Migraine Prevention

Some common migraine prevention strategies include knowing and avoiding your triggers, making certain lifestyle changes, and taking medications. Because migraine triggers can include certain foods or stress, eating a healthy diet or learning relaxation techniques may help prevent migraines. Medications used in migraine prevention can include propranolol, verapamil, and methysergide. Among the alternative and complementary therapies that may help prevent migraines are acupuncture, biofeedback, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

 

An Overview of Migraine Prevention Strategies

There is an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. How, then, does a person prevent migraines?
 
Numerous methods can help with the prevention of migraines. Common migraine prevention approaches may include:
 
  • Knowing your triggers
  • Reducing stress and making other lifestyle changes
  • Using medications (see Migraine Medications).
     

Migraine Prevention: Know Your Triggers

The best migraine prevention is to find out what events or lifestyle factors, such as stress or certain foods, set off your headaches. In many cases, a combination of triggers may cause a migraine. Try to avoid or limit these triggers as much as you can.
 
(Click Migraine Triggers and Migraine Food Triggers for more detailed information.)
 
(Migraine Prevention Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD