US Headache Study

Tolerability

The majority of the participants did not report side effects during the acute or pre-emptive phases (placebo 58%, acetaminophen 57%, NS). Comparisons were made between treatment groups on the occurrence of any adverse event within 4 hours of taking DAC and at any time during the pre-emptive phase and no significant differences were detected.

Discussion

The study supports the concept that headache attributed to DAC is self-limited, tending to spontaneous remission in most patients. DAC is effective in the secondary prevention of stroke and TIA, and headache should not be a reason for non-adherence in the majority of the patients. Clinicians should advise patients about headache and its benign nature following DAC, with special caution if they fall into one of the higher risk subgroups. As the headaches are mild and usually disappear with the chronic use of DAC, acute and preemptive treatments may not be necessary in most patients.