The Migraine Trust

16 October 2023

Migraine Treatments Waiting Times

In many parts of the world, the situation is the same – healthcare seems to be taking steps backward, instead of forward.

That’s not to say that research isn’t continuing. That’s not to say that advances aren’t being made. But frankly, the whole system is not progressing as it should be. Shortages are popping up all over the place. And wait times for just about everything are increasing.

And everything is important – but so are migraine patients, and so is migraine treatment. And that’s my thing, so I’m allowed to give a shout about how things ought to be getting better.

A recent article with some comments from Robert Music, chief executive of the Migraine Trust, caught my eye because it was dealing with some of these issues. Music mentions, in the UK context, that

Wait times are increasing
There is a shortage of specialists and GPs, particularly those specializing in migraine
Access to new drugs is lagging

Specifically, the report said that wait times for specialist care has increased from 15 weeks in 2021 to 29 weeks in 2023 – almost double!

This won’t be the first time that I’ve pointed out that someone with new and ongoing migraine or headache symptoms needs to get to a specialist as soon as possible. Let’s do the simple math – 29 weeks is over six and a half months – more than half a year!

That has the potential not only to increase suffering, but to make the problem worse and longer-lasting.

So add your voice to the many who are calling for better treatment, education, and research. Whatever else may be going on in the world, getting migraine patients back on their feet and free of migraine symptoms is still a priority – especially for those people and their families.

To read the article, just click here: Migraine treatment times ‘almost double’ in England amid calls for condition to be taken seriously

6 September 2022

New Resource for Children and Teens with Migraine

James Resources 0

The Migraine Trust has recently developed a new online resource for children and teens with migraine. They announced it along with their recent report, “Dismissed for too long: The impact of migraine on children & young people” (pdf).

The report highlighted the need for better communication and support for younger migraine patients. A visit to a good doctor is key, but children and teens also need support at home, school, work, and in the community in general. Many people don’t even realize that many children do experience migraine attacks, and that those attacks may or may not be different than an adult attack.

The new site is divided up by age group. Children and their parents can click around to learn how to communicate their symptoms to other people, how to find help at school, and how to help themselves deal with migraine attacks.

Each section is age-specific, not only in language but also in topics and specific health concerns. Older patients will be thinking about college and preparing for adulthood. Younger patients commonly experience abdominal migraine, so you’ll see information about “tummy aches“.

To check out the new resource, go right to Help for children and young people with migraine.

5 April 2022

Migraine and Perimenopause with Dr. MacGregor

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Every once in a while I like to point you to other peoples’ articles or videos on key topics. Usually I do this on Twitter or Facebook, but this article deserves a little extra attention, as does its author.

Professor Anne MacGregor is a specialist in hormonal migraine. She has 30 years of clinical experience, and continues to work at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London (where she teaches headache medicine), also lecturing at the University of Worcester. She is author or co-author of numerous books, including Migraine: Your Questions Answered. She has many journal publications, including Menstrual and perimenopausal migraine: A narrative review.

Recently Dr. MacGregor wrote an article for The Migraine Trust which I would like to point you to. In the article, she discusses why migraine can be a specific problem during perimenopause, and also how it can be managed. The article is available here: Migraine and perimenopause. There’s a lot of information in a short read.

She also has a previous article on menstrual migraine here: Menstrual migraine

If you would like to learn more about Dr. MacGregor, read more of her publications, or contact her, you can visit her website here.

12 November 2021

Men and Migraine: Relationships, Work, and Depression

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Every once in a while you still come across material that basically considers migraine to be a “women’s disease”. But a recent survey from The Migraine Trust reminds us once again that migraine has a huge impact on the lives of many men.

The survey of over 350 men was conducted in the UK, and focused on quality of life questions. The chart below shows some of the responses, with the top three concerns being the affect of migraine on work (including discrimination at work), on their social life, and on their ability to exercise (which of course affects overall health).

Quality of Life Impact of Migraine for Men — *Men respond: Migraine affects Quality of Life*

Mental health is also a concern. Respondents mentioned being anxious or worried, depression, and feeling isolated or lonely are key issues.

Migraine, men, and mental health — *Men respond: Migraine and Mental Health*

That last one on the chart, “Don’t Share”, means that a significant amount of men don’t tell anyone about their migraine attacks. Both charts are certainly a reminder that we don’t really know what other people are going through. And it’s another reason why many feel isolated and lonely.

To read more about the study, go to Men get migraine too: How does the condition affect their lives?

12 June 2020

Migraine Worse in COVID-19 Days?

James Information 0

As I write this post, COVID-19 restrictions are loosening up in some parts of the world, although the number of new cases around the world continues to rise. But the changes to our society will not be going away any time soon. So the question is – how has this affected your migraine symptoms? And what about the future?

The Migraine Trust did an informal poll to see how things have changed in the last few months. Here’s what they discovered:

58% said that migraine has worsened since the beginning of March
Why? Here were some of the answers:
- 46% suggested stress
- 18% said that their lifestyle was harder to manage now
- 17% said that they no longer had the same access to treatment/medications
17% had appointments with doctors/specialists cancelled
8% were unable to get an appointment

Most of these concerns aren’t going to be disappearing any time soon, let’s be honest. Although doctor’s offices may be opening up more in the weeks ahead, access to treatment and medication continues to be a concern due to economic and political concerns. Harsh cleaners and face masks are increasingly common. Honest discussions are hard to have because the discussion has become so political. (In fact, do I need to point out that this paragraph isn’t “pro” or “anti” face mask? Has our discussion become that simplistic?)

The lockdown has become an opportunity for some to re-evaluate their treatment, learn new habits, and maybe learn how to cook for themselves. But even if you’ve had a bit of down time, busy life is returning.

So how are you going to hang on to those new habits? Put those new treatment plans into action? Maybe start changing your diet even now to something more migraine-fighting? If ever there was a time to be serious about our health, this is it.

In their article, the Migraine Trust said – “We are here to help you”. The same can be said for Headache and Migraine News, the Migraine World Summit, the Migraine Research Foundation, and many others who are continuing to fight migraine and get you the latest practical information.

But the personalized plan that you need is yours to make. We would love to hear your comments – what are you going to do to take control of your treatment in the months ahead? We can only control our circumstances so much – but we can make healthy decisions every day that can make a difference in our migraine symptoms and our health over all.

Don’t give up – it’s time to fight back.