Migraine Medications (Cont.)

 
Opioid Pain Medicines
Opioid pain medicines are often prescribed for migraines in people with moderate-to-severe migraine headaches that do not respond to any of the medicines discussed above. These medicines may also be prescribed to women who are pregnant, as well as to people who have side effects from other migraine medications or who cannot take these other medicines because of other medical conditions they may have.
 
Examples of opioid pain medicines that may be recommended to treat migraine symptoms may include:
 
  • Butorphanol (Stadol®)
  • Codeine
  • Hydromorphone
  • Meperidine (Demerol®)
  • Methadone (Dolophine®, Methadose®)
  • Morphine
  • Oxycodone.
     

Preventative Migraine Medications

It is possible that your healthcare provider may recommend taking medication to help prevent migraines in the first place. Often migraine prevention medications are recommended when a person has:
 
  • Migraines more than two days per week (or eight days per month)
  • Uncommon migraine symptoms, including hemiplegic migraines or migraines with prolonged aura.
     
A person may also be prescribed preventative migraine medicine when medicines used to treat migraines are:
 
  • Not effective at treating migraine symptoms
  • Not recommended because of other health reasons
  • Being used more than two times per week.
     
There are many different medicines that your healthcare provider may recommend. Before making a recommendation, he or she will consider your particular situation, including other medical conditions you may have, previous medicines that you have tried, and your individual needs.

 

Some examples of migraine medications used to prevent migraines include:
 
To avoid long-term side effects of preventive medications, headache specialists advise patients to reduce the dosage of these drugs and then stop taking them as soon as possible. Keep in mind, however, that it may take 2 to 3 months before you notice a decrease in the frequency or severity of attacks, and treatment may be required for 6 to 12 months or longer.
 
In some cases, the healthcare provider may recommend certain NSAIDs or other antidepressants to help prevent migraines. These antidepressants can be helpful when a person with migraines also has anxiety or depression. Some examples of these types of medicines include:
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD