NEW YORK -- Ada Nelken suffered migraine headaches at least twice a week for two years.

"It kind of starts with pulsating, sometimes in my right eye. I kind of feel it throbbing and it just starts and it takes over your whole head and you can't function," she said. "You get nauseated, throw up, you're just in constant pain and nothing will help. It's like a hammer just hammering on your head. It's awful."

Nelken tried just about every migraine medication available. But it was a blood pressure pill that made her headaches disappear.

"It's an incredible difference," she said. "I haven't called in [sick to work] for migraines for a long time. It's amazing, it's really made a difference."

Doctors have known for years that blood pressure pills like those known as beta-blockers can prevent migraines. But now, a new study found that another class of blood pressure drugs may also work. They're called ACE inhibitors.

But what does a blood pressure drug have to do with headaches? The answer may have to do with blood vessels. The drugs are designed to affect the way vessels open and close. That may help headaches.

Blood pressure pills aren't the only option. Recent evidence shows some antiseizure medications and antidepressants can also prevent migraines.

But you don't have to have high blood pressure, seizures or depression to take these medications. They can help your migraines even if you're otherwise healthy.

Headache specialist Christine Lay said that with all these new options, patients like Nelken should no longer have to suffer.

"If you're having two headaches or more per week, you're probably a good candidate for preventive therapy," Lay said.