Today, promising new treatments offer hope for many migraine sufferers. While some commonly prescribed medications have bothersome side effects and don't work for all patients, newer drugs are changing the lives of many with migraines. And alternative treatments like biofeedback and music therapy enable some patients to take control of their migraines without drugs.

When a patient suffers migraines once a week or more, [Richard Edelson] prescribes a daily dose of Propranolol, at this point the only beta blocker drug that is approved by the FDA for prevention of migraines. Unlike ergotamine, beta blockers work on the nervous system, preventing the migraine from worsening.

Fish oil has resulted in significant improvement for some long-term migraine sufferers in a pilot study. Dr. Robert Hitzmann, a psychiatrist at State University of New York at Stony Brook and former colleagues at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, treated 15 adults with daily doses of fish oil-and 75 percent reported fewer migraines. Fish oil may inhibit the production of prostaglandins-chemicals that dilate and constrict blood vessels. Drugs, however, are not the only treatment. Some studies report good results with biofeedback.