How to Prevent a Migraine Headache

How to Prevent a Migraine Headache

The treatment of migraines has made many advances in recent years. The most important change has been a shift of focus from treatment of pain and other symptoms to the prevention of these possibly debilitating headaches. However, this approach does not mean that there are fewer treatment options; in fact, doctors discover drugs that may help in preventing migraines at least a few times a year. These medications include anti-depressants, anti-seizure drugs, hormone therapy, and triptans. Medications for prevention of migraines are only prescribed if your doctor deems your migraines sever enough. Yet there are many steps you can take without medication to reduce the occurrence of migraines.

Determining a cause for your migraines may enable you to avoid or eliminate headache triggers. There are many frequent causes of migraine, including stress, certain foods, alcohol and tobacco consumption, muscular tension, and exposure to allergens. Keeping a headache diary may allow you to identify your migraine triggers and assist in treatment. Reducing these triggers or avoiding them altogether can help in reducing migraines; however, there may be other underlying causes of your migraines.

Aside from the common triggers, migraines can be caused by any number of other problems, including underlying medical conditions. Doctors advise that the best prevention for migraines is following a healthy diet, maintaining a regular sleep schedule, and getting enough exercise. These simple methods can help alleviate many medical conditions, and may reduce migraines. However, many cases require something extra. Herbs, supplements, massage, aromatherapy, and acupuncture have all been used as natural preventative migraine treatments. Their effectiveness depends on the individual, but many of these treatments have been used with a strong success rate for years.

Finding out what works best to prevent your migraines can be a lengthy process, but there are some ways to eliminate the hassle. You can create a diary of your daily activities (food eaten, etc.) to try to identify the factors that might trigger a migraine for you.