Aspirin, acetaminophen, and other painkillers are useful in relieving the pain, as are muscle relaxants. Biofeedback, massage, and applications of heat and cold may also help reduce muscle tension. Migraines differ from tension headaches in that the pain is throbbing or pulsating rather than steady, is typically located on just one side of the head, behind or around the eye, and can last for days. Nausea and sensitivity to light and noise usually accompany them. That's one reason why many migraine sufferers are not diagnosed properly.
Migraines are vascular headaches, which means they involve blood vessels.
The excruciatingly painful cluster headaches as well as the more ordinary headaches due to caffeine withdrawal are also vascular in nature. Migraines result from an interplay between the blood vessels and nerves in the head, including the nerves around the eyes and the forehead. The expanding vessels press against nearby nerves, further irritating them and increasing the inflammation. Until recently, treatment relied on drugs that cause blood vessels to constrict. They work for some patients, but for others they are ineffective or cause too many side effects.