This disease awareness website has been developed and funded by Pfizer Ltd.

WHAT IS MIGRAINE?

A migraine attack is more than just a bad headache¹.

Migraine can be a recurrent and debilitating medical condition with many symptoms – headaches are just one symptom experienced by people with migraine^2,3,4.

Unlike other headaches, the pain experienced in migraine often includes⁴:

Moderate or severe pain intensity
Pulsating quality - may be described as 'throbbing' or 'banging' in young people
One side of the head (known as unilateral locality)

Other symptoms that can be associated with migraine include nausea and/or vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound⁴.

The information provided on this site is intended for general information and education and is not intended to be a substitute for advice provided by a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional.

DID YOU KNOW?

Headaches experienced in migraine can be of moderate-to-severe pain intensity and can last 4 - 72 hours in adults⁴.

However, some people can have migraine without headaches. These are known as silent migraines⁵.

Silent migraine is when a headache does not occur, but aura or other migraine symptoms are experienced, such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light or sound^4,5.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF A MIGRAINE ATTACK?

People living with migraine can experience many different symptoms, which often occur within four stages of a migraine attack⁶. Not all people living with migraine experience all stages in an attack, they may experience one stage, or a combination of stages⁶.

TIMELINE OF A MIGRAINE ATTACK

Every person living with migraine will have a unique experience of the condition⁷.
The symptoms, severity, frequency and duration of migraine attacks vary between individuals^3,6.
Also, each person living with migraine can experience variations between their own migraine attacks and the pattern of their migraines can change over time^3,6.

Adapted from Ferrari et al, 2022⁸

How often do migraine attacks occur?

Migraine patterns vary from person to person³

Some people may experience one migraine attack per year (or fewer), while others may have several or more each month³. Depending on how often a person experiences migraine attacks, their migraine may be classed as:

Episodic (14 or fewer of those days with a headache each month)⁹

Chronic (at least 15 days with a headache per month, with at least 8 of those being days with migraine attacks)¹⁰

Migraine progression or chronification

A person's migraine attacks may increase over time^10,11

An increase in frequency of migraine attacks is referred to as migraine progression or migraine chronification^10,11. Factors that increase the risk of this occurring include:

Poor sleep quality or a sleep disorder¹⁰
Depression¹⁰
Hypertension¹¹

Learn more about managing your migraine attacks

What causes migraine?

Research is yet to pinpoint what causes migraine¹²

Some studies have suggested you are more likely to have migraine if it is part of your family history¹³.

One possible cause of migraine pain is related to a protein called calcitonin-gene-related peptide (CGRP). It is reported that CGRP concentrations increase during migraine attacks¹².

Most people with migraine may have spontaneous attacks, meaning there is nothing they did or didn't do to cause the attack. This is just how the condition behaves^11,12.

But experts know that people with migraine react to a variety of factors and events called triggers¹¹.

Learn more about your migraine triggers

Discover more about your migraine

Managing your migraine attacks

Seeking help and support for migraine

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effect not listed in the package leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of medicines.

References:

1. Karsan N. and Goadsby PJ. Migraine Is More Than Just Headache: Is the Link to Chronic Fatigue and Mood Disorders Simply Due to Shared Biological Systems? Front Hum Neurosci. 2021;15:646692. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.646692 [Last accessed August 2024].

2. NICE BNF. Treatment Summaries. Migraine. https://bnf.nice.org.uk/treatment-summaries/migraine/. [Last accessed August 2024].

3. Rizzoli P. Preventive Pharmacotherapy in Migraine. Headache. 2014;54(2):364-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.12273 [Last accessed August 2024].

4. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries. Migraine: What are the clinical features and diagnostic criteria for migraine? Last revised in September 2022. https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/migraine/diagnosis/diagnosis/ [Last accessed August 2024].

5. NHS. Conditions. Migraine. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/migraine/ [Last accessed August 2024].

6. The Migraine Trust. Stages of a migraine attack. https://migrainetrust.org/understandd-migraine/stages-of-a-migraine-attack/ [Last accessed August 2024].

7. The Migraine Trust. What is migraine? https://migrainetrust.org/understand-migraine/what-is-migraine/ [Last accessed August 2024].

8. Ferrari M.D., et al. Migraine, Nat Rev Dis Primers 8,2(2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-021-00328-4 [Last accessed August 2024].

9. NICE. Clinical guideline [CG150]. Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management. Published September 2012. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG150 [Last accessed August 2024].

10. Rosignoli C, et al. Applying a biopsychosocial model to migraine: rationale and clinical implications. J Headache Pain. 2022;23(1):100. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-022-01471-3 [Last accessed August 2024].

11. Amiri P, et al. Migraine: A Review on Its History, Global Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Comorbidities. Front Neurol. 2022:12:800605. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.800605 [Last accessed August 2024].

12. Perenboom L. 2022. The exciting migraine brain: towards neurophysiological predication of migraine attacks. https://hdl.handle.net/1887/331008 [Last accessed August 2024].

13. Sutherland HG, et al. Advances in genetics of migraine. J Headache Pain. 2019;20(1):72. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10194-019-1017-9 [Last accessed August 2024].

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