There are several medications that can help with headaches, including:

• Pain relievers: These are typically the first drugs recommended by doctors for migraine and headaches. Many of these medications are over-the-counter, or available without a doctors prescription, while others require a prescription. Examples of pain relievers include acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.

• Triptans: These are a class of drugs that are the mainstay of migraine treatment. They include eletriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, and others. Triptans can be taken as pills, shots, or nasal spray.

• Combination medications: Aspirin or acetaminophen or both are often combined with caffeine or a sedative drug in a single medication. Combination drugs may be more effective than single-ingredient pain relievers.

• Antidepressants: Tricyclic antidepressants, including amitriptyline and protriptyline, are the most commonly used medications to prevent tension-type headaches. Other antidepressants, such as venlafaxine and mirtazapine, have also been shown to be effective.

• Anticonvulsants and muscle relaxants: Gabapentin, topiramate, and other anticonvulsants have been shown to prevent tension-type headaches. Muscle relaxants such as methocarbamol and orphenadrine citrate can also be used to treat tension headaches.

Its important to note that overuse of symptomatic relief medications can actually cause more frequent headaches or worsen headache symptoms. If you use symptomatic relief or abortive therapies more than twice a week, talk to your healthcare provider about daily preventive therapy. Additionally, preventive measures such as adequate hydration, biofeedback, enough sleep, exercise, and dietary changes can help decrease headache attacks.