Migraine Headache

    Written by:
    Marina Shkayeva

    Fact-checked

    by:

    Rob Stenstrom
    Last Updated: October 13, 2024

    Migraine headaches are usually one-sided (sometimes bilateral) head pain. They affect women more often than men, and can have a number of triggers, and are more common if you have a family member with migraines. They can be distinguished from other types of headaches (such as tension or cluster headaches) due to additional symptoms of nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, and worsening of pain with activity.

    20 references on this page
    6,167 participants in 35 trials and 3 meta-analyses

    Overview

    Examine Database: Migraine Headache

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    Frequently asked questions

    Examine Database References

    1. PMS Symptoms - Anna Ambrosini, Cherubino Di Lorenzo, Gianluca Coppola, Francesco PierelliUse of Vitex agnus-castus in migrainous women with premenstrual syndrome: an open-label clinical observationActa Neurol Belg.(2013 Mar)
    2. Migraine Symptoms - Boehnke C, Reuter U, Flach U, Schuh-Hofer S, Einhäupl KM, Arnold GHigh-dose riboflavin treatment is efficacious in migraine prophylaxis: an open study in a tertiary care centreEur J Neurol.(2004 Jul)
    3. Migraine Symptoms - Condò M, Posar A, Arbizzani A, Parmeggiani ARiboflavin prophylaxis in pediatric and adolescent migraineJ Headache Pain.(2009 Oct)
    4. Migraine Symptoms - C Di Lorenzo, F Pierelli, G Coppola, G S Grieco, C Rengo, M Ciccolella, D Magis, M Bolla, C Casali, F M Santorelli, J SchoenenMitochondrial DNA haplogroups influence the therapeutic response to riboflavin in migraineursNeurology.(2009 May 5)
    5. Migraine Symptoms - MacLennan SC, Wade FM, Forrest KM, Ratanayake PD, Fagan E, Antony JHigh-dose riboflavin for migraine prophylaxis in children: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trialJ Child Neurol.(2008 Nov)
    6. Migraine Symptoms - Bruijn J, Duivenvoorden H, Passchier J, Locher H, Dijkstra N, Arts WFMedium-dose riboflavin as a prophylactic agent in children with migraine: a preliminary placebo-controlled, randomised, double-blind, cross-over trialCephalalgia.(2010 Dec)
    7. Migraine Symptoms - Schoenen J, Jacquy J, Lenaerts MEffectiveness of high-dose riboflavin in migraine prophylaxis. A randomized controlled trialNeurology.(1998 Feb)
    8. Migraine Symptoms - Maizels M, Blumenfeld A, Burchette RA combination of riboflavin, magnesium, and feverfew for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized trialHeadache.(2004 Oct)
    9. Migraine Symptoms - Parohan M, Sarraf P, Javanbakht MH, Foroushani AR, Ranji-Burachaloo S, Djalali MThe synergistic effects of nano-curcumin and coenzyme Q10 supplementation in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trialNutr Neurosci.(2019 Jun 26)
    10. Migraine Symptoms - Shoeibi A, Olfati N, Soltani Sabi M, Salehi M, Mali S, Akbari Oryani MEffectiveness of coenzyme Q10 in prophylactic treatment of migraine headache: an open-label, add-on, controlled trialActa Neurol Belg.(2017 Mar)
    11. Migraine Symptoms - Sándor PS, Di Clemente L, Coppola G, Saenger U, Fumal A, Magis D, Seidel L, Agosti RM, Schoenen JEfficacy of coenzyme Q10 in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trialNeurology.(2005 Feb 22)
    12. Migraine Symptoms - Dahri M, Tarighat-Esfanjani A, Asghari-Jafarabadi M, Hashemilar MOral coenzyme Q10 supplementation in patients with migraine: Effects on clinical features and inflammatory markersNutr Neurosci.(2018 Jan 3)
    13. Migraine Symptoms - Slater SK, Nelson TD, Kabbouche MA, LeCates SL, Horn P, Segers A, Manning P, Powers SW, Hershey ADA randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover, add-on study of CoEnzyme Q10 in the prevention of pediatric and adolescent migraineCephalalgia.(2011 Jun)
    14. Migraine Symptoms - Dahri M, Hashemilar M, Asghari-Jafarabadi M, Tarighat-Esfanjani AEfficacy of coenzyme Q10 for the prevention of migraine in women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studyEur J Integr Med.()
    15. Migraine Symptoms - Sasannejad P, Saeedi M, Shoeibi A, Gorji A, Abbasi M, Foroughipour MLavender essential oil in the treatment of migraine headache: a placebo-controlled clinical trialEur Neurol.(2012)
    16. Migraine Symptoms - Pfaffenrath V, Diener HC, Fischer M, Friede M, Henneicke-von Zepelin HH; InvestigatorsThe efficacy and safety of Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew) in migraine prophylaxis--a double-blind, multicentre, randomized placebo-controlled dose-response studyCephalalgia.(2002 Sep)
    17. Migraine Symptoms - Diener HC, Pfaffenrath V, Schnitker J, Friede M, Henneicke-von Zepelin HHEfficacy and safety of 6.25 mg t.i.d. feverfew CO2-extract (MIG-99) in migraine prevention--a randomized, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled studyCephalalgia.(2005 Nov)
    18. Migraine Symptoms - Johnson ES, Kadam NP, Hylands DM, Hylands PJEfficacy of feverfew as prophylactic treatment of migraineBr Med J (Clin Res Ed).(1985 Aug 31)
    19. Migraine Symptoms - Murphy JJ, Heptinstall S, Mitchell JRRandomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of feverfew in migraine preventionLancet.(1988 Jul 23)
    20. Migraine Symptoms - Ali Tarighat Esfanjani, Reza Mahdavi, Mehrangiz Ebrahimi Mameghani, Mahnaz Talebi, Zeinab Nikniaz, Abdolrasool SafaiyanThe effects of magnesium, L-carnitine, and concurrent magnesium-L-carnitine supplementation in migraine prophylaxisBiol Trace Elem Res.(2012 Dec)
    21. Migraine Frequency - Knut Hagen, Eiliv Brenner, Mattias Linde, Gøril Bruvik Gravdahl, Erling Andreas Tronvik, Morten Engstrøm, Ursula Sonnewald, Grethe Helde, Lars Jacob Stovner, Trond SandAcetyl-l-carnitine versus placebo for migraine prophylaxis: A randomized, triple-blind, crossover studyCephalalgia.(2015 Oct)
    22. Migraine Symptoms - Alstadhaug KB, Odeh F, Salvesen R, Bekkelund SIProphylaxis of migraine with melatonin: a randomized controlled trialNeurology.(2010 Oct 26)
    23. Migraine Frequency - Gonçalves AL, Martini Ferreira A, Ribeiro RT, Zukerman E, Cipolla-Neto J, Peres MFRandomised clinical trial comparing melatonin 3 mg, amitriptyline 25 mg and placebo for migraine prevention.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry.(2016 Oct)
    24. Migraine Symptoms - Hsiao-Yean Chiu, Tu-Hsueh Yeh, Yin-Cheng Huang, Pin-Yuan ChenEffects of Intravenous and Oral Magnesium on Reducing Migraine: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled TrialsPain Physician.(2016 Jan)
    25. Migraine Symptoms - Köseoglu E, Talaslioglu A, Gönül AS, Kula MThe effects of magnesium prophylaxis in migraine without auraMagnes Res.(2008 Jun)
    26. Migraine Frequency - Veronese N, Demurtas J, Pesolillo G, Celotto S, Barnini T, Calusi G, Caruso MG, Notarnicola M, Reddavide R, Stubbs B, Solmi M, Maggi S, Vaona A, Firth J, Smith L, Koyanagi A, Dominguez L, Barbagallo MMagnesium and health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational and intervention studiesEur J Nutr.(2019 Jan 25)
    27. Migraine Severity - Kandil M, Jaber S, Desai D, Nuñez Cruz S, Lomotan N, Ahmad U, Cirone M, Burkins J, McDowell MMAGraine: Magnesium compared to conventional therapy for treatment of migraines.Am J Emerg Med.(2021-Jan)
    28. Headaches - Khani S, Hejazi SA, Yaghoubi M, Sharifipour EComparative study of magnesium, sodium valproate, and concurrent magnesium-sodium valproate therapy in the prevention of migraine headaches: a randomized controlled double-blind trial.J Headache Pain.(2021-Apr-07)
    29. Migraine Frequency - Mina Abdolahi, Abbas Tafakhori, Mansoureh Togha, Ali Asghar Okhovat, Feridoun Siassi, Mohammad Reza Eshraghian, Mohsen Sedighiyan, Mona Djalali, Niyaz Mohammadzadeh Honarvar, Mahmoud DjalaliThe synergistic effects of ω-3 fatty acids and nano-curcumin supplementation on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α gene expression and serum level in migraine patientsImmunogenetics.(2017 Jun)
    30. Migraine Frequency - Anne E Bunner, Ulka Agarwal, Joseph F Gonzales, Francesca Valente, Neal D BarnardNutrition intervention for migraine: a randomized crossover trialJ Headache Pain.(2014 Oct 23)
    31. Migraine Frequency - .(2024-05-01)
    32. Migraine Frequency - Vajdi M, Khorvash F, Askari GA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial to test the effect of inulin supplementation on migraine headache characteristics, quality of life and mental health symptoms in women with migraine.Food Funct.(2024 Sep 30)
    33. Migraine Frequency - Tirani SA, Khorvash F, Saneei P, Moradmand Z, Askari GEffects of probiotic and vitamin D co-supplementation on clinical symptoms, mental health, and inflammation in adult patients with migraine headache: a randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.BMC Med.(2024 Oct 11)
    34. Migraine Frequency - Golpour-Hamedani S, Bagherniya M, Khorvash F, Feizi A, Sharma M, Askari GThe effects of concurrent alpha-linolenic acid, L-carnitine supplementation on clinical symptoms, mental health, and quality of life in women with migraine: a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Nutr J.(2025 Mar 13)
    35. Headaches - Göbel H, Schmidt G, Soyka DEffect of peppermint and eucalyptus oil preparations on neurophysiological and experimental algesimetric headache parametersCephalalgia.(1994 Jun)
    36. Headaches - Paudel P, Sah AEfficacy of biofeedback for migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Complement Ther Med.(2025 Jun)
    37. Quality of Life - Leda Roncoroni, Karla A Bascuñán, Luisa Doneda, Alice Scricciolo, Vincenza Lombardo, Federica Branchi, Francesca Ferretti, Bernardo Dell'Osso, Valeria Montanari, Maria Teresa Bardella, Luca ElliA Low FODMAP Gluten-Free Diet Improves Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders and Overall Mental Health of Celiac Disease Patients: A Randomized Controlled TrialNutrients.(2018 Aug 4)
    38. Depression Symptoms - Kanji G, Weatherall M, Peter R, Purdie G, Page REfficacy of regular sauna bathing for chronic tension-type headache: a randomized controlled study.J Altern Complement Med.(2015-Feb)
    Migraine Headache: Symptoms, causes, treatments, and your questions answered.