Background
Methods
Sample
Procedures
Analysis
Results
Study sample
Sample characteristic | Statistic |
---|---|
Age | |
Mean (SD) | 40.0 (14.10) |
Gender n (%) | |
Female | 32 (91%) |
Employment status n (%) | |
Employed full time | 15 (43%) |
Employed part time | 3 (9%) |
Retired | 2 (6%) |
Unemployed | 4 (11%) |
Unable to work due to health problems | 4 (11%) |
Student | 4 (11%) |
Homemaker | 1 (3%) |
Other | 2 (6%) |
Education n (%) | |
Primary education | 3 (9%) |
Secondary education | 8 (23%) |
Degree level or higher | 24 (69%) |
Sample characteristic | Statistic | |
---|---|---|
Migraine days per month (last three months) Mean (SD) | 12.1 (8.0) | |
Age at diagnosis Mean (SD) | 26.5 (14.0) | |
Type of migraine N (%) | ||
Chronic migraine | 13 (37%) | |
Migraine with aura a | 9 (26%) | |
Other migraine subtype b | 8 (23%) | |
Don’t know | 9 (26%) | |
Other long-term conditions | ||
Anxiety | 18 (51%) | |
Bipolar disorder | 1 (3%) | |
Depression | 12 (34%) | |
Diabetes | 2 (6%) | |
Fibromyalgia | 4 (11%) | |
Hypertension | 3 (9%) | |
Post-traumatic stress disorder | 2 (6%) | |
Respiratory condition | 4 (11%) | |
Other | 6 (17%) | |
None | 11 (31%) | |
Acute Treatments | ||
Drug Type | Current/Most Recent Treatment | (All) Past Treatments |
Pain relievers | 15 (43%) | 14 (40%) |
Triptans | 18 (51%) | 14 (40%) |
Anti-nausea drugs | 1 (3%) | 1 (3%) |
Other | 4 (11%) | 3 (9%) |
Preventive Treatments | ||
Drug Type | Current/Most Recent Treatment | (All) Past Treatments |
Anti-epileptics | 8 (23%) | 14 (40%) |
Anti-depressants | 2 (6%) | 14 (40%) |
Beta-blockers | 2 (6%) | 13 (37%) |
Neurotoxins (Botox) | 4 (11%) | 6 (17%) |
Calcium channel blockers | – | 1 (3%) |
Angiotensin receptor blockers | – | 3 (9%) |
CGRP mAbs | 7 (20%) a | 8 (23%) b |
Other | 3 (9%) | 1 (3%) |
Qualitative results
Migraine symptoms
Symptom Type | Number of patients self-reporting symptom (prompted or unprompted)a |
---|---|
Pain | 35 |
Light/sound sensitivity | 33 |
Nausea | 26 |
Other symptom typeb | 20 |
Blurred/affected vision | 17 |
Aura | 10 |
Cognition problems | 10 |
Dizziness | 10 |
Tiredness | 10 |
Stiff neck | 7 |
Lack of awareness/disorientation | 4 |
Smell sensitivity | 4 |
Feeling numb | 3 |
Slurred speech/trouble speaking | 3 |
Interictal burden
“I guess in terms of my physical health, my sort of fitness, it’s impacted on that. Um, in that I feel that I’ve put on weight and I’m not as fit as I used to be…Um I think sometimes because I overeat because of feeling so low about the migraines and sometimes eating does give temporary relief…[me] not being able to exercise as much as I would like to.” – P019, chronic migraine, female, age 45, UK
“I had a successful art business, um, five years’ ago. So that’s gone be-because I can’t work on it. I used to run a gallery with three other artists, the four of us used to run it as a cooperative. They asked me to leave because of the migraine” – P016, migraine with aura, female, age 39, UK
“My closest friends will make plans with me and then you know, they’ll insist “If you don’t- if you have a headache, don’t worry, you don’t need to come” but then I still feel guilty, I feel like I’m very unreliable. And you know, often times I just won’t make any plans because I don't know if I’m gonna be able to do it” – P032, migraine type unknown, female, age 57, Canada
“It does knock your confidence because you think, ‘Oh well they probably think I’m just using it as an excuse,’ or like I’m not working as hard today because I’ve got this, and they’re thinking, ‘Oh you’re just being lazy’” – P013, migraine with aura, female, age 28, UK
“My mood improves on the days when I haven’t got a migraine. I think you know, there’s always a bit of anxiety there, …but in myself, I do feel much happier yeah” – P028, chronic migraine, female, age 57, UK
“They are able to do, live their best life. Do things, anything that they want to and I’m basically not able to do that because when I’m dealing with those migraines, it’s like it’s time for you to sit down or lay down and be quiet” – P008, chronic migraine, male, age 40, male, US
“It’s always there, like the little demon that’s always ready to jump out and attack you, like I always have to like be ready for it, you know?” - P001, chronic migraine, female, age 41, US
Treatment experiences and preferences
“I would still have a migraine but it’s more tolerable.” – P023, migraine type unknown, female, age 27, US
“…really good in reducing my daily levels of pain, my headache. I was having a lot of severe pain when I started it. I got down to only a few severe pain days a month, and it reduced my migraines from around 16 a month down to about the 6 to 8.” – P016, migraine with aura, female, age 39, UK
“Um, and I also suspect that, um, my body had started to identify the [….] in my system, because when I first started it right back to the beginning it would sort of wear off about a week before I was due an injection, and then after I’d gone up to the higher dose it stopped doing that and it was lasting the entire four weeks.” – P016, female, age 39, UK