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 Ercaf, Cafergot, or Migranal).
Credits
| Author | Monica Rhodes |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Colin Chalk, MD, CM, FRCPC - Neurology |
| Last Updated | July 3, 2007 |
Author:Monica Rhodes
Last Updated: 07/03/2007
