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How do migraines affect the UK population and what treatments are available?

Pharmacy2U Team | minute read
Female experiencing migraine episode

According to research, migraines are the third most common health condition in the world. Surpassed only by tooth decay and tension-type headaches, they’re more common than diabetes, asthma, and epilepsy combined. They are moderate to severe headaches that tend to present as a throbbing pain felt on one side of the head, alongside a series of symptoms that act as warning signs.

To mark the arrival of MigraKind, a two-tablet pack of sumatriptan for the relief of migraine attacks that are available without prescription, on our Pharmacy Shop, we’ve taken an in-depth look at migraines, including symptoms and causes. We also explore the impact it has on the UK population and what treatments are available for migraines.

What is a migraine?

What is a migraine?

Migraine is a severe and painful illness that can have a long-term effect on a person’s mental and physical wellbeing. It often manifests as a severe headache, but that’s not the only or defining symptom – migraines can affect the whole body.

They can be classified as either episodic or chronic. An episodic migraine is a headache which occurs less than 15 days per month. It can also be further broken down into low frequency, occurring between 1 to 9 days per month, and high frequency, occurring between 10 to 14 days per month. A chronic migraine is a headache which occurs on at least 15 days per month, with the symptoms of a migraine headache on at least 8 of those days, for a period of three months or more.

What are the symptoms of a migraine?

The symptoms of a migraine are wide-ranging. Different people suffer from different symptoms and the severity can vary from person to person. When people do have an attack, it can prevent them from functioning normally in their day-to-day lives.

The most common symptoms of an attack include, but are not restricted to:

  • Intense headaches

  • Problems with vision – seeing flashing lights

  • Heightened sensitivity to light, sounds, and smells

  • Nausea and sickness

  • Exhaustion and lethargy

There are three common types of migraine. The onset of the above symptoms in the run-up to a migraine are often referred to as an ‘aura’. These migraines with an aura are often temporary and act as a warning of what is to come. People can also experience a migraine aura without a headache, otherwise known as a silent migraine, in which head pain never occurs. The most common type is the migraine without an aura, where head pain is the only presenting symptom.

How long do migraines last?

It differs from person to person, but migraines can last anywhere between four hours and three days. Symptoms can start earlier than you realise ­– in some cases they will begin to present 24 hours before you get the typical head pain and will end around 24 hours after you stop having head pain. Between attacks, it’s common to not get any symptoms at all.

What are the causes of migraines?

There is no definitive answer to this question. In fact, there are many different schools of thought, but many scientists and doctors believe migraines stem from abnormal brain activity that, in turn, affects your brain’s nerve signals, chemicals, and blood vessels. What causes this brain activity? There is no certainty on the matter, but there is a link to a person’s genetics for up to 60% of people who live with migraines.

What triggers migraines?

There are certain triggers that have been found to have an impact on people who are susceptible to migraines. These include:

  • Stress

  • Missing meals

  • Low blood sugar

  • Alcohol

  • Hormonal changes related to periods or menopause

  • Lack of sleep

  • Environmental factors such as lighting or temperature

Taking care to understand which triggers affect you most can help you to manage the impact or onset of migraines, although this is not always possible.

Who do migraines affect in the UK?

Migraines can affect anyone, young or old, male or female. However, it has been found in numerous studies that females are more likely to experience migraines than males. In fact, the 2016 Global Burden of Disease Study looked at the age and gender split of people diagnosed with migraines in the UK and at 35%, the largest group in the study were females aged 15 to 49 years old. The same report also found that migraines affect two times as many women as men in the UK with 24% of women living with migraines compared to 12% of men.

A study of 253 UK general practices analysed people aged 15 or older who were diagnosed with a migraine or headache between 1992 and 2000. It revealed that consultation rates for migraines were 6.4 per 100 women and 2.5 per 100 men. Women were prescribed migraine medications in 37% of all headache consultations, while the figure for men was 27%.

Why is it more prevalent in women? There is clinical evidence that hormonal factors and genetic differences have a role to play. During women’s menstrual cycles, for instance, one report found that there were a higher number of attacks when oestrogen was falling and a lower number of attacks when it was returning to normal levels.

People in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are most likely to be affected, however, migraines occur in children too. In fact, around one in 10 children may live with migraines, or just above 9% of those aged 5 to 14 years old, but numbers may be larger due to some children’s lack of ability to communicate their symptoms in a way that would lead a doctor to diagnose a migraine.

Age GroupFemaleMaleAVERAGE TOTAL
5-14 years9%9%9%
15-49 years35%16%25%
50-69 years24%12%18%
70+ years9%6%8%

How do migraines affect people in the UK?

How do migraines affect people in the UK?

Around 10 million people, or 1 in 5 aged 15-69, in the UK live with migraines. Migraines are classified as a disabling illness and are the third most common health condition in the world after dental cavities and a tension-type headache. Migraines are more common than diabetes, asthma and epilepsy combined. 

The number of hospital admissions in England alone from 2015 to 2020 increased by 14%, rising from 95,548 to 108,711 emergency admissions in that period. At the same time, there were around 2.5 million primary care appointments linked to migraines and headaches, 100,000 of which were referred to hospital for further assessment.

This has a significant impact on the NHS, which spends £150 million per year on treatment for migraines as well as £250 million on care for patients who suffer from recurrent headaches. The cost to the NHS is surpassed by the cost to the wider economy. It’s believed that the cost of migraine-related sick days clocks in at around £4.4 billion annually. If you add in the people who do show up to work but are unable to function normally during their work day, the cost to productivity is around £8.8 billion.

What treatments are available for migraines?

If you find that migraines are negatively impacting your daily life, you can start a free consultation with our Online Doctor service. By simply answering a few straightforward questions, you can explore treatment options that suit you with our dedicated team of trained clinicians.

Two of the most commonly used prescription medications for migraine are:

  • Rizatriptan – this medication is prescribed for the acute treatment of migraine attacks that feature intense headaches, both with an aura or without. It’s not designed for preventative action, but to immediately address the onset of migraine attacks.

  • Sumatriptan – a member of the class of drugs known as triptans, sumatriptan is mainly used to treat the symptoms of migraines and cluster headaches. It works by narrowing the brain’s blood vessels and reducing substances that trigger headaches and aura symptoms.

If you already have a migraine diagnosis from your GP, you can now access sumatriptan without needing a prescription from our Pharmacy shop in the form of MigraKind. It is available in packs of two 50mg tablets for acute relief of migraine attacks at the earliest possible stage.

How to take MigraKind (sumatriptan)

The recommended dose for those aged 18-65 is one 50mg tablet but we would encourage you to speak to your doctor if you feel you need a higher dose.

  1. As soon as the pain starts, take the tablet with water

  2. After 2 hours, if you’re not completely better or the migraine has returned, take the second tablet.

  3. Do not take more than 100mg of sumatriptan in a 24-hour period.

Where can I get MigraKind (sumatriptan)?

You can purchase MigraKind (sumatriptan) from our pharmacy shop today.

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