The intense throbbing pain in one particular area of the head is known as a migraine headache, which is often accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and vomiting. For some people migraine can be predicted through the onset of "aura"(visual disturbances or a temporary loss of vision), which precedes the migraine. The triggers, which cause migraine headache, can be anxiety and stress, lack of food or sleep, exposure to light and hormonal irregularities.



The treatment to migraine with drugs can be approached in two ways either by preventing the attack or by relieving the symptoms during the attack. Most of the people take a combination of treatment by preventing future attacks and taking medications to relieve the pain and restore function. If the migraine headache is associated with menstrual cycle, then, hormone therapy can be useful. The occurrence and severity of migraine attacks can be reduced through other stress management strategies such as exercise, biofeed back, relaxation and the like.

The disabling effects of the headache can be limited to a great extent, by taking a combination of drugs to prevent and treat migraine attacks. Taking the right medicines prescribed by the physician and avoiding triggers that cause migraine can prevent migraine headache.

When a physician analyzes a patient’s medical history to carry out the appropriate treatment, his objective is to prevent or reduce the number of migraines, which is known as the prophylactic treatment, and to alleviate the symptoms and cut short the actual duration of migraine, which is known as the abortive treatment.

Prophylactic treatment: This is prescribed for patients who suffer from frequent headaches- as many as three or more a month-which are not cured by abortive treatment. The treatment is first started with one medication, called mono therapy, but a combination of medicines may be needed and if that is effective, the dosage is often reduced or the drug may be discontinued.

Most of the drugs used for migraines, invariably, have adverse side effects. Beta-blockers are generally preferred medications, but asthma and diabetic patients should use them with caution. The side effects include insomnia, gastrointestinal upset and low blood pressure and may also cause problems in nursing infants. Anti seizure drugs used for treating migraine may cause nausea, sedation, liver damage and tremors.

Infrequent migraines, which occur less than three times a month, can be relieved using over-the-counter medications, like analgesics, which should be taken at the first sign of a migraine headache. During a migraine headache, people prefer to rest or sleep alone in a quiet and dark room. Cold packs can also be applied to the head for temporary relief. But frequent use of analgesics can cause rebound headaches and the side effects include dizziness, stroke, high blood pressure and many more. Stress management techniques and stress reducing activities like meditation, yoga and exercise may help to prevent migraine headaches.