Migraine can affect anyone, regardless of sex. While it is more common in women, it’s understood that the condition affects around one in ten men.

Our 2021 survey of over 350 men found that:

• 75% said migraine has impacted their general health
• 82% said migraine has impacted their social life
• 71% said migraine has impacted their family life
• 84% said migraine has impacted their work life.

We don’t tend to hear as much about men’s experiences in discussions of the condition. Some men who access our Support Services mention struggling with misconceptions that migraine is a ‘women’s condition’, and mention feeling reluctant to talk about how it affects them.

Here four men, Thomas, Dom, Haider and Ray, tell us about their experience of migraine and how it has affected their careers, socials lives, relationships and families.

Thomas’ experience

“Although I’ve lived with migraine for most of my life, everything changed after an attack in 2014 where I completely blacked out, waking 20 minutes later with blinding head pain. Since then, migraine has really taken over my life.

With the start of an attack, I often get a visual aura that I describe as like the old-fashioned horror movies where the red mist descends from the edges across the screen, except for me it’s purple. Then comes the head pain, which comes up across my head. It feels like my head is in a vice that keeps squeezing, until it feels like my head is going to pop. The pain gets to the point where I’m rocking back and forth on the floor, breathing as if I’m in labour, and headbutting the floor to try to distract from the pain of it. My speech can be slurred and my balance thrown off. Sometimes I just want to cry with the pain, although crying can sometimes make the pain worse.

For four years I suppose I dealt with it like a ‘typical man’, in other words, I just got on with it and wouldn’t talk about it. But my dad brought me up saying ‘don’t be scared of anything’, including pain, and I realised it didn’t make me more of a man to hide that I was in pain. Eventually I started counselling, which has been so helpful.

‘I think men need to lose this stigma of hiding pain’

In 2022, things got so bad that I tried to take my own life. I was so low, and I just felt that I couldn’t cope anymore. I struggled even to admit to my GP and counsellor that things had gotten so bad, but once I did it was like a weight had been lifted.

I think men need to lose this stigma of hiding pain. We also need to change this ‘just a headache’ thing that seems to go along with migraine. I’ve even had GPs say things to that effect! In my experience it’s better to talk about it than keep it inside. My advice to other men dealing with migraine would be to speak to someone in detail, let them know how you’re feeling, if your mood is low.

Talking to others makes such a difference. I actually tried to set up a group where I live for people living with migraine but unfortunately only one person showed up. I don’t know whether it’s that people, and particularly men, just don’t want to talk about having migraine. It’s why I wanted to share my story, so maybe others can see it and feel less alone.”

Read more of Thomas’ story here.

Dom’s experience

“For over 17 years now, I have lived with a rare type of migraine condition that impacts much of my daily life. My situation is unusual because I do not get headaches, and I do not get attacks of symptoms, but they are ever-present on a kind of spectrum.

The symptoms I do get can be very difficult to deal with; dizziness, a feeling of swaying or unsteadiness and feeling light-headed. I have permanent visual aura, bright flashes in my line of sight that never go away.

At the mention of migraine, even healthcare workers’ minds immediately seem to go to ‘head pain’ and ‘pain management’, and I have to explain that for me that’s not how the condition manifests. I look at this in two ways – firstly I am grateful not to experience head pain, I imagine it must be awful to be in pain like that, and I’m blessed that I’m not. But then the second is that it can be very isolating. Migraine is not a well understood condition anyway, but to have symptoms that aren’t the ones commonly associated, means I feel even less understood.

‘In mental health, there is a lot of talk of traditional perceptions of masculinity and stigma, and I think there might be similar reluctance for men to talk about migraine’

I work for a mental health charity, so I have an understanding of the connection between mental and physical health. I also know men don’t report mental health issues as much. In mental health, there is a lot of talk of traditional perceptions of masculinity and stigma, and I think there might be similar reluctance for men to talk about migraine. I imagine a lot of men feel they’ll be seen as complaining about ‘just a headache’. Maybe men are just more reluctant to raise health concerns generally.”

Read more of Dom’s story here.

Haider’s experience

For around 18 years now, I have been living with migraine. Starting when I was leaving college and going off to university, I’d experience a lot of pain along the left side of my head and sometimes it would be on the right side too. My father also lived with migraine for about 20 years, and recognised some of the symptoms.

It affects my eyes, my balance, impacts my daily life and can sometimes cause me to vomit. There have been times when symptoms have been so severe that I have had to go to hospital. Migraine means constant medical appointments and I’ve seen so many doctors over the years.

Work is an important aspect of life for me, and I’ve always approached it with an ‘if anyone can do it, I can do it’ attitude. I really enjoy helping people, and I think it’s in my nature to push through, it’s like I have no concept of failure.

One aspect of migraine I struggle with is my own mindset – I don’t want to be seen as ‘weak’ in any way, or as less reliable. I really do push through to the point of near collapse, sometimes falling down on the bed with a head that feels as though it has a 3kg weight on it.

I do believe strongly in living well, having a positive mindset and helping others. It’s why I decided to share my story; if it helps another person, it will be worth it.

Read more of Haider’s story here.

Ray’s  experience

I’m a father of two young children, and I have had a migraine attack come on while looking after them before which is a very intense experience. I remember on one  occasion I started to experience aura symptoms while bathing the children. I couldn’t see them properly, and I think I just went into autopilot, just going through the motions until my sight returned. In a situation like that, you can’t just retreat into a dark, quiet room! It’s difficult to explain to kids, especially when the symptoms are temporary and you don’t know when they will next start up. The prospect of an attack coming on again while I’m looking after the children does worry me, when you’re responsible for children you do feel you can’t let your guard down.

Migraine can be really scary, especially when it first happens. It can feel like your life is over, and you can lose a lot of confidence. It can really get you down, especially if you experience regular attacks. On the positive side, I have found a way to deal with it and be less fearful. I have my strategies now that work for me, and now I just see it as a part of who I am.”

Better understanding and awareness of migraine in men is key to reducing stigma of the condition. If you’d like to learn more, you can catch up on our Managing Your Migraine: Migraine in Men session.

If you’re a man living with migraine, we’re here for you. If you need information or support on any aspect of migraine, our helpline is available on 0808 802 0066 or you can get in touch with us online.