

If you use a birth control patch during three weeks of the month, use a skin patch that contains estrogen on the fourth week. Adjusting your use of a birth control patch.Taking a low dose of estrogen pills or wearing an estrogen patch during the placebo days.Taking NSAIDs and triptans during the placebo days.This helps reduce the drop in estrogen during the placebo days. Using birth control pills that have a lower dose of estrogen.This can be done by taking extended-cycle estrogen-progestin birth control pills (Loseasonique, Seasonique). Stopping the placebo days completely for most months.Placebos are pills that don't contain hormones. Using a monthly birth control pill pack with fewer placebos.If birth control seems to cause your headaches, your health care provider might recommend: Talk to your health care provider if this happens to you. But headaches might only occur during the first month of taking birth control. While birth control can help relieve headaches for some, it may trigger headaches for others.

Smoking while taking birth control that contains estrogen puts you at higher risk of having a stroke. If you have a history of migraine with aura, it's important that you don't take estrogen if you smoke. This is true especially if you haven’t experienced these symptoms before. If you have new spells of visual changes, sensory changes, weakness or trouble speaking without a migraine, seek medical care right away.

If you have migraine with aura, talk to your health care provider. In rare cases it can cause weakness on one side of the body. Rarely, migraine with aura can cause trouble speaking or using language. You might feel tingling in your hands or face. You might see flashes of light or notice blind spots in your vision. Migraine with aura means having nervous system symptoms before or during a migraine. But if you smoke or experience aura, discuss this with your health care provider before starting birth control that contains estrogen. Using hormonal birth control to prevent migraines may be appropriate if you don't smoke and if you don't have migraine with aura. Sometimes your health care provider may suggest other prescription pain medicines such as dihydroergotamine (Trudhesa, Migranal). Calcitonin gene-related peptide antagonists, known as gepants, is a newer group of medicines for treating migraine. The medicines may include prochlorperazine (Compro, Procomp) and promethazine (Promethazine Plain, Promethegan). Your health care provider may recommend medicines to treat nausea and vomiting for migraines. Triptans often relieve headache pain within two hours. These medicines block pain signals in your brain. These medicines may relieve your pain soon after your headache begins. Your health care provider may recommend that you take a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as naproxen sodium (Aleve) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others). Acupuncture may improve your headaches and help you relax. It has been shown to help some people with migraines. Biofeedback helps you monitor how your body responds to stress. Learning these exercises can help lower stress. Wrap the ice pack in a towel to protect your skin. Hold a cold cloth or an ice pack to the painful area on your head or neck. You can turn to proven treatments for migraines related to hormone changes.

Many people with migraines report that they have migraines before or during menstruation. The drop in estrogen just before your period may cause headaches.
