Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMigraine TreatmentPreventive MedicationsAbortive DrugsMigraine DevicesSupplementsHome RemediesNext in Migraine GuideHow to Prevent Migraines
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Migraine Treatment
Preventive Medications
Abortive Drugs
Migraine Devices
Supplements
Home Remedies
Next in Migraine Guide
Migraines are a type of headache that causes head pain and other symptoms, such as dizziness, fatigue, and nausea.
This article covers acute and preventive migraine treatment, including medications, home remedies, and devices to relieve the pain when a migraine occurs, and preventive lifestyle approaches, medications, devices, and supplements.
How Are Migraines Treated?
Migraines are treated with a number of different therapies. Migraine medications can stop migraine symptoms during the episodes. Other treatments—which include lifestyle strategies, medical interventions, or medications—are helpful for preventing migraine episodes.
Treatments for migraine symptoms can include at-home care, such as using an ice pack or avoiding bright lights. Medical therapy may include over-the-counter (OTC) medication or prescription treatments.Rarely, medical interventions or injections are needed to treat an ongoing migraine attack.
Everybody who experiences migraines can benefit from paying attention to contributing lifestyle factors and avoiding triggers. For some people, preventive medication or interventional procedures can be beneficial as well—this depends on the migraine frequency and severity.
Migraine Types: Symptoms, Risk, Factors, and Treatments
Medications to Prevent a Migraine
Migraine preventionis an important aspect of living with this condition. Recurrence is a characteristic of migraines. Certain lifestyle strategies and medical treatments are known to be effective at preventing repeated migraines.
Some of the medications that are commonly prescribed to prevent migraines include:
Lifestyle Approaches to Prevent MigraineLifestyle approaches that can help prevent migraine include:Getting enough exercise and physical activityGetting enough sleep(including treating sleep disorders such assleep apnea)Drinking enough non-caffeinated beverages to stay hydratedAvoiding alcoholAvoiding smokingManaging stressKeeping a diary to identify triggers and that you are taking your medications appropriatelyFor some people, caffeine orcertain foods or food ingredients(such as chocolate,monosodium glutamate, and nitrates) can trigger migraines.If you regularly consume caffeinated beverages, decreasing your intake can lead to caffeine withdrawal, which usually triggers severe migraines.
Lifestyle Approaches to Prevent Migraine
Lifestyle approaches that can help prevent migraine include:Getting enough exercise and physical activityGetting enough sleep(including treating sleep disorders such assleep apnea)Drinking enough non-caffeinated beverages to stay hydratedAvoiding alcoholAvoiding smokingManaging stressKeeping a diary to identify triggers and that you are taking your medications appropriatelyFor some people, caffeine orcertain foods or food ingredients(such as chocolate,monosodium glutamate, and nitrates) can trigger migraines.If you regularly consume caffeinated beverages, decreasing your intake can lead to caffeine withdrawal, which usually triggers severe migraines.
Lifestyle approaches that can help prevent migraine include:
For some people, caffeine orcertain foods or food ingredients(such as chocolate,monosodium glutamate, and nitrates) can trigger migraines.If you regularly consume caffeinated beverages, decreasing your intake can lead to caffeine withdrawal, which usually triggers severe migraines.
Migraine Self-Care: Diet, Avoiding Triggers, and More
Abortive Drugs for Migraines
The term “abortive drugs” describes migraine treatments that are used during an episode. This is because they can abort (stop) the migraine attack. These medications can include OTC treatments, but you may need prescription therapies if the OTC options don’t work or are not well tolerated.
Common acute migraine treatments include:
Each treatment category can have side effects, but they are usually mild. Nevertheless, it’s important to pay attention to your migraine symptoms and potential side effects and discuss them with your healthcare provider, especially when starting a new medication.
Migraine Stages
A migraine episode can include any combination of the following stages:
Antinausea Drugs for Migraines
Antiemeticsprevent nausea and vomiting. These medications are also effective for treating migraines. Antiemetics for migraines have pros and cons, and they are not used as often as other migraine treatments.
Advantages of antiemetics for migraine treatment include:
A disadvantage of antiemetics for migraine treatment is that they may causefocal muscle dystonia, a rare but distressing side effect in which you have muscle spasms or stiffening.
Because of their potential for dystonia, antiemetics are not typically prescribed for migraine treatment. They are commonly given in a hospital setting.
When to Take Migraine Medication
Treating a migraine episode is usually more effective when medication is taken at the first sign of a migraine or shortly after the first symptoms begin.
Sometimes, even after you feel better, you might need to take a repeat dose 12 to 24 hours after the first dose.
Noninvasive deviceshave been approved for use in migraine treatment. These are relatively new and are considered safe.
Devices that have been used for migraine treatment include:
Supplements for a Migraine
A few supplements are commonly used for preventing or treating migraines. There is some evidence that supplements may be effective for controlling or treating migraines, but many people do not experience adequate relief from using supplements.
If you are interested in considering a supplement to help prevent or treat your migraines, discuss it with your healthcare provider and pharmacist. Supplements may interact with other medications. They may also be contraindicated (advised against) if you have certain underlying health problems.
Supplements that are sometimes used as part of migraine therapy:
Other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies that have been recommended for both migraine treatment and prevention include breathing exercises, meditation, gentle exercises (such as yoga and swimming), and OTC acupressure devices.
Preventing Medication Overuse HeadachesTaking too much pain medicine or migraine medication or taking these drugs too often can lead to medication withdrawal headaches (also called medication overuse headaches).One of the reasons why preventive medication is recommended for people who have very frequent migraines is that prevention can reduce your need for acute migraine treatment.
Preventing Medication Overuse Headaches
Taking too much pain medicine or migraine medication or taking these drugs too often can lead to medication withdrawal headaches (also called medication overuse headaches).One of the reasons why preventive medication is recommended for people who have very frequent migraines is that prevention can reduce your need for acute migraine treatment.
Home Remedies for Migraine Relief
When you have a migraine, use home remedies that have been effective for you in the past.
Home remedies you might consider include:
It’s best to learn which at-home therapies and medications work best for your migraines and to stick to the routine that works for you.
Summary
Migraine treatment includes preventive strategies, as well as treatment for an acute migraine. Preventive strategies include lifestyle modifications, devices, medication, and procedures.
Migraine episodes can usually be treated with OTC medication or prescription therapies, but at-home care is also an important part of getting relief from your migraine. Usually, treating a migraine episode right at the beginning—or even before it starts—is more effective than waiting it out.
In some situations, the medication that’s recommended for you might not work, and you may need to seek emergency care. Emergency treatments may include antiemetics or an injection of migraine-specific medication.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Moreno-Ajona D, Hoffmann J, Akerman S.Devices for episodic migraine: past, present, and future.Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2022;26(3):259-265. doi:10.1007/s11916-022-01024-yNational Institute of Health.Migraines.Silberstein SD, Holland S, Freitag F, et al.Evidence-based guideline update: pharmacologic treatment for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. 2012;78(17):1337-45. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182535d20. Erratum in: Neurology. 2013 Feb 26;80(9):871. (Reaffirmed Oct. 22, 2022).American Migraine Foundation.How Gepants and Ditans complement existing therapies.Agbetou M, Adoukonou T.Lifestyle modifications for migraine management.Front Neurol. 2022;13:719467. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.719467Gazerani P.Migraine and diet.Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1658. doi:10.3390/nu12061658Mayans L, Walling A.Acute migraine headache: treatment strategies.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(4):243-251.Kaur K, Hernandez V, Al Hajaj SW, Ebrahim AM, Razack M, ElSharief MW, Dragas D.The efficacy of herbal supplements and nutraceuticals for prevention of migraine: can they help?Cureus.2021;13(5):e14868. doi:10.7759/cureus.14868
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Moreno-Ajona D, Hoffmann J, Akerman S.Devices for episodic migraine: past, present, and future.Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2022;26(3):259-265. doi:10.1007/s11916-022-01024-yNational Institute of Health.Migraines.Silberstein SD, Holland S, Freitag F, et al.Evidence-based guideline update: pharmacologic treatment for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. 2012;78(17):1337-45. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182535d20. Erratum in: Neurology. 2013 Feb 26;80(9):871. (Reaffirmed Oct. 22, 2022).American Migraine Foundation.How Gepants and Ditans complement existing therapies.Agbetou M, Adoukonou T.Lifestyle modifications for migraine management.Front Neurol. 2022;13:719467. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.719467Gazerani P.Migraine and diet.Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1658. doi:10.3390/nu12061658Mayans L, Walling A.Acute migraine headache: treatment strategies.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(4):243-251.Kaur K, Hernandez V, Al Hajaj SW, Ebrahim AM, Razack M, ElSharief MW, Dragas D.The efficacy of herbal supplements and nutraceuticals for prevention of migraine: can they help?Cureus.2021;13(5):e14868. doi:10.7759/cureus.14868
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Moreno-Ajona D, Hoffmann J, Akerman S.Devices for episodic migraine: past, present, and future.Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2022;26(3):259-265. doi:10.1007/s11916-022-01024-yNational Institute of Health.Migraines.Silberstein SD, Holland S, Freitag F, et al.Evidence-based guideline update: pharmacologic treatment for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. 2012;78(17):1337-45. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182535d20. Erratum in: Neurology. 2013 Feb 26;80(9):871. (Reaffirmed Oct. 22, 2022).American Migraine Foundation.How Gepants and Ditans complement existing therapies.Agbetou M, Adoukonou T.Lifestyle modifications for migraine management.Front Neurol. 2022;13:719467. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.719467Gazerani P.Migraine and diet.Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1658. doi:10.3390/nu12061658Mayans L, Walling A.Acute migraine headache: treatment strategies.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(4):243-251.Kaur K, Hernandez V, Al Hajaj SW, Ebrahim AM, Razack M, ElSharief MW, Dragas D.The efficacy of herbal supplements and nutraceuticals for prevention of migraine: can they help?Cureus.2021;13(5):e14868. doi:10.7759/cureus.14868
Moreno-Ajona D, Hoffmann J, Akerman S.Devices for episodic migraine: past, present, and future.Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2022;26(3):259-265. doi:10.1007/s11916-022-01024-y
National Institute of Health.Migraines.
Silberstein SD, Holland S, Freitag F, et al.Evidence-based guideline update: pharmacologic treatment for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Report of the Quality Standards Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. 2012;78(17):1337-45. doi:10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182535d20. Erratum in: Neurology. 2013 Feb 26;80(9):871. (Reaffirmed Oct. 22, 2022).
American Migraine Foundation.How Gepants and Ditans complement existing therapies.
Agbetou M, Adoukonou T.Lifestyle modifications for migraine management.Front Neurol. 2022;13:719467. doi:10.3389/fneur.2022.719467
Gazerani P.Migraine and diet.Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1658. doi:10.3390/nu12061658
Mayans L, Walling A.Acute migraine headache: treatment strategies.Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(4):243-251.
Kaur K, Hernandez V, Al Hajaj SW, Ebrahim AM, Razack M, ElSharief MW, Dragas D.The efficacy of herbal supplements and nutraceuticals for prevention of migraine: can they help?Cureus.2021;13(5):e14868. doi:10.7759/cureus.14868
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