What is a migraine?
A migraine is more than just a headache. A migraine is an intense and throbbing
pain which often occurs in one side of the head although it can be more generalised.
Other common features are feeling or being sick and finding light and noise uncomfortable.
The pain you experience may be made worse by movement. This makes it difficult to
carry out your usual daily activities, as you might want to rest and keep still,
preferably in a quiet, darkened room.
Migraine is caused by changes in brain chemistry. The pain people suffer varies,
and can often be very severe. Although migraines are not life threatening, they
impact on your quality of life. We want to help you to find ways to reduce that
impact.
What are the different types of migraine?
The two most common types are:
Migraine without aura - 70-80% of sufferers
Migraine with aura - 10% of sufferers
15-20% of sufferers have both types of attacks. Other types of migraine are extremely
rare. Do you know which type you get most often? Do you know what
treatment options
are available to you?
The aura, if it happens, occurs before the headache, the aura usually lasting
between 5 and 60 minutes.
It mostly affects vision. You may notice blank patches, bright or
flashing lights or coloured zigzag lines spreading in front of your eyes, usually
to one side.