For sufferers, the right medication for migraine is the Holy Grail.
But alas! Arriving at it is not an easy process.
There is no panacea that takes care of migraine at a snap of a finger.
It is a complicated, chronic disease that requires a complicated treatment as well.
This is exacerbated by the different medications available which aim to address different aspects of the disease.
Oftentimes, an effective treatment can only be achieved after a long and tedious process of trial and error done by both the physician and the patient.
Identifying the most effective medication for migraine is critical to the management and treatment of the disease; but this can get confusing because of the many types available.
Based on the symptoms, one has to choose whether to use the preventive medication, abortive medication or the rescue medication.
The main purpose of preventive medications is to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks.
It is recommended for patients who experience one or more attacks per week and is to be taken daily for an indefinite period of time.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved only four medications for migraine prevention.
Two of these are classified as beta-blockers that act on the cardiovascular system and the other two are neuronal stabilizing agents which are anticonvulsants.
Aside from these FDA-approved drugs, several others are used to treat migraine.
Most of these were initially developed for other medical conditions but have been found to be effective against migraine as well.
These medications include antihypertensive, antihistamines, antidepressants, enzyme inhibitors, muscle relaxants, neuronal stabilizing agents, drugs used for ADD and dementia, and dietary supplements such as Coenzyme Q10, vitamin B2 and magnesium.
An abortive medication for migraine acts on the brain to halt the migraine attack.
It focuses on reversing the expansion of the brain arteries and the inflammation of the surrounding nerves and tissues.
Once it works, the migraine attack stops, and so do the symptoms.
The patient, though, may still feel fatigue and the mild presence of some symptoms, as he is still experiencing the migraine stage called post-drome.
This group of drugs consists mostly of triptans.
Most are taken orally, some are inhalants and some are injected into the veins for faster relief.
Drugs that are classified as rescue medications are taken if the abortive medicines are not effective or if the patient is unable to take them.
Rescue medications do not stop the migraine but will only offer slight relief to help the patient go through the attack.
Medicines belonging to this group include butalbital compounds, acetaminophen, analgesics, muscle relaxants and anti-nausea drugs.
The type of medications used for treatment will largely depend on the severity, frequency and duration of symptoms.
Other factors may come into play, such as existing illnesses or certain physical predispositions.
Sufferers might be reluctant to undergo treatment that will require them to take so many pills for an indefinite period.
However, they must be reminded that migraine is a disease and an aggressive approach is required to be able to deal with it effectively.