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Abortive headache medications

Abortive medications work by narrowing (constricting) blood vessels in the brain. They are used to stop severe headaches, such as migraines or cluster headaches, from getting worse as symptoms emerge.

Examples of abortive headache medications are triptans (such as Imitrex or Amerge) and ergotamines (such as Ercaf, Cafergot, or Migranal).

Author Monica Rhodes
Editor Kathleen M. Ariss, MS
Associate Editor Pat Truman
Primary Medical Reviewer Anne C. Poinier, MD
- Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC
- Neurology
Last Updated July 3, 2007

WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise

Last Updated: July 03, 2007
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