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Migraine comparison tables
Quick side-by-side tables for the questions people ask before appointments: what migraine can resemble, how medication categories differ, and what information is worth tracking.
Migraine versus other common headache patterns
| Pattern | Often feels like | Clues to track | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Migraine | Moderate to severe head pain with nausea, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, aura, or activity worsening symptoms. | Attack duration, aura, nausea, triggers, medication timing, missed activities. | What is a migraine? |
| Tension-type headache | Pressure or tightness on both sides, often milder than migraine. | Neck tension, stress, screen time, whether activity worsens it. | Migraine vs tension headache |
| Sinus headache | Facial pressure with congestion or infection symptoms, though migraine is commonly mistaken for sinus pain. | Nasal discharge, fever, facial tenderness, nausea, light sensitivity. | Migraine vs sinus headache |
Acute versus preventive migraine care
| Category | Goal | What to track | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute treatment | Reduce or stop an attack after symptoms start. | Time taken, dose, relief, second dose, side effects, medication days per month. | Acute vs preventive medication |
| Preventive treatment | Lower attack frequency, severity, duration, or disability over time. | Monthly migraine days, missed activities, side effects, consistency, trend changes. | Preventive medication |
| Medication safety | Avoid risky combinations, overuse patterns, and unclear treatment histories. | Total acute-medication days, all doses, prescriptions, OTC medicines, supplements. | Medication-overuse headache |
Common migraine medication classes
| Class | Common role | Useful notes for your clinician | Read next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Triptans | Acute migraine-specific medication for many people. | How early you take it, whether nausea prevents dosing, response, repeat dosing. | Triptans for migraine |
| Gepants | Newer migraine-specific options that may be used acutely and, for some medicines, preventively. | Which gepant, timing, relief, frequency, other medications, insurance barriers. | Gepants for migraine |
| OTC pain relievers | May help some attacks, but frequent use can raise medication-overuse concerns. | Exact ingredient, dose, days used, stomach effects, combination products. | Medication safety |