What is the best treatment for migraine?
This is a tough question because there are a number of factors when looking for the "best" migraine treatment. One issue is we all experience medication differently so what works for me may not work for you. However if we have more than four severe migraine attacks a month, it's time to discuss migraine prevention medication with the doctor. Don't give up as there are over 100 medications and supplements along with an FDA approved device that can be used to treat migraine. Let me share with you this information about prevention medications and Cefaly; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-preventives-start/ and https://migraine.com/?s=Cefaly&submit=Go. If I were beginning my migraine prevention journey over, I would start by taking magnesium, coenzyme Q10 and vitamin B2. For those of us who have a few attacks a month there are a number of medications available to stop the migraine process called abortive medications. These includeAmerge, Axert, Frova, Imitrex, Maxalt, Replax, Treximet and Zomig. It's important to note these medications work best when they are taken at the first sign of a migraine attack. Continue reading this article for more information; https://migraine.com/blog/migraine-management-essential-5-abortive-treatment/. The Spring TMSdevice is FDA approved for acute migraine attacks which you can read more about here; https://migraine.com/news/springtms-migraine-treatment-now-available/. Over-the-counter medications may be all that's needed if you are getting only a few migraine attacks a year. Now having said that, it's important to note taking migraine medications such as Imitrex, Maxalt, etc., and/or pain medications, whether they are over-the-counter or prescription, more than two to three days a week can create another problem called medication overuse headache or moh. Moh was formerly called rebound and if we are in a moh cycle, our migraine attacks will be more difficult to treat and we can end up in a daily cycle of pain that is hard to break. I've been there and it's not fun, but can be avoided. We have information on moh in this article; https://migraine.com/blog/help-how-can-i-not-overuse-migraine-medications/.
Unfortunately, there is not a simple response to say what is the "best" treatment for migraine. When managing and treating migraine there is no one size fits all approach. What works well for one may not for another. The first step is to obtain a proper diagnosis from your doctor and in order to help him/her do so, it would be beneficial to identify/track your triggers and symptoms by keeping a detailed migraine journal - https://migraine.com/blog/keeping-migraine-diary-basics/. By then obtaining a proper diagnosis, your doctor should hopefully be able to provide you with the best course of treatment for YOU based on these trigger identifications. You can read a comprehensive overview of of chronic migraine management and treatment here - https://migraine.com/migraine-basics/chronic-migraine-management-treatment/.
As these ladies have mentioned, there really is not a best treatment. Everybody's bodies respond so differently to medications and treatments. Something that did not work for me, may work wonders for you. Additionally a lot of doctors have things they prefer to try compared to different doctors. It may take you some trial and error to find the treatment course that works best for you. Just remember to keep a list of what all you have tried and in the event you decide to try a different doctor, ask for your own copy of your records. That way you know for sure what routes you have tried.
Best of luck!
Amanda Workman (moderator & contributor)
