Taking over the counter pain medication like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin provides some relief when you are having migraine headaches. Contact your doctor for frequent headaches or headaches not relieved by pain medication, to get prescription drugs for migraine headaches or prophylactic drugs that would prevent the headache. However, some life style changes like exercise, weight loss, moderate intake of caffeine and stress management help in reducing the frequency and prevention of attacks. Migraine headaches are debilitating and using pain medications for a long time leads to rebound headaches (headache due to the medication itself).

There are two methods of treating migraine, abortive and prophylactic. Abortive treatment involves taking medication whenever one develops or is about to develop an headache. It is suitable for those who have occasional episodes which are easily controlled by available anti migraine drugs. Prophylactic treatment means taking regular medication to prevent occurence of headache. This is suitable for those who get frequent and severe headaches and is disturbing their functioning significantly. Of the many treatment options available, a psychiatrist/neurologist will be able to decide on the one which suits you most. Lifestyle changes are an integral part of its treatment. Unfortunately, migraine cannot be cured, but it can be controlled effectively with proper treatment.