Education for medication overuse headache: Results of a systematic literature review

Background: Medication overuse headache (MOH) is often found in patients with chronic migraine as a result of worsening migraine accompanied by increasing amounts of acute medications. MOH is a relevant problem in clinical practice and the current German guideline on MOH recommends educational intervention to guide patients to reduce acute medication use. Objectives: The aim was to investigate published approaches for education in MO (medication overuse) and MOH. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed. Publications were included in which details for education for the prevention and treatment in MO or MOH were described. The educational approaches were analyzed thematically. Results: Twelve publications were included in this analysis. The described educational measures were effective in reducing or preventing MO or MOH. The educational content was heterogeneous, but some common topics were included in most of the educational approaches. These can be categorized in “education on the OH or MOH concept”, “risk factors” and “treatment options”. In few publications, additional topics related to “agreement on treatment” were mentioned. Conclusion: Education is effective in patients with medication overuse or medication overuse headache, but approaches differ. The overview presented here can be used as a basis to develop a structured educational approach for MOH. © The Author(s) 2025.