BOSTON -- Chronic migraines can be debilitating, and sufferers often take dozens of pills for relief. But a new technique may fight the pain without requiring patients to swallow medication.

MIGRAINES Lidoderm Information Types Of Headaches

A patch has been shown to be effective in limiting the pain of a migraine. The patch, called Lidoderm, contains 700 milligrams of the anesthetic lidocaine, typically used by dentists to numb the mouth.

The patch has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for patients with shingles and neuropathy. It's designed to trick nerves and prevent them from sending pain signals to the brain.

Neurologist Elizabeth Loder prescribes the Lidoderm patch for headaches, but she said used alone, it is unlikely to eliminate a severe migraine attack.

"But for people who have significant neck and shoulder pain in association with migraine, which by the way almost three-quarters of migraine patients do have, I think this might provide a lot of relief," Loder said.

Migraine sufferer Susan Martin said that she has had some success using the patch on her upper back and neck, where her migraines often begin.

"I thought I could pop it on my back and then off I go, but like everything else, you have to learn you need to quiet down and use this, and it did seem to dull the back," Martin said.

The patch can be cut down to fit over a patient's temple, and it can safely be worn for 12 hours, causing only an occasional rash.

"It rarely causes significant or dangerous side effects, so it's a reasonable thing to try for a lot of patients," Loder said.

Loder said the patch is most effective when combined with other proven migraine-fighting techniques.