A stroke is a medical emergency. If you are experiencing stroke symptoms, don't wait -- call 911 right away.
A migraine is a recurring, pulsing headache caused by swollen blood vessels in your head. In addition to headache pain, migraine may cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, mood changes, and sensitivity to light, noise, or smell. Symptoms may last hours or days, making it difficult to keep up with your everyday activities.
At UPMC, our headache experts offer a full range of treatments for migraine. After diagnosing your condition, our headache experts will develop a comprehensive treatment plan to manage your acute pain — reducing the need to visit the emergency department for care and improving your quality of life.
A migraine is a recurring, pulsing headache caused by swollen blood vessels in your head. In addition to headache pain, migraine may cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, mood changes, and sensitivity to light, noise, or smell. Symptoms may last hours or days, making it difficult to keep up with your everyday activities.
Types of migraine include:
Other categories of migraine include:
Some migraines have auras, which are sensory disturbances that happen with headache pain. Auras affect 1 in 5 people and are more common in men. Aura symptoms often start 10-30 minutes before a migraine.
A migraine without aura, also called a common migraine, doesn't cause sensory changes.
Menstrual migraines happen right before, during, or after a person's period starts and may be caused by changes in hormone levels.
It's unclear what causes migraine. Researchers think it may be due to changes in nerve pathways and chemicals that cause the blood vessels in the brain to swell. This swelling presses on nerves, causing pain.
Migraines also tend to run it families. Researchers believe this may be due to faulty genes that control certain brain cell functions.
Migraine triggers refer to things that may start a migraine attack. Triggers vary from person to person and may include:
Migraines can also be triggered by certain foods, including:
Migraine tends to run in families, so you may be at higher risk if you have a biological parent or another relative with migraine. Other risk factors for migraine include:
Migraines are not life-threatening, but the pain can make it difficult to work, go to school, or manage other everyday activities.
Migraine also increases your risk of stroke. Your risk of stroke may be even higher if you smoke, take birth control pills, have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, or have migraine with aura.
You may not be able to completely prevent migraine attacks, but your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes that help reduce the frequency and intensity of your migraine symptoms.
Lifestyle changes that help prevent migraine attacks may include:
Supplements can sometimes help with migraine symptoms, such as:
According to the American Migraine Foundation, migraine is the third most common disease in the world, affecting 1 out of 7 people globally. Migraine affects more than 37 million people in the U.S.
Migraine symptoms includepain in your temples, ears, eye, or any part of your head. The pain is typically throbbing or pulsing and can be severe. It can be on one or both sides of your head.
Other migraine symptoms may include:
If you have symptoms of migraine, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor. Getting treatment can help you feel better sooner, improve your quality of life, and reduce the need for you to seek emergency care when migraine headaches happen.
If you have already been diagnosed with migraine, you should contact your doctor if:
Sometimes, a more serious condition, such as a stroke or another brain disorder, can be mistaken for migraine. You should dial 911 if:
Your doctor will review your health history, ask about your symptoms, and do a physical exam.
When you arrive at your appointment, your doctor will:
There are no tests doctors can use to diagnose migraine. You may need imaging scans like a CT or MRI to rule out other causes of your headaches.
With treatment, most people can manage migraine and reduce its impact on quality of life.
The goal of migraine treatment is to reduce pain, improve your quality of life, and prevent future headaches. You may need a combination of treatments to manage your migraine, including:
For migraine symptom relief, your doctor may suggest pain relievers and anti-nausea drugs. The first step may be taking over-the-counter drugs. The prescription-strength versions of these same medicines may help if those don't work.
Medications may include:
If those don't help, your doctor may suggest migraine medications.
Triptans are a type of medicine called a serotonin agonist. These drugs balance chemicals in your brain and block pain pathways. They may leave you feeling flushed and warm, with chest tightness and a rapid heartbeat.
You can take triptans as a tablet, nasal spray, or shot. They're not for people who smoke or have heart issues.
Sumatriptan is a common triptan. It narrows blood vessels to reduce headache pain.
When a migraine attack starts, you use a pre-filled medicine pen to give yourself a shot. You also may be able to get sumatriptan shots at your doctor’s office.
Sumatriptan shots start working in five minutes. They may make you drowsy or dizzy, and it's not for people with heart disease, high blood pressure, liver, or kidney problems.
Nerve block shots are a long-lasting way to stop nerve pain signals. To treat headaches, nerve blocks target the seven main branches of the pericranial nerves in your scalp.
Nerve block shots are quick, safe, and minimally invasive. During a nerve block shot, your doctor will:
In most cases, you'll have shots every three months.
Possible side effects include:
Trigger point shots can treat cluster headaches, migraines, and sometimes tension headaches. They reduce muscle pain.
When you get the shots, your doctor will:
Often, your doctor may use the same solution and do both nerve block and trigger point shots in one visit. This can relieve pain from your nerves and muscles in one treatment.
Botox shots can prevent chronic migraine attacks. Botox blocks the pain messages in the nerves coming from the muscles, turning off migraine pain.
Your doctor gives you a series of shots in your scalp every three months.
The risks are bleeding, bruising, or infection. Side effects may include neck pain and eyelid droop.
CGRP receptor antagonists (gepants) are a newer class of migraine drugs. Doctors often use them to treat people who can't take triptans or when triptans haven't worked.
CGRP is a compound in the brain that causes inflammation. The medicine blocks inflammation caused by CGRP, reducing pain.
Gepants come in pill form or as a nasal spray. You take this drug when a migraine attack starts to reduce your symptoms. Side effects are nausea and constipation.
Some of these drugs also help to prevent migraines. In this case, you take the drug every day.
Monoclonal antibodies block CGRP or the CGRP receptor. They stop this compound from sending inflammation signals.
These antibodies are available as a self-injection pen. They do not work as quickly as acute migraine treatments but can help prevent migraines.
Some of these antibodies are available as a monthly shot. Others require a visit every three months for an infusion in the clinic.
Your doctor may suggest other medicines to prevent migraine attacks. Some prescription drugs for other health issues can help treat or prevent migraines.
These include:
Migraines themselves are not life-threatening. However, not treating migraines can affect your quality of life and prevent you from working, going to school, or managing daily responsibilities.
After a migraine, it’s important to avoid triggers or other things that make symptoms worse. It can take a few days to feel normal after a migraine attack, but staying hydrated, reducing stress, and getting extra rest can help.
Some people feel better after light activity, such as stretching or walking. However, be careful not to do too much too soon. If symptoms return or worsen, rest until you start to feel better again.
When you choose UPMC for migraine care, you will receive:
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-05-05.
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