Migraine myths: what people get wrong about migraine

The most common migraine myth is that migraine is your own fault: that you get it because of how you eat, sleep or work. That is not true. Migraine is an inherited brain condition, and while some habits may make attacks a little less frequent, they do not cause it.

Many people believe this myth, including some doctors and people who live with migraine themselves. Hardly anyone says it this bluntly, but it comes through in everyday advice. When someone tells you "you really should not eat chocolate with your migraine", the message underneath is that the attacks are somehow your doing, even when the advice is kindly meant. Because you eat the wrong things. Because you are a perfectionist and get stressed. Because you have a busy job. Over time, many people with migraine start to believe it themselves.

Is migraine your own fault?

No. Migraine is not caused by the way you live. It is an inherited condition of the brain, closer to epilepsy than to a lifestyle problem: in both, attacks come from a temporary disruption of how the brain works. Yet people with epilepsy rarely receive the kind of well-meant lifestyle advice that people with migraine hear all the time, even though migraine can be harder to live with day to day.

It is true that you can adapt your life so that migraine gets in the way less. Regular sleep, regular meals and a calmer diary may help a little, and being unwell is always easier with an empty schedule. If you have frequent attacks, you may learn to get things done on good days rather than leaving them to the last minute, which can make you look like someone who needs everything planned. But that is a way of coping, not the cause. The cause is that you happen to have the condition.

Is migraine just a bad headache?

No. A migraine attack is a disturbance of the brain that can bring nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, difficulty thinking and an exhaustion that lingers after the pain has gone. Some people also have an aura, such as zigzag lines or tingling, before the headache starts. Migraine can disrupt work, family life and plans to such an extent that the World Health Organization lists it among the most disabling conditions in the world.

Do anxiety or depression cause migraine?

No. Living with frequent attacks can understandably make you anxious or low. You may also push yourself hard on the days you feel well, because you know the rest of the week may be lost. Anxiety and depression can go hand in hand with migraine, and they deserve attention in their own right. But they do not cause it.

Can anything be done about migraine?

Yes. Migraine cannot be cured, but it can be treated, and the aim is to find a treatment that leaves you with fewer and milder attacks. With the newest medicines, some people have very few attacks left. For most people, a clear reduction in attacks already makes a real difference.

Understanding migraine is an important part of treatment. Many people have been told things over the years that do not match what is now known, and it can take a while to get used to a different view. The more you know about how migraine works, the better you can take part in choosing a treatment, and there are quite a few choices to make. That is why a first consultation leaves room for your whole story, including how migraine has affected your life, and not only for a list of symptoms.

Are the newer migraine medicines out of reach?

They do not have to be. Medicines that target CGRP, a messenger substance that plays a central role in migraine pain, are one of the biggest steps forward in migraine treatment in decades. They include:

• monoclonal CGRP inhibitors: erenumab, fremanezumab and galcanezumab, used as preventive treatment
• gepants: atogepant and rimegepant, used for prevention and for treating attacks

Alongside triptans for treating attacks, these medicines are available privately through The Migraine Clinic. Your migraine specialist decides with you whether they suit you.

Where do you start?

Migraine is not your fault, and it can be treated, but someone does have to take the first step. At The Migraine Clinic you do not need a referral from your GP. All consultations take place online, by video, with a migraine specialist who works only on migraine.

• Not sure whether it is migraine? Take the migraine test.
• Read more about what migraine is and how treatment works.
• Ready to begin? See how to start.