Treating Migraine Headache

Drug therapy, biofeedback training, stress reduction, and eliminating certain foods from the diet are the most common methods of preventing and controlling migraine. There are two main approaches to the drug treatment of migraine headache: prevention of attacks, and / or relieving symptoms after the headache occurs.
For mild migraine headaches, over the counter drugs, typically acetaminophen or aspirin, can be ingested upon the first onset of the migraine to either stop the headache or alleviate the pain. For moderate or severe migraines, or cluster headaches – shorter versions of migraine that occur in a “cluster” such as several a day – strong drugs are necessary to control pain.
One of the most commonly used drugs for relief of severe migraine is ergotamine tartrate, a vasoconstrictor which helps relieve the dilation stage of a migraine. For optimal benefit, it should be taken at the start of a migraine.
For migraines that occur with frequency more than three times per month, doctors typically recommend a course of preventive treatment. These preventative drugs can include methysergide maleate, a substance which minimizes blood vessel constriction, and propranolol hydrochloride, a medication that stops blood vessel dilation. Also, amitryptyline, an antidepressant, has also been used in treating migraines.
Antidepressants called MAO inhibitors also prevent migraine. However, MAO inhibitors can have potentially serious side effects – particularly while ingesting food and beverages that contain tyramine, a substance that constricts arteries.
Recently, scientists have developed new drugs that prevent migraines, such as the serotonin agonists, which imitate its equivalent brain chemical. The key to preventing migraines resides within timely administration of these prescriptions.
(Summarized from Headache: Hope Through Research, October, 1996; Pages 1-36; Health and Human Services Department (HHS); National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes; SuDoc Number: HE 20.3502:H 34/4/996