Most headaches and migraines are unpleasant but harmless and can be relieved with self-help measures and pharmacy painkillers. Only a few (around 5%) are a sign that something is seriously wrong. 

The Migraine Trust is the health and medical research charity for migraine in the UK. The Migraine Trust seeks to empower, inform, and support those affected by migraine while educating health professionals and actively funding and disseminating research.

Headache is an almost universal experience; most of us have some kind of headache at some time in our lives. The classification system of headaches used by the medical profession is one of the longest in medicine, with many types and causes. Find out more… 

A persistent pain problem can be difficult to understand and manage on an everyday basis. This Pain Toolkit website has been developed from the Pain Toolkit, a simple information booklet that provides you with handy tips and skills to support you along the way to managing your pain.

More than 10 million people in the UK get headaches, making them one of the most common health complaints, but most are easily treated. Read to learn more about primary and secondary headaches and watch the video on this page in which Dr Anne MacGregor describes common causes of headaches, the differences between normal headaches and more severe forms such as migraine, and treatment options. 

Migraine causes attacks of headaches, often with feeling sick or vomiting. Treatment options include: avoiding possible triggers, painkillers, anti-inflammatory painkillers, antisickness medicines, and triptan medicines. A medicine to prevent migraine attacks is an option if the attacks are frequent or severe.

Some medicines are used to prevent migraine attacks. They may not completely stop every migraine attack, but the number and severity of attacks are often reduced. You need to take the medicine every day.