Migraines are an especially painful and complex form of headache that’s actually considered a neurological disorder. While headaches and migraines may have some similar symptoms (i.e., head, neck, and eye pain), a migraine has more serious symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and the presence of an aura that becomes debilitating. 
Thankfully, medical experts have established several methods of pain relief that can help reduce migraine pain

1. Botox injections
Botulinum toxin might not sound like a path to health. But as is often the case, the difference between poison and medicine often comes down to the dosage. Botox is a heavily diluted and purified form of botulinum toxin. The only thing it’s capable of in this state is numbing nerves. This is sometimes enough to prevent migraine headaches. By decreasing a nerve’s sensitivity the patient will also experience decreased severity in his headaches

2. Beta blockers
Beta blockers are typically used to treat heart problems. These medications block stress hormones in the brain. This makes them a solid match for people with weak hearts. However, this also helps prevent migraines in people who see them arise from stress. Migraine doctors won’t typically use these medications as the first option. Anything which impacts the body’s relationship to normal situations needs to be handled with care. But if someone isn’t responding to other options than this can be the best migraine treatment

3. NSAIDs
NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, are one of the most common treatments for migraines. This is in large part due to the fact that they’re available for sale without a prescription in most parts of the world. A wide variety of different medications fall under the anti-inflammatory label. However, most of them are equally effective against migraines. These medications are most effective for migraine headache relief when taken shortly after the first symptoms manifest. Once a migraine has fully taken hold, the chances of finding relief in anti-inflammatories usually goes down. This places them in more of a preventative role than as a primary treatment option

4. Neuromodulation
Neuromodulation involves direct manipulation of a patient’s nervous system. This is typically done through applied electrical stimulation or magnetic influence. The technique is particularly remarkable for the fact that it gets around one of the most difficult aspects of applied neurology. Doctors are typically unable to directly address issues with someone’s brain. However, these devices make it easy to deal with migraines that arise from damaged electrical signals in the brain

5. Tricyclic antidepressants
Antidepressants, as the name suggests, are typically used to treat depression. However, these medications operate on a fairly wide scope within the brain. Migraines can arise from any number of different causes. If someone is experiencing migraines due to improper regulation of a neurotransmitter then some forms of antidepressant might help. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a preventative treatment rather than something which can offer immediate relief. There’s also little way of knowing whether this treatment will be effective for a patient without actually trying it. At the moment there simply aren’t any reliable methods to determine what’s actually causing a migraine. And because of this there’s also no way of knowing whether any given antidepressant will stop a migraine before it has a chance to take hold

If you suffer from chronic migraines (or experience debilitating pain for more than 15 pain days in one month) it may be time to talk to your health care provider about a referral to a migraine specialist or migraine doctor.