Abstract

The pharmacological treatment of migraine can be acute or preventive. Acute treatment attempts to stop the progression of an attack or relieve pain and functional impairment once an attack has begun, whereas preventive therapy is given to reduce attack frequency and severity. Additional benefits of preventive therapy include improving responsiveness to acute attack treatment, and reducing disability. Treatment protocols should also include education and reassurance, avoidance of triggers, nonpharmacological treatments, and physical and/or complementary medicine when appropriate. The treatment plan should be reassessed at regular intervals. Acute attack medication can be specific or nonspecific, and needs to be tailored to the individual patient. Backup and rescue medication should be available in case the initial treatment fails. The route of drug administration depends on attack severity, how rapidly the attack escalates, the patient's preference, the presence or absence of severe nausea or vomiting, and the need for rapid relief. Preventive migraine treatments include β-blockers, antidepressants, calcium channel antagonists, 5-hydroxytryptamine antagonists, anticonvulsants, and NSAIDs. Preventive treatments are selected on the basis of the drugs' side-effect profiles and the patient's coexistent and comorbid conditions.