Stepped care approach to managing acute migraine: patient exercise

Migraine is the leading cause of disability in people aged 50 years and under. In acute migraine, a stepped care approach to pharmacological treatment is recommended alongside non-pharmacological management. Treatment guidelines recommend that patients who are inadequately treated with simple analgesics be stepped up to a triptan to relieve their migraine symptoms. However, some studies suggest triptans are under-utilised for the treatment of acute migraine. This module and patient exercise aim to help GPs review the management of acute migraine and identify when it is appropriate for people with acute migraine to have their treatment stepped up.

This module is related to and builds on Diagnosing and treating acute migraine in primary care. If you are not familiar with this topic it is recommended that you first complete the above module for a fuller understanding before enrolling in this patient exercise.

On completion of this educational activity participants will be able to:

• Outline and implement a holistic management approach to acute migraine
• Identify when it is appropriate for people with acute migraine to be stepped up to triptans
• Provide counselling and practical advice to help people with migraine access and use triptans safely and appropriately.

This activity is sponsored by Viatris.