Debunking the Top 5 Migraine Myths

Migraine is often misunderstood. Here are five myths I’ve come across while living with migraine and why they aren’t true.

Despite 1 in 7 Americans living with migraine, it still remains one of the most misunderstood and stigmatized conditions. Migraine is misdiagnosed and undertreated which further adds to the burden of the disease.

Sometimes it feels like society doesn’t take migraine seriously. It’s frequently minimized and considered to be “just a headache.” In order for migraine to be taken seriously, we need to break down the stigma and raise awareness of the true debilitating nature of migraine.

One way to do this is to debunk some of the most common migraine myths. Here are five I’ve often come across while navigating life with chronic migraine.

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Myth 1: Migraine is just a “bad headache”

Migraine is a complex neurological condition. Head pain is just one of many possible migraine symptoms, and sometimes head pain isn’t present in a migraine episode at all.

As a neurological condition, migraine can impact the whole body.

Symptoms can include:

• mood changes
• fatigue
• nausea and/or vomiting
• confusion
• sensitivity to light and noise
• vertigo
• neck pain
• visual disturbances

The “bad headache” that we associate with migraine is often present in just one of four phases of a migraine episode — known as the main attack. There’s also a prodrome, or premonitory, phase which includes warning symptoms. Some people experience an aura phase which typically presents as a visual or sensory disturbance.

There’s also a postdrome phase, or “migraine hangover” after the main attack.

Some people with migraine don’t experience all four phases, and the symptoms of each of these phases can vary significantly from person to person.

Some people with migraine don’t experience head pain at all, but they still may experience other symptoms of migraine that are just as valid and can be just as debilitating.

Myth 2: Only women live with migraine

Although migraine is more common in women, men live with migraine too. It’s estimated that globally, 20.7% of women and 9.7% of men live with migraine. However, it’s believed that migraine affects females and males at equal rates until puberty.

The higher incidence of migraine in women is thought to be due to the role of certain hormones. Raising awareness that migraine does not discriminate against gender is vital for ensuring as many patients as possible receive an accurate and timely diagnosis.

Myth 3: Being pregnant will cure migraine

One of the most frustrating pieces of advice women with migraine may come across is to get pregnant. Pregnancy is not a cure for migraine. Migraine doesn’t have a cure.

Some women do experience a reduction in episodes of migraine during pregnancy. However, this is not the case for everyone. Migraine frequency and severity remain consistent for some and may even get worse for others during pregnancy.

Even if your migraine symptoms do improve significantly during pregnancy, there’s no guarantee that this will continue postpartum. I’ve experienced firsthand how this migraine myth is sometimes told to women by their own doctors.

Telling young women who are struggling with migraine to get pregnant or wait until menopause is not good enough. We deserve better.

Myth 4: It’s not true migraine unless you have a visual aura

This is a common migraine myth that can prevent some people with migraine from getting the help they need. It’s important to know that you can have a migraine without experiencing an aura and not having an aura doesn’t make your episode any less valid.

Only about 25% of people with migraine will experience an aura during a migraine episode. There are also several misconceptions about aura, like that it always presents as a visual disturbance.

Migraine with aura can also present as symptoms like:

• numbness or tingling
• weakness
• dizziness
• vertigo
• pins and needles
• speech and language difficulties

Myth 5: Migraine is caused by stress

Migraine is not a psychological condition caused by stress. It’s a complex, genetic neurological disorder in which stress is often observed as a trigger. There’s a big difference between the triggers of a migraine episode and the cause of migraine disease.

It’s believed that migraine episodes result from a combination of migraine triggers rather than just one. A stressful work call might be the final trigger, but someone might have also had a bad night’s sleep the night before and then skipped breakfast.

Many of us with migraine often turn the blame inward, like our episode is the result of exposing ourselves to triggers or not reducing our exposure to certain triggers like stress.

The bottom line

Debunking misconceptions about migraine starts with us. Take stock of what migraine myths you believe to be true and remind yourself that migraine is a complex neurological disease and that your episodes are never your fault.