Managing migraine is more than just responding to the pain and associated symptoms when they strike. Anyone who has ever had a migraine attack can tell you that preventing the attack before it occurs is really the ideal scenario. (For a more detailed explanation of migraine, click here.

Physicians sometimes refer to migraine prevention as "prophylactic" treatment. But why not just treat the attacks when they happen? For some people, especially those who only have occasional episodes, treating the attack itself is the right strategy. But for others, attacks occur frequently - or they are totally debilitating - and prevention makes a big difference.