Migraine information

Did you know?

1. 1 in 7 people in the UK suffer from migraine.
2. Migraine affects twice as many women as men.
3. Migraine affects people from all age groups (even young children) and all social classes.
4. Migraine costs the UK around £2.25 billion per annum.
5. The World Health Organisation has classified headache as a major health disorder and has rated migraine amongst the top 20 most disabling lifetime conditions.
6. A migraine attack can last for between 4 and 72 hours.
7. Sufferers experience an average of 13 attacks each year.
8. Migraine is more than just a headache. Other symptoms can include: visual disturbances (flashing lights, blind spots in the vision, zig zag patterns etc.), nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light (photophobia), sensitivity to noise (phonophobia), sensitivity to smells (osmophobia) and tingling / pins and needles / weakness / numbness in the limbs.
9. Around 60% of sufferers never consult their GP because they mistakenly think that nothing can be done to help them. There is a wide range of effective treatments now available including new products introduced during the past year.
10. Migraine is triggered by a huge variety of factors not just cheese, chocolate and red wine! For most people there is not just one trigger but a combination of factors which individually can be tolerated but when they all occur together a threshold is passed and a migraine is triggered.

More about migraine
Find out more about migraine, what causes it, different headache types, migraine triggers, and what treatments are available. Please click here for further information.

If you would prefer to view which information booklets are available to download, please click here. Remember to log in to the website for member discounts.

Migraine treatments
There is a wide range of treatments available, both orthodox and complementary, which can be very effective. However, migraine is a complex condition, and a treatment that is successful for one person may have no effect or produce unacceptable side effects for another. It is important to persevere until you develop a management plan that works for you. Please click here for information about acute, preventative and complementary treatment options for migraine.

Migraine Action can help you
We can help you to identify your trigger factors and recognise early warning signs. We can also provide you with information on treatments to help bring your condition under control and keep you informed about the latest research. Migraine can be an isolating condition and we know that it is important for you to have support and understanding.

Version 2. Reviewed August 2011. Next Review Date August 2014. 

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