- If you suffer from more than two or three attacks per month
- If your attacks are particularly severe or disabling and do not respond well to acute treatments
- To break the cycle of attacks
- If your attacks follow a regular pattern (e.g. around the time of menstruation)
- If you suffer from rare forms of migraine such as basilar or hemiplegic migraine
Preventives are taken daily for a period of six to twelve months and while they rarely actually prevent attacks altogether, their success rate of about 50-60% means that it is likely you will experience at least some benefit. Preventatives will not be beneficial in treating an attack once it has started. Acute treatment is then necessary.
Some preventatives work better in one person than in another, so if one does not work well, it does not mean that another will not work.