Aims: We describe the use of medication with symptomatic relief of migraine as specific indication by analysing prescription data from the entire Danish population in 1994 and 1995.
Methods: The data for sumatriptan were analysed at the level of the individual user. We used aggregated data for ergotamine drugs.
Results: Sumatriptan constituted 46% of the total amount of defined daily doses (DDD) sold and 94% of the total pharmacy retail price expenses in the drug-group studied. In total, 43389 users of sumatriptan were identified who presented 340148 prescriptions, corresponding to 2.2 million DDD of sumatriptan. The quarterly consumption increased by 50% during the study period. Tablets accounted for 92% of consumption. The 1 year period prevalence of use of sumatriptan among persons 16 years and older was 7.8 per 1000 in 1995 with a female to male prevalence ratio of 3.8:1. Use was most common in the age interval 35-54 years. Regional differences in use, which were not large, were positively correlated to the degree of urbanization. The incidence of use of sumatriptan was estimated at 3.6 per 1000 person-years. The intensity of use of sumatriptan varied greatly with 1.1% of patients (n = 507) using 60 DDD or more within 30 days at some time during the observation period. Long-term high use of tablets was common in this group.
Conclusions: We conclude that sumatriptan had a considerable impact on the treatment of migraine with prescription drugs in Denmark. The underlying reasons for high use of the drug in a smaller fraction of the patients deserve further study.