Migraine Treatment or Prevention?
“Almost 70% of patients state that even reducing migraine frequency by half would be very or completely meaningful.”
While there is still no cure for migraines, there are 2 approaches to managing them:
- Migraine Treatment: Taking medication at the start of a migraine, one migraine at a time
- Migraine Prevention: Taking a daily prescription medication that can help stop migraines before they start, so you can get fewer of them. Acute medications may still be necessary to treat occassional migraines.
Treating one migraine at a time
Treating frequent migraines with over-the-counter (OTC) medications like ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen may lessen your pain, but can sometimes lead to more headaches. If you are taking any over-the-counter pain medications more than 3 days a week, ask your healthcare professional if there's a treatment that may be more effective.
Another option is treating migraines with prescription medications at the first sign of migraine pain. The most frequently prescribed medicines for migraine pain are known as "triptans". Triptans appear to provide migraine relief by blocking the release of chemicals that cause this inflammation and directly reducing the size of swollen blood vessels.
Treating migraines before they start
If your headaches are frequent and are significantly interfering with daily activities, your healthcare professional may prescribe a daily migraine medication, such as TOPAMAX.
Unlike treatments you use at the start of a migraine, TOPAMAX works differently. It's a daily prescription medication that you take for as long as you and your healthcare professional decide you need it. While migraines can't be completely eliminated, TOPAMAX can help stop them before they start, so you can get fewer of them to think about.
