project uses medical big data with the goal of learning more about the relationships among migraines, migraine drugs and headaches caused by the overuse of these drugs.

Summary of the Research Project: This research project consists of two elements involving treatment patterns for individuals with headaches. One is cross-sectional research. The other is longitudinal studies for the observation of changes over time.

Two iatrogenic drugs appear to be used excessively: Triptans and combined analgesics (30 tablets/90 days or more) and analgesics alone (45 tablets/90 days or more). Cross-sectional research used medical invoice data in 2020 to examine the level of excessive use of iatrogenic drugs during the 90-day period when the amount of drugs prescribed is greatest for the acute phase of treatment. The study revealed that 1,992 individuals (12.8% of the total) of the 15,524 who were prescribed acute care treatment drugs received an excessive amount of drugs.

Longitudinal research used medical invoice data between 2010 and 2022 to determine patterns for prescribing drugs during the first two years following an initial diagnosis. The study covered 545,021 individuals during this two-year period and revealed that 40,082 individuals (10.1% of the total) had experienced excessive drug prescriptions. Upcoming Activities: This research project showed that 12.8% of individuals who received prescriptions for headaches were given an excessive amount of drugs.

In addition, 10.1% of individuals were given an excessive prescription within two years of the diagnosis of the cause of their headaches. Both patients and healthcare providers need to understand the risks associated with the excessive use of headache drugs in order to use drugs for treating acute headaches properly. To provide more knowledge about the excessive use of iatrogenic drugs, the members of this project plan to study activities for educating health insurers, patients and healthcare facilities.