Simple analgesics, used alone or in combination with other agents, may provide relief for mild or even moderately severe migraine headaches. These agents should be given within 15 minutes of migraine onset, before pain is severe, to be most effective.
For more severe pain, pharmacologic options include 5-hydroxytryptamine 1 agonists (triptans) and/or opioid analgesics, either used alone or in combination with dopamine antagonists. Subcutaneous calcitonin gene–related peptide antagonists have been approved for preventive therapy in chronic migraine. However, two oral calcitonin gene–related antagonists, ubrogepant and rimegepant, were recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the acute treatment of migraine.
The use of acute therapies for the treatment of migraine must be limited to 2 to 3 days a week to avert development of a rebound headache phenomenon.
Learn more about chronic migraines and their treatment.
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Cite this: Jasvinder P. Chawla. Fast Five Quiz: Treatment of Chronic Migraine - Medscape - Mar 07, 2022.
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