Migraine Prevention: How To Help Prevent And Manage A Migraine

This article has been scientifically reviewed for accuracy

Head Pain
Adult

When a migraine strikes it can be very painful and make you feel generally unwell. As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure, and that’s true when it comes to migraines. Whilst there’s no known cure for migraines, there are plenty of preventative strategies that can help.

Understanding strategies to help prevent and avoid a migraine can help reduce the number of migraines that you suffer from. Migraine prevention hinges around identifying what triggers them. Triggers are influences, both inside and outside your body, that can result in a migraine.

Knowing your triggers

Getting to know your triggers is the best way to prevent migraines. As triggers are individual, it may help to keep a diary to identify yours. This can also help to tell if something is actually a trigger or an early symptom of the migraine.

Migraine triggers can include:

Hormonal changes such as menstrual cycles.
Emotional triggers such as stress, anxiety, tension and depression.
Physical triggers such as tiredness, poor sleep, shift work, poor posture, neck or shoulder tension, jet lag or low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia).
Dietary triggers such as missed, delayed or irregular meals, dehydration, alcohol, drinks containing caffeine like tea and coffee, specific foods, such as chocolate and citrus fruit and tyramine, which is a substance found in certain foods like cured meats, pickled herrings, smoked fish and some cheeses like cheddar, stilton and camembert.
Environmental triggers such as bright lights, smoking (or smoky rooms), loud noises, changes to environmental factors like humidity, temperature and climate, strong smells or a stuffy atmosphere.

Keep track of your triggers with a migraine diary

Keeping a diary of your migraines may help you identify the triggers. It can also help your doctor give an accurate diagnosis. In your diary, you should record what you felt, did and ate before you experienced a migraine.

What to add in your migraine diary

the date, time and duration of the migraine
the site and severity of the headache, and other symptoms experienced, such as nausea
any warning signs or symptoms you may have experienced (including the presence or absence of aura)
what medicine you took before and during the migraine
the presence of any of the triggers listed above, on the day of the migraine, or the day before

Avoiding triggers

Once you’ve identified any potential triggers, you may also notice that a combination of triggers could lead to migraines too. For example, if you know that you are tired and stressed, if you add drinking alcohol or skipping a meal, it could result in a migraine.

Avoiding your migraine triggers can play a part in preventing migraines, but it’s not always possible.

Other methods of migraine prevention

Maintaining a generally healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise, sleep and meals, as well as staying hydrated, may help to prevent migraines. Limiting your intake of common triggers such as caffeine and alcohol, may also lessen the likelihood of a migraine.

Treating your migraine

Taking pain relievers early when symptoms begin, can often stop or reduce the severity of a migraine. The longer you wait to take a pain or anti-sickness medicine, the less chance there is of getting effective relief.

The first pain relievers

Nurofen contains ibuprofen, which is an anti-inflammatory. Ibuprofen is recommended as one of the first pain relievers you can try, that are known to relieve migraine headaches. Nurofen Migraine Pain contains ibuprofen lysine, which is absorbed quickly, within 35 minutes when taken without food.

Using prescribed medication to prevent a migraine

If you’re still having migraines after avoiding triggers or your migraines are severe or frequent, certain medicines prescribed by doctors can help prevent them. Most of these medicines are prescribed for other conditions but have been found to be useful in averting the development of a migraine. Some of the more commonly prescribed medicines for migraine prevention, are:

Beta blockers usually used to treat conditions like high blood pressure and heart conditions
Anti-convulsants, usually used for the prevention of epileptic seizures

Some medicines may have side effects, which you should discuss with your doctor when deciding on your treatment. It may take up to 8 weeks before you feel a benefit from these types of medicines. You can also talk to your doctor about taking over-the-counter pain relievers when you experience a migraine headache. Over-the-counter pain relievers include paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) containing aspirin or ibuprofen. Nurofen Migraine Pain contains ibuprofen.

Migraines can be a painful and possibly debilitating experience, but by pinpointing potential triggers you may be able to reduce the reoccurrence of migraines. If you have any questions or worries regarding how to prevent a migraine, do not hesitate to contact your health care practitioner.

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