Treatment options

There are many treatments now available and new products are introduced very frequently. Your doctor and your pharmacist are important allies in your battle against migraine and their advice and support can be invaluable.

Many people treat their migraine with simple pain killers purchased from the chemist. These usually contain aspirin, paracetamol or ibuprofen (sometimes combined with other ingredients such as codeine, caffeine or an anti-histamine) and can be very effective, especially if taken very early in the attack.

It is important to take pain killers quickly as, during an attack, gastric stasis can occur and medication cannot then be absorbed from the gut into the blood stream. Pain killers taken in soluble form or tablets taken with a sweet fizzy drink can start to work more quickly.

For sufferers who experience nausea and vomiting painkillers combined with an anti-sickness ingredient can be helpful.

If remedies purchased from your chemist are not bringing you significant relief your doctor can prescribe stronger pain killers or painkillers combined with anti-sickness ingredients. Ergotamine can be effective in aborting migraine attacks and many sufferers have found it helpful but it is now less frequently prescribed because of concerns about its addictive potential.

There are also drugs (5HT agonists sometimes known as triptans) which act directly to correct the serotonin imbalance in the brain during a migraine attack. These are available on prescription only and are not suitable for all patients.

Acute treatments are available in a variety of different forms including tablets, capsules, powders, suppositories, injections and nasal sprays. It may be beneficial to try a treatment in another form.

If your attacks are very frequent your doctor may prescribe preventative medication which you will need to take every day. These treatments sometimes take a while to show any benefit so it is important not to give up on them too quickly. They can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks but seldom eliminate them entirely so you may also need an effective compatible acute treatment for breakthrough attacks.

Non drug treatments can also be very beneficial. Herbal remedies, specially tinted glasses, dental splints, devices that emit electronic impulses, magnetic devices, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, reflexology, physiotherapy, aromatherapy, hypnosis and various techniques which encourage relaxation have been helpful for some people.

Relaxation in whatever form - walking, sport, yoga, etc. is important for everyone. For some people, a change of lifestyle can improve quality of life by lessening the frequency and severity of attacks.

Stress often plays a role in triggering migraine, so stress management can be an important part of migraine management strategy.

Migraine is a complex and individual condition and it is important to persevere until you find the right treatment or combination of treatments and/or diet/lifestyle changes which work for YOU. Many migraineurs now live completely normal lives free from attacks because they have learned to control their condition.

Many people try to manage this complex neurological condition by themselves. They wrongly believe that their migraines are a sign of weakness and that they should be able to cope using over-the-counter remedies or non-medical therapies. It is vitally important for people who suspect that they may have migraine or who suffer from disabling headaches on a regular basis to consult their physician for an accurate diagnosis and to receive appropriate treatment. Although the condition

cannot be cured, migraine can be managed.

The Migraine Action Association is happy to work with all of the pharmaceutical companies on projects of common interest but we retain our complete independence; we do not seek pharmaceutical company sponsorship for any of our core activities and the information that we provide is completely unbiased.

We are indebted to the Migraine Action Association for their help in compiling this section.