What is effective abortive treatment for migraine?

Effective abortive treatment for migraine needs to fully address not only the head pain itself, but also the most bothersome symptoms associated with a migraine. This type of acute treatment modality may also be called a “rescue”, quite literally given desired function to relieve on the spot. Migraine treatment should be designed to specifically treat the migraine itself and halt the evolution of attack it its patholophysiology, and not simply mask symptomatology. As patients know, migraine attacks are incredibly disabling and may strike out of the blue. Compress it stat before it wreaks havoc, and it is too late.

Head pain may often be but a sliver of the symptomatology of a migraine attack. Associated symptoms may often include sensitivity to light (photophobia), sensitivity to sound (phonophobia), and nausea, etc. The list goes on.

Treatment should not help partially, but completely take away symptoms within 2 hours of treatment dose. Furthermore, effective treatment should nip and hone in on the source of migraine symptoms. Overall sustained relief should be achieved not only momentarily, but for 48 hours beyond treatment, without the occurrence of rebound.

Also, effective treatment allows patients to resume activities without interruption. Side effects to the treatment should be minimal at most, as treating a migraine is rendered counterintuitive if the medication itself perpetuates even greater disabling symptoms. Furthermore, the patient should feel comfortable utilizing the medication readily upon recognizing onset of migraine symptoms, and have treatment directly accessible.