Abortive headache medications

Abortive medications work by narrowing (constricting) blood vessels in the brain. They are used to stop severe headaches, such as migraines or cluster headaches, from getting worse as symptoms emerge.

Examples of abortive headache medications are triptans (such as Imitrex or Amerge) and ergotamines (such as Cafergot or Migranal).

Author:	Douglas Dana Monica Rhodes	Last Updated: August 21, 2007
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology
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