What is migraine?

Information for the public

Migraine is a type of headache. Headaches are a very common health problem. Most headaches, including migraines, are called 'primary headaches', which means that they do not have an underlying cause. Symptoms of migraine include a pulsating, throbbing or banging pain in your head, there may be an unusual sensitivity to bright lights or loud sounds, and you may feel sick or vomit (be sick). The length of time a migraine lasts can vary between 1 hour and 3 days. Some people with migraines have symptoms called 'auras'. These auras can happen on their own (without a migraine headache) or together with a migraine headache. Common symptoms of an aura are: problems with sight such as seeing flickering lights, spots or lines, or a loss of vision, pins and needles or numbness, or problems speaking. Auras are temporary. They take at least 5 minutes to develop, and last for between 5 minutes and 1 hour.

Depending on how often a person has migraines and what impact they have on the person's life, medication may be used to try and reduce the number of migraines that a person has. Medicines that may be used to prevent migraines include propranolol and topiramate. Other medicines are used if these are not suitable or don't work.