- Sudden, explosive "thunderclap" headache reaching maximum intensity in seconds
- Headache with high fever, neck stiffness, confusion, or rash
- Focal neurological symptoms: facial drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech, or sudden vision loss
- New onset headache after head trauma, or in patients over 50 or with a history of cancer
Online Migraine Consultations & eScripts with Australian GPs
Get fast, expert medical management for migraines and severe headaches from home. Consult an AHPRA-registered GP online for symptom evaluation, e-Prescriptions for abortive or preventative therapies, medical certificates, and specialist referrals.
💊 Evidence-Based Migraine Medication Policy
Our telehealth GPs evaluate and prescribe clinically appropriate, first-line migraine treatments (such as triptans, anti-nausea agents, and daily preventative medications). In accordance with Australian medical regulations, Schedule 8 controlled substances, opioids, or addictive painkillers are not prescribed via telehealth consultations.
Migraine Services & Online Medical Care
Review how online GPs assess and manage migraine presentations.
| Presentation Type | Common Symptoms | Telehealth GP Management |
|---|---|---|
| Acute Migraine Attack | Throbbing, one-sided pain, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light/sound. | eScripts for abortive therapies (e.g., triptans, anti-emetics), medical certificates. |
| Migraine with Aura | Visual disturbances (flashing lights, zigzag lines) preceding headache onset. | Clinical evaluation, trigger management advice, eScript refills. |
| Frequent / Chronic Migraine | Experiencing 4 or more migraine days per month disrupting quality of life. | Discussion of daily preventative options, lifestyle tracking, or specialist referral. |
| Specialist Care Required | Unresponsive chronic attacks or complex neurological headache symptoms. | Official referral letters to a Neurologist or specialized headache clinic. |
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can I receive my migraine eScript?
If prescribed during your consultation, your GP will send an eScript barcode directly to your mobile phone via SMS immediately following your appointment, ready to present at any Australian pharmacy.
Can an online GP provide a referral to a Neurologist?
Yes. If your migraines are severe, frequent, or unresponsive to standard first-line therapies, your GP can write an official referral letter to a Neurologist or pain specialist.
What should I track before my consultation?
Keeping a brief migraine diary is very helpful. Note down: attack frequency, duration, symptom intensity, potential triggers (sleep, stress, dietary), and any over-the-counter or prescription medications you have tried.
What Is Migraine With Aura?
Some people experience migraine with aura.
Aura consists of temporary neurological symptoms that usually occur before or during a migraine attack.
Common aura symptoms include:
- Flashing lights
- Zig-zag lines
- Blurred or distorted vision
- Areas of missing vision
- Tingling or numbness
- Difficulty speaking
Aura symptoms usually develop gradually and are temporary.
New or sudden neurological symptoms should always be assessed urgently, particularly if they are different from previous migraine attacks.
What Triggers Migraine?
Migraine triggers vary between individuals.
Common triggers can include:
- Stress
- Poor sleep
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Skipping meals
- Dehydration
- Alcohol
- Hormonal changes
- Bright or flickering lights
- Strong smells
- Certain foods
- Excessive caffeine or sudden caffeine withdrawal
- Changes in weather
- Physical or emotional stress
Keeping a migraine diary can help identify patterns.
Record when your migraine starts, what you ate and drank, your sleep, stress levels, menstrual cycle if relevant, medications taken and possible triggers.
Can a Telehealth GP Diagnose Migraine?
In many cases, migraine can be assessed primarily through a detailed medical history.
During a NewTeleDoc Medical telehealth consultation, your GP may ask about:
- When your headaches started
- How frequently they occur
- How long each attack lasts
- Where the pain occurs
- Whether the pain is throbbing or pressing
- How severe the pain is
- Whether movement makes the headache worse
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Aura symptoms
- Possible triggers
- Current medications
- How often you use pain-relief medicines
- Previous migraine treatments
- Your general medical history
Your GP will also consider whether your symptoms could be caused by another condition.
If the headache pattern is unusual or there are warning signs, your GP may recommend an in-person assessment or further investigation.
When Should I See a GP About Migraine?
You should consider booking a GP appointment if:
- Your migraines are becoming more frequent
- Headaches are interfering with work, study or daily life
- Your headaches are affecting your sleep
- Your migraine attacks are becoming more severe
- Your usual treatment is no longer effective
- You are frequently taking pain-relief medication
- You have headaches several times a month
- You have recently developed a new headache pattern
- You experience repeated aura symptoms
- You are unsure whether your headaches are actually migraine
A telehealth consultation can be a convenient first step when your symptoms are stable and do not have emergency warning signs.
When Is a Headache an Emergency?
Not every severe headache is a migraine.
Seek emergency medical attention rather than waiting for a telehealth appointment if you experience:
- A sudden headache that reaches maximum intensity within seconds or minutes
- The worst or most severe headache you have ever experienced
- Headache with weakness or numbness on one side
- Difficulty speaking
- Confusion or significant drowsiness
- Loss of consciousness
- A seizure
- New or persistent vision loss
- Severe headache with fever and neck stiffness
- A severe headache following significant head injury
- A new severe headache during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth
- A rapidly worsening or substantially different headache
- Severe headache with repeated vomiting or significant illness
If you believe you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 000 or attend your nearest emergency department.
Migraine Treatment
Treatment depends on how often you experience migraines, how severe they are and how much they affect your life.
Migraine treatment can involve:
- Acute treatment — used when a migraine attack begins.
- Preventive treatment — taken regularly to reduce the frequency or severity of migraine attacks.
- Lifestyle and trigger management — used alongside medical treatment.
Your GP can discuss which approach is appropriate for you.
Treatment for an Acute Migraine Attack
Acute migraine treatment is designed to stop or reduce the severity of an attack.
Depending on your circumstances, treatment may include:
- Paracetamol
- Anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen
- Anti-nausea medication
- Prescription migraine medicines such as triptans
Treatment is generally most effective when taken early during an attack, according to your doctor's instructions.
Your GP will consider your medical history, other medications and any contraindications before recommending prescription treatment.
Triptans for Migraine
Triptans are prescription medicines specifically used to treat migraine attacks.
Examples include:
- Sumatriptan
- Rizatriptan
- Zolmitriptan
- Eletriptan
They work on specific serotonin receptors involved in migraine and can reduce headache and associated symptoms in suitable patients.
Triptans are not appropriate for everyone, particularly people with certain cardiovascular or cerebrovascular conditions.
Your GP can determine whether a triptan is appropriate for you.
Preventive Migraine Treatment
If migraines occur frequently or significantly interfere with your life, your GP may discuss preventive treatment.
Preventive medicines are taken regularly with the aim of reducing the number or severity of migraine attacks.
Depending on your individual circumstances, options may include:
- Propranolol
- Amitriptyline
- Topiramate
- Candesartan
- Other specialist migraine treatments
Some newer migraine treatments target the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway.
Your GP can discuss the options that may be suitable and whether specialist referral is appropriate.
Migraine and Medication Overuse
Using acute headache medication too frequently can itself contribute to more frequent headaches.
This is known as medication-overuse headache.
It can occur when medicines used to treat acute headaches are taken frequently over an extended period.
If you find that you need headache medication regularly, speak with your GP rather than simply increasing the amount you take.
Your GP can help create a structured treatment plan and determine whether preventive treatment may be appropriate.
Migraine and Hormones
Hormonal changes can trigger migraines in some people.
Some women experience migraine around menstruation, while others notice changes during pregnancy, perimenopause or when using hormonal contraception.
If your migraines appear to follow a menstrual pattern, keeping a migraine diary can help identify the relationship.
Your GP can discuss treatment options based on your individual circumstances.
Lifestyle Strategies for Migraine
Lifestyle changes can be an important part of migraine management.
Helpful strategies may include:
- Maintaining regular sleep
- Eating regular meals
- Staying adequately hydrated
- Managing stress
- Exercising regularly where appropriate
- Limiting known triggers
- Avoiding excessive alcohol
- Managing caffeine consistently
- Taking regular breaks from screens
- Keeping a migraine diary
The goal is not necessarily to avoid every possible trigger, but to identify the factors that are relevant to you.
Migraine in Children and Teenagers
Children and teenagers can also experience migraine.
Symptoms may be different from those experienced by adults and can include:
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Abdominal discomfort
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Fatigue
- Needing to sleep
- Difficulty concentrating
Parents should seek medical advice for recurrent headaches in children, particularly if the headaches are affecting school, sleep or normal activities.
A new or severe headache with neurological symptoms requires urgent medical assessment.
Do I Need a Brain Scan for Migraine?
Not everyone with migraine needs brain imaging.
Whether imaging or other investigations are required depends on your symptoms, medical history and examination findings.
If your symptoms are typical of migraine and there are no warning signs, your GP may not recommend imaging.
If your headache pattern is unusual or there are concerning features, your GP may recommend further assessment or investigation.
A telehealth GP can help determine whether you need an in-person examination or further investigation.
How to Prepare for a Telehealth Migraine Consultation
Before your NewTeleDoc Medical appointment, it can help to have the following information available:
- How often you experience headaches.
- How long your headaches usually last.
- Where the pain occurs.
- How severe the pain is.
- Whether the pain is throbbing or pressing.
- Whether you experience nausea or vomiting.
- Whether light or sound makes symptoms worse.
- Whether you experience aura.
- Possible triggers.
- What medications you have tried.
- How often you use pain-relief medication.
- Any previous migraine diagnosis or treatment.
Keeping a headache diary can make this information easier to provide.
How NewTeleDoc Medical Can Help With Migraine
A NewTeleDoc Medical telehealth GP consultation provides a convenient way to discuss migraine from the comfort and privacy of your home.
During your consultation, your GP can:
- Assess your headache symptoms
- Discuss whether your symptoms are consistent with migraine
- Identify possible triggers
- Review your current medications
- Discuss acute migraine treatment
- Consider preventive treatment
- Prescribe medication when clinically appropriate
- Assess whether medication overuse may be contributing to headaches
- Recommend further investigation when necessary
- Arrange appropriate specialist referral when required
- Provide a medical certificate when clinically appropriate
- Recommend an in-person assessment if needed
If your symptoms suggest a potentially serious cause, your GP will advise you to seek urgent face-to-face medical care.
Book a Telehealth GP Appointment for Migraine
If you experience recurring migraines, frequent headaches or headaches that are interfering with your daily life, NewTeleDoc Medical can provide a convenient telehealth GP consultation from home.
Your GP can assess your symptoms, review your current treatment and help develop an appropriate management plan.
Important Medical Information
This article provides general health information and does not replace individual medical advice.
Not every headache is a migraine. A new, sudden, severe or substantially different headache may require urgent medical assessment.
If you develop a sudden severe headache, weakness, numbness, speech difficulties, confusion, seizure, persistent vision loss, severe fever and neck stiffness, or another serious symptom, call 000 or attend your nearest emergency department.