Migraine is one of the most common present day disorders. Almost 15% women and 5% men are in its grip all over the world. The various symptoms accompanying a migraine are headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, visual and sensory disturbances and irritability. The market is flooded with different types of migraine medicines that are manufactured by several companies to help treat this debilitating disorder. However, various drugs primarily used to treat other disorders can also be given to migraine sufferers in accurate combinations to deal with the symptoms of migraine.

The two main categories on the basis of which migraine medicines are classified are:

Pain relieving medications: These are also known as abortive or acute drugs. Medicines falling in this category are administered while the patient is suffering from the attack and aim at stopping the symptoms that have already started.

Preventive medications: The medicines falling in this category are taken regularly and aim at minimizing the number of episodes and severity of the attacks.

Migraine medicines to deal with the pain:

Pain relieving medications: Some of the common pain relieving medicines used to counter migraine headache are:

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): These medicines are used to treat mild to moderate intensity migraines. Aspirin, acetaminophen, naproxen sodium and ibuprofen fall in this category. Naproxen sodium is the most effective of these. Acetaminophen has been found to show quick relief in children and ibuprofen has a long lasting effect. These drugs are available without prescription and can be taken once the headache has begun.

Triptans: These drugs are most commonly used by all migraine sufferers and provide relief from various symptoms such as pain, nausea, increased sensitivity to light etc. The first drug to be manufactured in this category for the treatment of migraine was Sumatriptan. Other triptans include Rizatriptan and eletriptan. On the downside, these drugs are known to cause various side effects such as nausea, dizziness and muscle weakness.

Ergots: These medicines have been used for treating migraines for more than 50 years and were the most sought after drugs before the introduction of triptans. They are not as effective as triptans but also have fewer side effects. Dihydroergotamine belonging to this category of drugs can be taken for migraine relief.

Preventive medication:

Some types of treatments falling under this category are:

Cardiovascular drugs: These are the beta blockers and calcium channel blockers which are usually used for treating high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. These types of drugs have shown positive results in minimizing the occurrence and severity of the migraine attack. Drugs like verapamil and candesartan are a few of the helpful drugs found in this category to treat migraine headache.

Antidepressants: Many antidepressants have been found to be helpful in treating migraine headache. Drugs like amitriptyline, nortriptyline and protriptyline are few drugs that are beneficial for treating migraine headache.

Botulium toxin type A (Botox): When people suffering from migraines took botox injections for getting rid of wrinkles, they found a considerable fall in the frequency and intensity of migraine headaches. Thus, this accidental discovery revealed that botox shots are also helpful in treating migraine headache along with other cosmetic benefits.