Migraine : rôle du pharmacien d’officine dans la sensibilisation du patient sur le risque d’abus médicamenteux

Abstract

Introduction: Migraine is a common disease but it remains under-diagnosed and poorly managed. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of the pharmacist in the diagnosis and management of migraine patients and to highlight the importance of the pharmacist in raising awareness of the risk of drug abuse. Materials and methods: Two observational surveys using two questionnaires, where the first one targeted suspected migraine patients and the second one pharmacists, were conducted. All data were processed by SPSS. Results: The first investigation included 200 participants from the Algerian population aged of 12 to 75 years, of whom 58.5% were confirmed to have migraine. A female predominance was noted with a sex ratio (F/H) of 4.3. The patients reported an occurrence of attacks with a mean duration of 473.48 ± 842 min. Most of them reported an intensity of more than 5. These migraine attacks were associated with a considerable degree of disability in the patients’ daily lives. Half of the participants reported being interviewed by their pharmacists and otherwise receiving advice. The second investigation included 30 pharmacists, mostly female and with an average age of 32.10 ±10.370 years. Only 57% saw migraine as a reason for receiving advice in the pharmacy. The most commonly sold over counter drugs are first-line painkillers, reflecting the overuse of these by migraine patients. Half of the pharmacists confirmed that they often interview patients suffering from headaches. Discussion and conclusion: The dispensing pharmacist occupies an important position in the health system, particularly in Algeria. In order to achieve the ultimate goal of awareness and prevention of drug abuse, they must be more attentive to migraine patients and participate effectively in their therapeutic education.