Happy to share if it's helpful to anyone :) this could be a long post.
I tried a lot of the prescriptions, but that didn't help for long, each one became less effective ultimately. I did a lot of reading and talked to my aunt, who also suffers from migraines (she and my uncle are both doctors, so they have access to better information.) I also looked up whatever studies and traditional remedies I could find. All of this stuff is over the counter and most is inexpensive. I won't go too far into why they work, because I am sure you are all familiar with Google :)
Another disclaimer: this is stuff that worked for me, it may not work for everyone, and if you have health issues you probably want to talk to your doctor and/or research carefully before you start taking anything. I'm not listing anything that is controversial but it is wise to buy only reputable brands, since supplements are not evaluated, regulated or monitored by the FDA.
-Butterbur: make sure to get a well purified brand. The one I have is mixed with feverfew, which is also used as a migraine remedy in some countries. It can be taken daily as a preventative or taken at the onset of a migraine to reduce severityand duration. It works much better than the prescriptions for me. (I'm going to add this note as well because I feel it's important: the biggest reason you and your doctor may not know about this is because there's no profit to be made by the drug manufacturers in refining or marketing it.) It has worked more than one miracle for my aunt and me, with no side effects. More reading here:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterbur
-Magnesium: make sure not to take this with any of your other meds or vitamins since it might mess with the absorption. You can also get a nice dose by bathing with epsom salts. Can be taken daily or at onset. Generally quite effective for me, even on its own.
-Co-Q10: some research indicates that it reduces the freqeuency and severity of migraines, so I added it to my regimen.
-Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): another study showed that those who suffer from migraines had abnormally low B2 in their brain tissue. I started taking a B vitamin pill, finding one with riboflavin was a tiny bit trickier.
-Ginger: extremely good for nausea, in some countries they use it as a treatment for headaches/migraines. I use Reed's Extra Ginger Brew, it has 24g ginger per bottle. If that doesn't knock out my nausea, I lose hope :P you can also use fresh ginger made into a tea, sweetened with brown sugar or honey is best.
-Caffeine: can help to constrict the blood vessels that are causing the pain. I usually have a cup of strong tea or coffee at the onset with whatever medicine I take. It does seem to help in small doses.
-Diphenhydramine (Benadryl): my reading from long ago turned up that those who suffer from migraines sometimes have a higher than normal level of histamines, which may contribute to the migraines or to the severity of pain. This clever pill also helps other medicines do their work, and can help you sleep through the pain. Just don't take it at work or when you might be needed to drive. Make extra sure that this is safe for you to take if you're taking other medications or have medical conditions.
That's all I have for now. I'm happy to share more details if needed and if anybody has more personal or specific questions, feel free to PM, and don't forget to double and triple check safety and manufacturing practices and any possible drug or health interactions!
