Chronic migraine headaches can be debilitating and for some people – very frequent. Narcotics were an inadequate answer for a person with a migraine headache since the whole idea was to function and be pain free and any narcotic can be addictive if used in excess. This brought about a completely new line in research and new medication for migraines and new choices for those with chronic migraine headaches.

A migraine headache often shows up in adolescence and continues until around age 60 for those with chronic migraines. Most persons with migraine headaches would only have the choice of aspirin or a trip to the hospital and strong narcotics as recently as 30 years ago.

This has changed immensely though and now the thrust is toward preventing the full-blown migraine headache by avoiding triggers and using interrupting or abortive medication designed to kill the pain and stop the cycle.

Medication for migraine headaches is becoming increasingly more sophisticated and directed to the problems associated with migraine headaches.

Serotonin appears to be low in some people with chronic migraines so some abortive types of (interrupts the migraine before it grows too large) medication for migraines are Triptans, which work on the serotonin level.

This is not a narcotic nor is it an effective painkiller for other types of pain other than headache but is proving to be effective as a medication that works for migraines. Other medications used to interrupt the migraine headache are acetaminophen-isometheptene-dichloralphenazone, dihydroergotamine and ergotamine tartrate.

Sometimes a migraine will progress too far to be interrupted and in that case, palliative medications are used to help relieve the symptoms. The most obvious of course is the headache pain but nausea is another uncomfortable migraine headache symptom that is addressed by specific medication.

A prophylactic (preventative) approach to migraine headaches is taken when the migraine episodes are several times a month and interfere with the individual’s quality of life and vocation or schooling.

The migraine prevention is often a drug that has been used for another purpose but is effective in preventing chronic migraines. It is important if preventative medication is prescribed that it be taken only as directed by the physician and exactly as directed to be safe and effective.

Though options have grown immensely in what medication for headaches is available one of the most effective treatments at this time for migraine headaches is the identification and avoidance of migraine headache triggers.

With some relatively simple lifestyle changes, regular sleep patterns, moderate exercise and a proper diet many persons who experience migraines can greatly reduce the occurrence without excessive need for medication.

In more severe cases or when a migraine episode gains too much of a foothold the newer medication for migraine headaches are injectable or inhalable which increases their efficiency immensely and control the pain much more quickly.

The days when the only medication for migraine pain was aspirin and a dark room are long past and now a person who experiences migraine headaches can look forward to pain free days.

With advances in medical science and research into the causes and imbalances that may be present during a migraine episode the patient who requires medication for migraine headaches has many more options. Of course, there are over the counter medication for migraine headaches that can work if taken soon enough. A mixture of one example is Excedrin for Migraines, which is effective on some migraine headaches.

One of the historical problems with medication for migraine headaches was their ability to be effective was limited by the fact that when the migraine headache begins it often produces a sympathetic response in the stomach which causes the digestive process to slow.

This decreases the effectiveness of medication that are taken orally since the medication just sits in the stomach. The nausea that is often experienced with a migraine headache also complicated taking medication orally since it is difficult to swallow or retain medicine when nauseous.

A chronic migraine headache is generally very painful and can cause lost work time and missed school as well as social obligations. A migraine headache episode can last from several hours to several days and most migraine sufferers find their function impaired or they are unable to function during their episodes.

There are three common approaches to medications for migraine headaches.

Preventative migraine headache medications
Palliative migraine medications
Interruptive migraine headache medications

It used to be that once a migraine headache began there were not many options as far as effective medication for migraine headaches went. However now there are medications that are intended to interrupt the headache not just fix the pain but to solve the issue. These medications are usually nasal sprays or injections.

Preventative medication for migraine headaches are used only in cases where migraine episodes are very frequent, at least one episode a week.  These are overall not drugs developed originally for migraine headaches but repurposed and can be effective if the physician deems it necessary.

Palliative medication for migraine headaches are for use when the migraine cannot be interrupted and is full blown. These might include anti-nausea medications and pain medications that work strictly upon migraine headaches. A last ditch recourse might be a narcotic but since migraine episodes are recurrent with many people, narcotics have limited usefulness.

Medications called Triptans are often used for migraine headaches. They help stop the pain and can interrupt the migraine headache though they are ineffective on anything but headaches.

Beta Blockers or Calcium channel blockers such as Propranolol and Verapamil are high blood pressure medications but are also sometimes used as preventative migraine headache medications. Diphenhydramine and Cyproheptadine are antihistamines that may be used to prevent migraine headaches in some persons.  Antidepressants such as Amytriptiline and Nortriptyline have had some success as well.

Because these drugs are used in ways not intended originally, it is important that they be used only under a physician’s direction. There are a growing group of medications either repurposed to treat migraines or developed specifically as medication for migraine headaches. There are choices in treatments as well as preventions for migraine headaches and control is better today than ever before.