In choosing your treatment for a migraine headache, there are two approaches: abortive and preventive prescription drugs. Abortive therapy stops a migraine after it has started. Preventive therapy stops the migraine before it has begun. Abortive drugs include triptans which target serotonin. Other drugs which are used for headaches, not specifically migraines, include analgesics, narcotics and barbiturates. Since these can be habit forming, they are used as a backup when other medications do not work. Preventive treatments are used if symptoms are severe or if the migraine occurs more than once a week. These can include antidepressants, antiseizure medications and medications used to treat high blood pressure.