Condition
Migraine
A neurological disorder of recurrent, often one-sided throbbing headaches, sometimes with aura, nausea, and light sensitivity.
See a clinician
Some causes of migraine need medical care, not self-treatment. Seek help for any of these:
- A sudden "thunderclap" headache that peaks within a minute
- The "worst headache of your life", or a clearly different new pattern
- Headache with fever and a stiff neck, confusion, weakness, or vision loss
- A new headache after age 50, or with a history of cancer or weakened immunity
- Headache after head injury, or that wakes you from sleep
What may help
Remedies studied for migraine, ranked by strength of evidence.
- B Butterbur herb
A PA-free extract (75 mg twice daily) cut migraine frequency about 48% vs 26% placebo — but safety concerns dominate the decision.
- B Coenzyme Q10 supplement
About 300 mg/day modestly reduced migraine frequency and days, and was well tolerated.
- B Magnesium nutrient
About 600 mg/day modestly reduces migraine attack frequency; evidence is mixed but supportive.
- B Riboflavin (vitamin B2) nutrient
High-dose riboflavin (400 mg/day) reduced migraine frequency with a low number-needed-to-treat.
- C Feverfew herb
May modestly reduce migraine attack frequency, but trials are inconsistent and low-quality.
Several supplements have genuine preventive evidence for migraine — magnesium, riboflavin, and CoQ10 are well tolerated; feverfew is weaker; butterbur works but carries a liver-toxicity concern unless PA-free. These reduce attack frequency; they are not acute pain relief.