They’ve been shown to reduce the number of migraine days compared to placebo in both episodic and chronic migraine.Įpisodic migraine is defined as fewer than 15 migraine days per month, while chronic migraine is defined as 15 or more migraine days per month.ĥ-HT1F Receptor Agonist Reyvow (lasmiditan), the only drug in this class approved thus far, is approved for acute migraine treatment. Īnd Qulipta was specifically developed as a preventive migraine treatment and approved for prevention of episodic migraine in September 2021.ĬGRP (Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide) Antibodies The CGRP antibodies, which include Vyepti (eptinezumab), Aimovig ( erenumab), Ajovy (fremanezumab), and Emgality (galcanezumab), are approved for preventive treatment of migraine. Nurtec ODT was approved as a preventive treatment for episodic migraine in June 2021. Nurtec and Ubrelvy are approved for acute treatment of migraine.
A variety of neuromodulation, or neurostimulation, devices can deliver electric or magnetic pulses to specific nerves involved in migraine, calming overexcitable nerves and changing the way pain messages are relayed to the brain.Ĭertain mind-body therapies, such as acupuncture, biofeedback, and massage, can also help to prevent migraine attacks in some people.Īnd avoiding known triggers as best as possible may help to reduce the number of migraine attacks a person has.ĬGRP Receptor Antagonists This drug class, sometimes referred to as “gepants,” includes the drugs Nurtec ODT (rimegepant), Qulipta (atogepant), and Ubrelvy (ubrogepant). Neuromodulation is another option for migraine treatment that has been shown to reduce migraine days or alleviate the symptoms of a migraine attack in some people. While the development of new drugs is good news, it’s important to note that new drugs tend to be expensive, meaning they are out of reach for some of the people who could benefit from them. Botox injections, another preventive migraine treatment, are generally given every 12 weeks. Many preventive migraine treatments are pills that are taken daily, although the newer CGRP antibodies are injected once a month or infused intravenously once every three months. Some drugs for acute migraine treatment can be taken only once per day, while others can be taken more than once per day if additional symptom relief is needed. Acute treatments are taken at the first sign of a migraine attack to reduce pain and other symptoms. Migraine drugs are generally categorized as acute treatments and preventive treatments. While there's no cure for migraine, regardless of the type of migraine you have, a range of treatments are available that can help you manage your migraine symptoms and, in some cases, make them less frequent and severe.