Treatment

During the Stone Age, pieces of a headache sufferer's skull were cut away with flint instruments to relieve pain. Another unpleasant remedy used in the British Isles around the ninth Century involved drinking "the juice of elder seed, cow's brain, and goat's dung dissolved in vinegar." Fortunately there are significant advances occurring in migraine treatment. Today, most migraine sufferers can better control this disorder and relieve its impact.

Active participation in your care can spell the difference between success and failure. Your doctor may suggest medications and other measures. You may also be asked to keep a diary to help track the effectiveness of medications, to identify migraine-provoking factors in your environment, and to monitor the benefits of treatment and lifestyle changes. The more you understand about your migraines, the greater the likelihood of success. Regular follow-up visits with your doctor and understanding how best to use medications leads to the most effective care.

An extremely important part of migraine treatment is to provide therapy that consistently relieves migraine symptoms, preserves your ability to function at normal or near normal levels, and lessens the frequency or duration of future migraine attacks. You may receive treatment to stop an attack when it occurs or to treat its symptoms (known as acute treatment). For individuals who experience frequent, disabling attacks, a preventive treatment can be taken regularly (every day) so that migraines will strike less often and last for a shorter time. While almost everyone needs acute treatment, only 1 in 5 people with migraines needs a preventive treatment. If you are on a preventive medication, continue taking it while treating yourself for an acute attack.

There are many migraine drugs available, and it is important that therapy be individualized just for you. Your doctor will work with you to determine which drugs are best for you.