Migraine Headache Medication Savings with TheDrugClub
Members can check active-formulary eligibility and membership pricing for Migraine Headache medications. A condition association alone does not establish coverage.
What Is Migraine Headache?
Migraine Headache is a medical condition that may require prescription treatment. Consult a healthcare professional about appropriate options.
Managing Migraine Headache with TheDrugClub
Eligible medications linked to the active formulary may have no additional cost under listed supply, quantity, fill, and fulfillment limits. Other prescriptions may qualify for membership pricing. Confirm current terms before filling.
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- Check active-formulary eligibility or available membership pricing
Pharmacist insight
Anti-seizure medications require careful monitoring of blood levels to ensure therapeutic effectiveness. I advise patients never to switch between brand and generic without consulting their pharmacist, as even small differences in absorption can affect seizure control. Medication adherence is the single most important factor.
Angela C. Beverly, PharmD
About Migraine (the broader condition)
This summary describes Migraine, the broader condition. Migraine Headache is a more specific topic.
What are migraines?
Migraines are a recurring type of headache. They cause moderate to severe pain that is throbbing or pulsing. The pain is often on one side of your head. You may also have other symptoms, such as nausea and weakness. You may be sensitive to light and sound.
What causes migraines?
Researchers believe that migraine has a genetic cause. There are also a number of factors that can trigger a migraine. These factors vary from person to person, and they include:
Stress
Anxiety
Hormonal changes in women
Bright or flashing lights
Loud noises
Strong smells
Medicines
Too much or not enough sleep
Sudden changes in weather or environment
Overexertion (too much physical activity)
Tobacco
Caffeine or caffeine withdrawal
Skipped meals
Medication overuse (taking medicine for migraines too often)
Some people have found that certain foods or ingredients can trigger headaches, especially when they are combined with other triggers. These foods and ingredients include:
Alcohol
Chocolate
Aged cheeses
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Some fruits and nuts
Fermented or pickled goods
Yeast
Cured or processed meats
Who is at risk for migraines?
About 12% of Americans get migraines. They can affect anyone, but you are more likely to have them if you:
Are a woman. Women are three times more likely than men to get migraines.
Have a family history of migraines. Most people with migraines have family members who have migraines.
Have other medical conditions, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, sleep disorders, and epilepsy.
What are the symptoms of migraines?
There are four different phases of migraines. You may not always go through every phase each time you have a migraine.:
Prodome. This phase starts up to 24 hours before you get the migraine. You have early signs and symptoms, such as food cravings, unexplained mood changes, uncontrollable yawning, fluid retention, and increased urination.
Aura. If you have this phase, you might see flashing or bright lights or zig-zag lines. You may have muscle weakness or feel like you are being touched or grabbed. An aura can happen just before or during a migraine.
Headache. A migraine usually starts gradually and then becomes more severe. It typically causes throbbing or pulsing pain, which is often on one side of your head. But sometimes you can have a migraine without a headache. Other migraine symptoms may include
Increased sensitivity to light, noise, and odors
Nausea and vomiting
Worsened pain when you move, cough, or sneeze
Postdrome (following the headache). You may feel exhausted, weak, and confused after a migraine. This can last up to a day.
Migraines are more common in the morning; people often wake up with them. Some people have migraines at predictable times, such as before menstruation or on weekends following a stressful week of work.
How are migraines diagnosed?
To make a diagnosis, your health care provider will:
Take your medical history
Ask about your symptoms
Do a physical and neurological exam
An important part of diagnosing migraines is to rule out other medical conditions which could be causing the symptoms. So you may also have blood tests, an MRI or CT scan, or other tests.
How are migraines treated?
There is no cure for migraines. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms and preventing additional attacks.
There are different types of medicines to relieve symptoms. They include triptan drugs, ergotamine drugs, and pain relievers. The sooner you take the medicine, the more effective it is.
There are also other things you can do to feel better:
Resting with your eyes closed in a quiet, darkened room
Placing a cool cloth or ice pack on your forehead
Drinking fluids
There are some lifestyle changes you can make to prevent migraines:
Stress management strategies, such as exercise, relaxation techniques, and biofeedback, may reduce the number and severity of migraines. Biofeedback uses electronic devices to teach you to control certain body functions, such as your heartbeat, blood pressure, and muscle tension.
Make a log of what seems to trigger your migraines. You can learn what you need to avoid, such as certain foods and medicines. It also help you figure out what you should do, such as establishing a consistent sleep schedule and eating regular meals.
Hormone therapy may help some women whose migraines seem to be linked to their menstrual cycle
If you have obesity, losing weight may also be helpful
If you have frequent or severe migraines, you may need to take medicines to prevent further attacks. Talk with your health care provider about which drug would be right for you.
Certain natural treatments, such as riboflavin (vitamin B2) and coenzyme Q10, may help prevent migraines. If your magnesium level is low, you can try taking magnesium. There is also an herb, butterbur, which some people take to prevent migraines. But butterbur may not be safe for long-term use. Always check with your health care provider before taking any supplements.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus topic page. Topic date: 03/05/2003. MedlinePlus file date: 10/15/2026 02:30:37.
This information is educational and is not medical advice.
Medications used for Migraine Headache
Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about which medication is right for you.
About Migraine (from MedlinePlus Genetics)
MedlinePlus Genetics covers Migraine Headache in its summary of Migraine.
A migraine is a type of headache that typically causes intense, throbbing pain usually in one area of the head. People can experience migraines once a year to multiple times a week. A person is considered to have chronic migraines if they experience 15 or more headache days a month with eight of those days involving migraine headaches. Migraines typically first start during a person's teens to early twenties, but they can begin anytime from early childhood to late-adulthood.
A migraine usually has three stages: the period leading up to the headache (known as the premonitory or prodromal phase), the migraine itself (the headache phase), and the period following the headache (known as the postdromal phase).
The premonitory phase can start from several hours up to several days before the headache appears. In this phase, affected individuals can experience extreme tiredness (fatigue), concentration problems, and muscle stiffness in the neck. A wide variety of additional signs and symptoms can occur including excessive yawning, food cravings, irritability, depression, sensitivity to light, and nausea. About one-third of people with migraine experience a temporary pattern of neurological symptoms called an aura. An aura typically develops gradually over a few minutes and lasts between 5 and 60 minutes. Auras commonly include temporary visual changes such as blind spots (scotomas), flashing lights, and zig-zagging lines of color. Additional features of aura can include numbness, difficulty with speech and language, episodes of extreme dizziness (vertigo), and double vision. During an aura, affected individuals might experience abnormal sensations including tingling or numbness, usually of the hands or mouth. An aura usually starts within one hour of the start of a migraine. In some cases, an aura can occur without a subsequent migraine.
In the headache phase, the pain may last from a few hours to a few days. Affected individuals tend to experience nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and sound in addition to headache. Some have changes in their vision or sensitivity to odors and touch.
The postdromal phase usually lasts a few hours but can linger for more than a day. In this phase, the headache pain is gone but individuals can experience fatigue, drowsiness, decreased energy, concentration problems, irritability, nausea, or sensitivity to light. Affected individuals may also have brief episodes of head pain when moving their head.
People with migraine, particularly women who have migraine with aura, have an increased risk of a type of stroke that is caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain (ischemic stroke), but this is a rare occurrence.
There are many migraine disorders that usually include additional signs and symptoms. For example, familial hemiplegic migraine and sporadic hemiplegic migraine are characterized by migraine with associated temporary weakness that affects one side of the body (hemiparesis). Additionally, cyclic vomiting syndrome is a migraine disorder usually found in children that causes episodes of nausea and vomiting in addition to headaches.
Source: MedlinePlus Genetics, U.S. National Library of Medicine
This information is educational and is not medical advice.
Related conditions
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Directory filing for Migraine Headache
In our directory, Migraine Headache is filed under Neurological.
Other pages filed under Neurological that share a word in the page name are listed here. Filing them together does not mean they are the same condition.