How do you get rid of a migraine fast?
To help get rid of a migraine as soon as possible:
- Treat your migraine immediately at the first signs.
- Keep over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription migraine medications with you at all times.
- If noise and light bother you, find a quiet, dark place to rest.
- Drink water or a caffeinated beverage if that helps you.
- Use hot or cold packs on your head or neck.
- Remove hats or ponytail holders to decrease pressure on your scalp.
If you are pregnant and you have questions about what medicines are safe, consult your health care provider.
Early signs of a migraine
Knowing the early signs can help you treat a migraine quickly. These signs can occur a few days or hours before the migraine starts:
- Feeling depressed or irritable
- Difficulty concentrating, reading or speaking
- Craving certain foods
- Feeling nauseous
- Yawning
- Trouble sleeping, feeling tired or having muscle pain
- Increased urinary frequency
- Feeling extra sensitive to lights and sounds
Another warning sign of migraine is aura. Changes in vision, touch or speech can occur. These include:
- Seeing stars or spots, or experiencing a brief loss of vision
- Numbness or tingling throughout the body
- Slurred speech or not able to say the correct words
Migraine prevention
There are also ways to help prevent migraines:
- Take preventive medications prescribed by your doctor.
- Keep a headache diary and learn your triggers. Write down what foods or drinks you had when you got a migraine. Sometimes, changes in caffeine intake can lead to a migraine. Were you tired or possibly dehydrated? Some people feel anxious and irritable or have certain food cravings right before getting a migraine. Many times, changes in weather can lead to a migraine.
- Keep a regular sleep schedule, drink plenty of water and exercise regularly.
- Magnesium has also been shown to help prevent migraines. Your doctor can help you decide if daily magnesium is right for you.
Medications for migraines
Medications for migraine are available to help treat and prevent attacks. It’s important not to overuse these OTC medicines. Taking them too frequently can lead to a condition called rebound headache.
OTC medicines for migraine include:
- Tylenol (acetaminophen)
- Advil or Motrin (ibuprofen)
- Aleve (naproxen)
- Excedrin (acetaminophen-aspirin-caffeine)
Prescription medicines used to treat migraine include:
- The Triptans, such as:
- Imitrex (sumatriptan)
- Maxalt (rizatriptan)
- Amerge (naratriptan)
- Frova (frovatriptan)
- Relpax (eletriptan)
- Zomig (zolmitriptan)
- Ergot-derivative prescription drugs (such as Cafergot and Migranal)
- Ubrelvy (ubrogepant), a small molecule calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist (gepant)
Prescription medicines used to help treat and prevent migraines include:
- Nurtec ODT (rimegepant sulfate), a gepant
Prescription medicines used to help prevent migraines include:
- High blood pressure medicines such as:
- Tenormin (atenolol)
- Toprol (metoprolol)
- Corgard (nadolol)
- Inderal (propranolol)
- Cardizem (diltiazem)
- Calan (verapamil)
- Anti-seizure medicines such as:
- Topamax (topiramate)
- Depakote (divalproex)
- Antidepressants such as:
- Elavil (amitriptyline)
- Pamelor (nortriptyline)
- Cymbalta (duloxetine)
- Effexor (venlafaxine)
- Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA)
- Monoclonal antibody CGRP inhibitors such as:
- Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist such as:
- Qulipta (atogepant)
Related questions
- What do I need to know about Drug Interactions?
- Do I have a Urinary Tract Infection?
- Nail it! Tips on Toenail Yeast Infections
References
- American Migraine Foundation. Acute Migraine: Treating Early. April 5, 2009. Available at: https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/acute-migraine-treating-early/. [Accessed September 27, 2021].
- National Headache Foundation. Your Migraine, Your Symptoms: What You Need to Know. September 15, 2015. Available at: https://headaches.org/wp-content/themes/bridge-child_nhf/documents/161024_LOT-A_MigraineSymptoms.pdf. [Accessed September 27, 2021].
- Krymchantowski, AV. Headaches Due to External Compression. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2010;14, 321–324. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-010-0122-x.
- American Migraine Foundation. Magnesium for Migraine Prevention. April 1, 2021. Available at: https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/magnesium-migraine/. [Accessed September 25, 2021].
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Medicine and Pregnancy. May 31, 2019. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/consumers/free-publications-women/medicine-and-pregnancy. [Accessed September 25, 2021].
- American Migraine Foundation. The Timeline of a Migraine Attack. January 18, 2018. Available at: https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/timeline-migraine-attack/. [Accessed September 28, 2021].
- American Migraine Foundation. Understanding Migraine with Aura. July 6, 2017. Available at: https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/understanding-migraine-aura/. [Accessed September 27, 2021].
- American Family Physician. Rebound Headaches. December 15, 2004. Available at: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/1215/p2313.html. [Accessed September 27, 2021].
- American Migraine Foundation. Over-the-Counter Medications vs. Prescription Medications. September 13, 2018. Available at: https://americanmigrainefoundation.org/resource-library/over-the-counter-medications-vs-prescription-medications/. [Accessed September 25, 2021].
Read next
Why does throwing up relieve migraines?
For many, vomiting can help relieve migraine symptoms, even stopping the headache altogether. Research suggests that vomiting stops migraines by alleviating gastric stasis (or gastroparesis), the delayed gastric emptying that causes stomach upset to occur over the course of a migraine.
Continue reading
Do daith or tragus piercings help with migraines?
Daith and tragus piercings are popular mentions among online forums as unconventional treatment options for migraines. However, although some migraine patients say the piercings are an effective way to relieve migraine symptoms, there is no scientific evidence in support of these claims. Continue reading
Can depression cause headaches?
Yes, headaches can be a symptom of depression, among many other symptoms such as feeling sad, tearful and loss of interest in everyday activities. An association with depression has also been identified in patients with migraine headaches. Severe headaches may also cause a person to feel depressed. Continue reading
See also:
Aimovig
Learn about Aimovig (erenumab-aooe) a once-monthly, injectable medication that can be ...
Botox
Botox is used for cosmetic purposes and to treat overactive bladder symptoms, urinary incontinence ...
Nurtec ODT
Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) is used to treat acute migraines and prevent episodic migraines, by ...
Vyepti
Vyepti (eptinezumab-jjmr) is used for the preventive treatment of migraine. Includes Vyepti ...
Depakote
Depakote is used to treat various types of seizure disorders. Learn about side effects ...
Topamax
Topamax (topiramate) is used to prevent seizures in adults and children and to prevent migraine ...
Emgality
Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) is a CGRP antagonist for the preventive treatment of migraine and for ...
Inderal
Inderal (propranolol) is used to treat angina, high blood pressure and heart rhythm disorders ...
Ajovy
Ajovy (fremanezumab-vfrm) is a preventive migraine treatment. Includes Ajovy side effects ...
Valproate Sodium
Valproate Sodium is used for epilepsy, seizure prevention, seizures
Related medical questions
- Overview of COVID-19 Vaccines
- What are the side effects of beta blockers?
- What are the side effects of the flu vaccine?
- What causes optical migraines?
- Headache or Migraine: Which one is it?
- What is a migraine aura?
- How does Aimovig work to prevent migraines?
- How long do venlafaxine withdrawal symptoms last?
- How do Celebrex and ibuprofen compare?
- What are the new drugs for the treatment of migraine?
- Can ibuprofen cause constipation?
- Can you take ibuprofen with Excedrin Migraine?
- Is gabapentin addictive?
- Should gabapentin be taken with food?
- How do Ubrelvy, Qulipta and Nurtec compare for migraines?
- How often can you take Excedrin Migraine?
- How many units of Botox do I need and what will it cost?
- Can you take Excedrin Migraine while pregnant?
- How long do you stay on Topamax for migraines?
- How often can you take Imitrex (sumatriptan)?
- Does magnesium help with headaches and migraines?
- How long does it take for Topamax to start working?
- Dysport vs Botox: What's the difference?
- Ubrelvy Coupon Card: Do I Qualify, and How Much Can I Save?
- How long does it take for Excedrin Migraine to work?
- Nurtec coupon: Do I qualify and how much can I save?
- Does Qulipta cause weight loss?
- Ubrelvy vs Imitrex (sumatriptan): How do they compare?
Drug information
- RID Information for Consumers
- Side Effects of RID (detailed)
- RID user reviews (2)