How to Prevent Migraines

Prevention is better than the cure. This well-used saying is especially true in cases with no recognized cure, like migraine headaches. Through the years, specialists have examined ways to eradicate migraines without success. The closest anybody has come to curing a migraine is by preventing its onset, while several successful remedies also exist for reducing the often debilitating effects this fearsome form of headache can produce. However, the question of how to prevent migraines effectively remains topical.

If migraine headaches ravage you, consider some of these steps — technological, medical and natural — to prevent the emergence of one of your most unwelcome foes.

One in every four households in the United States contains somebody who lives with migraine headaches. When these migraines strike, nine out of every 10 report a disruption to their daily lives, and three need to recover in bed. If technology can help to reduce these statistics by preventing the onset of a migraine for some, it’s a worthwhile investment. That is where solutions like CEFALY step in.

Recommended by several healthcare professionals, CEFALY is an over-the-counter migraine treatment that uses delicate electrical pulses to relax the nerves responsible for transmitting migraine pain. The CEFALY science minimizes the intensity and frequency of migraine attacks by reducing their symptoms with its daily PREVENT treatment setting. Moreover, the ACUTE setting can reduce or even stop existing migraines after their onset — and CEFALY is an entirely drug-free solution.

With two solutions available, this U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized migraine treatment and prevention technology has an alternative to suit every migraine-afflicted person. The CEFALY Enhanced device pack has an extended battery life and a dock and USB cable for charging. The solution also includes three reusable electrodes in a resealable pack, an instruction manual and a storage case, providing everything you need to start your anti-migraine treatment.

The second solution, CEFALY Connected, allows you to connect via Bluetooth to the CeCe Migraine Management app on your smart device to track and control your treatment. The Connected device box includes everything the Enhanced one contains, meaning your route to a migraine-reduced life can start immediately.

With research and clinical studies carried out over two decades, CEFALY is now a notable technological solution for many Americans who approach life knowing a migraine can strike at any time.

Medical migraine treatments are not new. In the 1920s, doctors used ergots to treat acute migraine symptoms and still use the ergotamine/caffeine combination today. Beta-blockers emerged as a migraine headache treatment in 1966 when Dr. Robert Rabkin noticed the positive effects of propranolol on one of his migraine-beset participants in a heart pain study. With science evolving, more medicinal solutions have developed to curb the onset of migraines.

The blood pressure medications propranolol and timolol have FDA approval to treat migraines, while some doctors prescribe other beta-blockers, such as atenolol, metoprolol, and nadolol, without FDA authorization. Beta-blockers have been common treatments for migraine prevention for many decades with a modicum of success, but users often have to live with their side effects, including low heart rates, low blood pressure, depression, fatigue, dizziness, nausea and insomnia.

Taking tried and tested medications like sodium valproate and divalproex sodium are effective for preventing migraine headaches. They also provide a more tolerant migraine solution than beta-blockers, although they can encourage weight gain and polycystic ovaries in females. Those with liver disease should look elsewhere for their migraine-prevention medication. Topiramate joins sodium valproate with FDA approval in migraine prevention but can cause memory lapses, speech problems and a loss of appetite in users.

The most popular antidepressant medication used in migraine prevention is amitriptyline. It is cost-effective and time-proven in preventing episodic migraines — fewer than 15 days monthly — but is a sedative that can cause a dry mouth and excessive weight gain. A more recent antidepressant alternative, venlafaxine, is likely a better solution for preventing migraines as it is an energizer and mood lifter without any notable side effects.

Anti-Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) therapies are among the newer treatments for migraine prevention and carry specific methods to combat these headaches. They take the form of injections, including laboratory-made mAbs proteins, that target the body’s CGRP protein or receptor — known contributors to migraine-associated headaches. You receive erenumab, fremanezumab or galcanezumab injections under your skin on a one to three-month cycle, depending on the frequency and severity of your migraines. If your doctor prescribes eptinezumab, you must visit a hospital for an intravenous infusion.

CGRP mAbs medications assist those with chronic and episodic migraines by blocking the pain signal to the brain. You’ll likely experience fewer side effects with these targeted medications than with more traditional ones.

Commonly known as Botox®, onabotulinumtoxinA has more than a purely cosmetic use. The neurotoxin received FDA approval to prevent chronic migraine headaches back in 2010, but it must be purified and injected in small doses into the muscle every three months. You’ll likely experience almost immediate migraine relief as the onabotulinumtoxinA blocks pain signals in your shoulders, neck and head. After receiving the infusion, you’ll likely temporarily be unable to contract the muscle where the injection occurred.

Although more effective as migraine pain relievers, NSAIDs can reduce or even halt the effect of an oncoming migraine headache if taken quickly enough. Ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen are common ingredients in over-the-counter “migraine packs” sold in pharmacies and used by thousands to defer migraines. Combining these with lying down in a quiet, dark room is sometimes the necessary combination to reduce the pain and the duration of a migraine attack. If the impending migraine is minor, it may even prevent its onset.

To prevent your migraine attacks without using drugs or the latest technology, you could revert to natural remedies. Supplements and vitamins could ward off migraines, although their effect will generally not be as strong as other, more established methods. Otherwise, there are organic solutions and actions you could take that might prevent or reduce the effects of your headaches.

Specific nutritional vitamins and supplements, including magnesium, vitamin B2, CoQ10 and MIG-99 help defer migraines, although you’ll likely only find relief if you experience them mildly and sporadically. Likewise, adding more omega-3 fatty acids and butterbur into your diet could aid you. These remedies carry no guarantees, however.

Massaging your scalp is a known stress and tension reliever and also improves blood circulation to relieve pain. Stress and tension are common triggers for migraines, so if you develop frequent headaches, a scalp massage may reduce their frequency.

Dehydration causes headaches, and migraine attacks could be among those. Daily water consumption of eight glasses or more will encourage the reduction of your migraine headaches. This practice will likely not prevent them entirely. Many people prone to migraines observe how regular caffeine consumption reduces the effect of migraine attacks. However, whether caffeine will eliminate the chance of migraine headaches is unproven. Ginger tea may quell the impact of migraine-related nausea.

Common sense can play a part in reducing your migraine’s painful effect and duration, but applying prompt and efficient logic is often impractical and ineffective. If chronic migraines strike you, or the odd ones you develop are debilitating, you need further solutions. Technological and medical solutions offer hope, while natural remedies are good fall-back options. Depending on your preference, several effective methods can prevent migraines before they start.