Understanding and managing 21st century headaches in the community

Pain is a common symptom of a range of conditions or situations, and can manifest and be experienced with different intensities, from mild discomfort to highly incapacitating. Supporting patients in adequately managing pain and using medicines to alleviate it in an optimal way is a common and important part of pharmacists’ daily practice.

A particular type of pain that often leads to consultations to pharmacists and the use of self-care medicines is headache. Contemporary lifestyles and ways of working – especially at such challenging times as we are experiencing in many parts of the world, with lockdowns and confinements – lead to increased stress, increased use of technology and screen time, and often a lack of good sleep, which all frequently lead to headaches.

Relieving headaches and regaining mental clarity are important for patient wellbeing and productivity, and pharmacists can play a role in advising on the most appropriate strategies and therapeutic approaches that are suitable for each patient.

Learning Objectives:
1. Provide an understanding of 21st century headaches and their impact on patient health and wellbeing.
2. Highlight patients’ expectations from pharmacists in addressing headaches.
3. Demonstrate the role that pharmacists can play in enabling self-care of headaches.

Moderator:
- Prof. Parisa Aslani, FIP Vice President - Australia

Panellist:
- Peter Goadsby, Director of NIHR Clinical Research Facility & Professor of Neurology, King’s College (UK) - United Kingdom
- Kerrie Smyres, writer and patient advocate, “The Daily Headache” - USA
- Ema Paulino, FIP Professional Secretary - Portugal