Treatment
- Preventive: What to take on a daily basis to try to lessen the frequency and/or intensity of the headaches. Preventive medicines generally take 4-6 weeks to start working and 2-3 months for full effect, assuming the correct dose of the medication is reached. These are the medications used most commonly, although this is not an all-inclusive list.
- Anti-convulsant (Anti-seizure) medications:
---Gabapentin (Neurontin)
---Pregabalin (Lyrica)
---Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
---Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
---Topiramate (Topamax)
---Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
---Divalproex sodium (Depakote)
---Lacosamide (Vimpat)
---Zonisamide (Zonegran)
- Anti-depressant/Anti-anxiety medications:
---Amitriptyline (Elavil)
---Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
---Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
---Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
---Venlafaxine XR (Effexor XR)
- Others:
---Neck physical therapy
---Occipital nerve blocks
---Occipital nerve neurostimulation
---Occipital nerve decompression
