EHMTI-0388. Levels of calcitonin-gene related peptide in medication overuse headache – a pilot study

Background Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is a chronic, secondary headache caused by excessive intake of symptomatic medications for an underlying headache, most often tension-type headache or migraine. Previously, elevated calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels were found in migraine patients increasing with migraine frequency and in animal MOH models. Aim To test whether MOH patients have increased CGRP levels before withdrawal therapy compared with healthy volunteers, and further, if the CGRP level would normalize after withdrawal in parallel with the headache-frequency decrease.