Migraine can be treated in many ways. Medications are the most common treatment to address a migraine attack while it is happening, but supplements, lifestyle changes, and alternative therapies are great ways to prevent migraine attacks from happening (and, thus, prevent you from having to take drugs at all).

The migraine medications you’re likely most familiar with are abortives (or acute medications) and rescue meds. Migraine abortives are taken at the time of a migraine attack. They are most effective when taken as early in the migraine as possible. Acute medications include seven different triptans, of which Imitrex is the most well-known, as well as Midrin, Migraine and DHE-45. For patients who find it effective, Excedrin Migraine also fits this category. Non-drug abortives include magnesium and capsaicin nasal spray. Rescue medications are taken when a migraine doesn’t respond to abortives and just won’t let up. These are often non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, like naproxen or Toradol, and very occasionally narcotic painkillers.

Preventive treatments don’t get as much attention as acute and rescue treatments because they aren’t taken at the time of a migraine attack. Instead, you take them daily to reduce the number of migraine attacks you have in the first place. And with fewer migraine attacks, you’ll need fewer acute or rescue meds. In addition to prescription medications, supplements and herbal treatments can be effective for preventing migraine attacks. Preventives are usually recommended for people who:

• Have three or more migraine attacks a month
• Feel like their lives are disrupted significantly by migraine attacks
• Take acute (abortive) treatments more than twice a week
• Cannot use abortive treatments because of another health problem
• Have an uncommon type of migraine
• Want to take reduce the number of attacks they have for any reason

If you’d prefer to avoid medications or supplements, there are numerous other migraine treatments in addition to medication, including acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, biofeedback, yoga and meditation. Lifestyle changes, like diet modification, regular aerobic exercise, sticking to a daily routine and stress management can also be of enormous benefit. When light is a trigger, TheraSpecs can filter the wavelengths that cause the most problems and reduce migraine attack frequency. New medical devices, like transcranial magnetic stimulators (TMS) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, are also in development for treating migraine without drugs. These devices can be used both for acute and preventive treatments.