How to get rid of a migraine

How to reduce or stop your pain with treatments for migraines including triptans, painkillers and home remedies

Learn your migraine early warning signs

Treatments for migraines

Video: 7 home remedies to help with migraines

Did you know that about 50% of people with headache disorders such as migraine are treating themselves without help from health professionals? Or that just 10% of headache disorders are professionally diagnosed? These statistics drive home that if you suspect you’re getting migraines, it’s important to get a diagnosis to help manage your condition. Here’s what you need to know about how to get rid of migraine pain. 


## Learn your migraine early warning signs

“One of the most important things you can do is learn the early warning signs of an attack,” says Dr. Ann Nainan, doctor and Healthily expert. “There are 3 key things about the signs that mean they’re crucial for you to get help with migraines.”

1. __Know the common early warning signs of a migraine attack__. Around 20-25% of people will get aura. These symptoms include:

    - blurred vision
    - seeing flashing lights
    - hearing noises such as music or ringing
    - burning pain or tingling
    - jerking movements

  If you don’t get aura, there are other more subtle signs called a ‘prodrome’ that might tell you a migraine is coming. This happens in up to 77% of people and signs can include:

    - yawning
    - mood changes, such as feeling irritable
    - gut issues such as constipation
    - food cravings
    - muscle stiffness, particularly in your neck

  And there are others – read more about the early warning signs of migraine in our article, [Get control of migraine](/health-library/conditions/migraine).

2. __Know your own personal signs.__ Everyone has different mixtures of warning signals. It’s a good idea to get familiar with your usual signs to help you identify patterns with your migraine. The best way to keep track of your migraine warning signs is by using a migraine diary. You can do this in a notebook or on your smartphone. 

3. __Use your warning signs to take action.__ “The faster you take your medication, the quicker it works,” says Dr. Ann. 


## Treatments for migraines

“Depending on how severe your symptoms are, and what [type of migraine](/health-library/conditions/migraine/#types-of-migraines) you get, you will need different treatments because everyone’s symptoms are individual,” says Dr. Ann. “You may be able to use over-the-counter medicine for migraine pain, or you might need to see your doctor for prescription-only treatments.” 

- There’s no cure for migraines but there are acute treatments to help ease pain and reduce symptoms, like nausea and vomiting. Read on to find out more about the main types of treatment when your migraine has taken hold

- There are prevention treatments you can take regularly to make your migraines less severe, and/or reduce how often you get them – read more here about [migraine prevention](/self-care/how-to-prevent-migraines)

### How your pharmacist can help 

You can buy some treatments for migraines from your pharmacy. “It’s handy to have a  stockpile of over-the-counter medicine for migraine pain at home or at work, so you can take them as soon as you feel an attack coming on,” says Dr. Ann.

#### Combination medications – for mild pain

Some over-the-counter migraine medications, such as Excedrin Migraine, combine caffeine, aspirin and acetaminophen. But for some people, caffeine can be a migraine trigger – find out more in ‘[Your questions answered](/health-library/treatments/how-to-get-rid-of-a-migraine/#your-questions-answered).’ Talk to your pharmacist to check if these medicines are safe for you. 

#### Painkillers for migraines – for mild to moderate pain

You can get painkillers from your pharmacy to help deal with the pain of mild to moderate migraines. Check with your pharmacist which ones might be best for you. These include:

- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen 
- aspirin 
- acetaminophen 

#### Anti-nausea drugs for migraines – even if you’re not nauseous

It may be helpful to take anti-nausea medication (sometimes called antiemetics) alongside painkillers when you feel a migraine coming on, even if you don’t get nausea and vomiting. This is because your gut absorption slows down when you have a migraine and some antiemetics can help your body to absorb painkillers.

#### Alternative migraine treatments 

Neuromodulation devices are non-invasive and drug-free. They use electrical currents or magnets to change activity in your brain – and possibly reduce migraine symptoms when one is underway.

- while most of these devices are prescription-only, currently 1 device is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be sold over-the-counter in pharmacies

- this device stimulates your trigeminal nerve (which is involved in most migraines) using an electrode which you stick to your forehead. The electrode sends out micro-impulses which stimulate your trigeminal nerve, producing a calming effect during a migraine

- you might want to try these non-invasive devices as an alternative to medication. But they can be expensive and the scientific evidence on how effective they are is limited – so it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before buying one 


Get help with this

### Migraine treatments from your doctor

If OTC painkillers and self care aren’t helping your migraines enough, make an appointment to see your doctor. You may be prescribed:

#### Triptans for migraines

- triptans are a type of painkiller specifically for migraines. They work by reversing the widening of the blood vessels around your brain, which is thought to be part of what happens during a migraine. They also block the pain messages to your brain 
- drugs such as sumatriptan and rizatriptan are both types of triptan – there are others though, and if one type doesn’t work for you, your doctor may prescribe a different triptan 
- you may be able to take triptans alongside painkillers and antiemetics 
- triptans can be taken as tablets, sprays or injections
- you shouldn’t use them if you have a history of certain types of heart disease, strokes or severe liver disease
- common side effects of triptans are usually mild and clear up on their own. They can include:
  - warmness
  - tightness in your face, arms, legs or chest
  - tingling
  - flushing
  - feeling ‘heavy’ in your face, limbs or chest
  - nausea
  - dry mouth
  - feeling drowsy

#### CGRP antagonists

A newer type of medication called CGRP antagonists (sometimes called ‘gepants’) can be used to treat a migraine attack if you don’t respond well to triptans, or if triptans aren’t suitable for you. 

- during a migraine attack your nerves and blood vessels release substances called calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP) – these play a part in the pain you feel during a migraine. CGRP antagonist treatments work to stop these substances affecting you
- rimegepant and ubrogepant are 2 types of CGRP antagonist that can be used to treat migraines when they’re happening. Other CGRP antagonists can also be used to prevent migraine in the first place

#### Other prescription migraine medications

- __anti-nausea medications__ – such as prochlorperazine
- dihydroergotamine – available as a nasal spray or injection, this drug works by tightening the blood vessels in your brain and stopping the release of substances in your brain that cause swelling. It’s usually used if triptans haven’t helped, but it can’t be used together with them. You might get your first dose of dihydroergotamine in your doctor’s office so they can monitor your reaction and check you’re using it properly. You may then be able to administer it yourself when you have a migraine attack
- __lasmiditan__ – a newer oral tablet which you may be prescribed if you get migraine with or without aura. Unlike some other migraine medications, it doesn’t narrow your blood vessels, so it might be suitable if you can’t take triptans because you have a history of cardiovascular conditions, such as heart disease or high blood pressure
- __opioids__ – for people who can't take other migraine medications, opioid medications might help. But they can be highly addictive, so they’re usually only used as a last resort
#### Prescription medical devices
There are FDA-approved non-invasive devices for treating a migraine in progress right now that your doctor can prescribe. Experts say these devices could be helpful for people who get frequent migraines and don’t want to take too many medications. And scientific studies are underway to find out if devices could work if you’re pregnant, because migraine treatment options can be limited during pregnancy. 

The devices include:
- __single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulator__ – this generates a magnetic impulse that affects the electric signalling in your brain
- __transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulator__ – uses electrical stimulation to target the vagus nerve in your neck
- __transcutaneous supraorbital neurostimulator__ – uses electrical stimulation to stimulate nerves in your head
If your migraines are happening frequently or your symptoms are really affecting you, your doctor may recommend medication to stop them from happening in the first place. Find out more in our [migraine prevention article](/self-care/how-to-prevent-migraines).

### Is there a natural cure for migraine?  
Here’s the latest evidence on natural remedies. “If you decide you want to try one of these, always talk to your doctor first,” says Dr. Ann.

- __green light therapy__ – there’s limited evidence that this therapy may reduce the intensity of migraine attacks. You’re exposed to a narrow band of green light from a special lamp. The thinking is that green light increases pain-relieving chemicals in your brain, or it could be that green light is less painful than other colors
- __magnesium__ – although it’s been studied more as a preventative treatment for migraine, some studies have looked at whether the mineral magnesium might help people with severe, difficult-to-treat migraines. In research, magnesium sulfate given as an injection worked best for people with a history of migraine with aura. In those without aura, there was no difference in immediate pain relief or nausea relief, but there was less light and noise sensitivity after the magnesium injection

### Treating ocular migraine 

- aspirin and antiepileptic drugs can reduce how bad your migraine attack is
- triptans aren’t suitable because of the risk of permanent vision loss
- because ocular migraine attacks are usually short (5–60 minutes), your doctor will usually focus on treatment that prevents your migraine from coming in the first place, rather than treating it as it happens

To find out more about ocular migraine, also called retinal migraine, read our article [get control of migraine](/health-library/conditions/migraine). 

### Treating vestibular migraine

- you’d usually be recommended standard migraine treatments such as triptans, NSAIDs and/or painkillers 
- if you get vertigo with your vestibular migraine attack, you may be prescribed a short course of the anti-sickness medicine, prochlorperazine, or other anti-sickness drugs such as ondansetron or domperidone

Find out more about vestibular migraine in our article on [getting control of migraine](/health-library/conditions/migraine). 

### Treating abdominal migraine 

- the usual migraine treatments are recommended for abdominal migraine, including painkillers and possibly triptans, plus self-help techniques such as lying in a darkened room 

Read more about abdominal migraine in our article, [get control of migraine](/health-library/conditions/migraine). 


Your questions answered

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References

 Christina Quaine

Colette Harris

Dr Ann Nainan

Dr Adiele Hoffman

Article information

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