Significant worsening of people’s migraine this year
Over half of people’s migraine attacks were more frequent
A survey that we ran in the autumn has found a significant worsening of people’s migraine this year. The survey of over five hundred (566) people in the UK who got migraine found that it had worsened for two out of three people (68%) since the beginning of March. Over half of people’s migraine was more frequent and a third said that their migraine symptoms were more severe.
It found that many people feared that their migraine would worsen further, and concerns raised included:
“I am worried that I have lost control of my symptoms.”
“My migraine was stable beforehand but now I am taking extra medication and suffering a lot more migraine.”
Why people’s migraine is worsening
57% Over half of people whose migraine worsened attributed it to increased stress
18% 18% reported that it was worse because their lifestyle is harder to manage now
16% 16% because they can’t access the treatment and medication they had been receiving for their migraine
This issue with accessing specialist care for their migraine was particularly acute. One in five (20%) of people had appointments with specialists postponed or cancelled, and 15% were unable to get an appointment with a specialist. The survey also found concern about the lack of access to specialist migraine care and treatment:
“Missing a Botox treatment has caused my migraine to get out of control again.”
“At the start of the pandemic I was awaiting a referral to a specialist. This is being continually pushed back and I feel this will continue for some time.”
“I would like to try the new treatments recently approved by NICE but my GP can’t prescribe them and I waiting for a referral.”
Managing their migraine differently
The survey found that people were managing their migraine very differently than before the pandemic. It found that:
29% 29% reported that they have started taking more medication
15% 15% reported that they have started taking new medication
25% 25% had tried to manage their stress more
We are worried about the high number of people whose migraine has worsened over the last year and urge anyone who is struggling with their migraine to seek help by contacting our helpline.
“It is worrying that so many people’s migraine has worsened this year. Migraine is an excruciating and debilitating condition, and anyone struggling with it should seek help. While the health service has adapted over the last nine months, many people are still struggling to access specialist care for their migraine. It is important that people who need specialist help for their migraine are able to access that care. This is more important than ever as a range of ground-breaking new migraine medication has just been approved to be used on the NHS and people can only be prescribed it by a specialist.”
