Abstracts by key term: Ibuprofen
Data on the use of drug migraine therapies in children in routine practice are limited. The aim of this study is to analyze and evaluate the prescribing patterns of acute migraine therapies in outpatient pediatric practices in Germany. This retrospective, cross-sectional study includes children aged 2–12 years with a migraine diagnosis diagnosed by one of the 250 participating pediatricians between January 2015 and December 2023. 10.9% of the children aged 2–5 years and 18.3% of the children aged 6–12 years received a prescription for migraine medication. The most frequently prescribed active ingredient was ibuprofen (75.4% and 75.9%, respectively), which is available in various dosage forms. Among children aged 2–5 years who received an ibuprofen prescription, 68.2% received ibuprofen as a suspension, 16.3% as rectal suppositories, and 15.5% as orodispersible tablets. In the 6–12 year age group, suspension (36.3%) was the most frequently prescribed dosage form, followed by orodispersible tablets (31.8%) and solid tablets (29.9%). The proportion of orodispersible tablets was significantly higher among privately insured patients than among publicly insured patients (53.7% vs. 31.0%) and higher in 2015 compared to 2024 (40.5% vs. 24.8%). Orodispersible tablets appear to be the preferred dosage form for children, but they cannot always be prescribed due to discount agreements.