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Migraine Headaches - Treatment Overview
Although there is no cure for migraines, you can often reduce and possibly prevent some migraines. Drugs are available to prevent or treat migraines. There is some evidence that taking aspirin along with a drug that helps with nausea, such as metoclopramide (for example, Reglan), may help reduce migraine symptoms.4
You may also reduce the number of migraines you have by identifying and avoiding triggers that lead to migraines, such as drinking red wine or getting too much or too little sleep.
Initial treatment
At first you may use pain relievers that you can buy without a prescription, such as acetaminophen (for example, Tylenol), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen sodium, to reduce migraine symptoms. Some doctors recommend that you first try an NSAID to see whether it reduces pain before trying abortive or preventive drugs, which may have more side effects.5
Initial treatment depends on how severe your migraine attacks are and how often they occur, but usually includes drugs to stop a headache (abortive) or drugs to prevent a headache (preventive), along with treatments that may reduce stress.
The most commonly used abortive drugs are:
- NSAIDs, such as aspirin, some of which you can buy without a prescription.
- Triptans (serotonin receptor agonists). These are usually the first type of prescription medicines tried to quickly stop a migraine attack.
- Ergotamine derivatives, such as Cafergot, although these medications may not be as effective as triptans for treating migraines.
- Midrin, which is a combination of the drugs isometheptene, acetaminophen, and dichloralphenazone.
The most commonly used preventive drugs-used to avoid or reduce the frequency of migraine attacks-include:
- Beta-blockers, which relax blood vessels.
- Calcium channel blockers, which reduce the amount of narrowing (constriction) of the blood vessels.
- Antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, which has been shown to be effective in preventing migraines.5
- Anticonvulsants, such as topiramate, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for preventing migraines.
Some small studies suggest that the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor lisinopril and the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) candesartan reduce the frequency of migraine headaches. But more research is needed.6
Antinausea drugs (such as prochlorperazine or metoclopramide) are sometimes prescribed along with abortive drugs to relieve symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Antinausea drugs may also be prescribed alone to treat migraine symptoms.
Complementary therapies may be added to drug treatment to reduce or prevent migraine symptoms. Be sure to ask your doctor before you try these therapies-to make sure they are safe for you.
- Acupuncture, which involves putting very thin needles into the skin at certain points on the body to produce energy flow along the body's meridians. Current evidence suggests that acupuncture can help with headaches. But more research is needed.2
- Biofeedback, a relaxation method for learning to control a body function that is not normally under conscious control, such as muscle tension.
- Relaxation techniques to reduce stress and tension.
- Feverfew, which is an herb that in the past was thought to help prevent migraines. We now have enough research to say that a benefit has not been proven. Feverfew doesn't appear to work any better than placebo at preventing migraines.7
- Butterbur, which is an herb that has been shown to help prevent migraines in some people.8
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2) and coenzyme Q10, which in small studies have both been shown to help prevent migraines.9
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Migraine Headaches Topics
Researchers test a device that might stop migraine headaches by sending short bursts of magnetic energy to the brain.
