I am starting this petition because I myself am a migraine sufferer and I know firsthand just how debilitating an attack can be.

A Migraine is far more than ‘just a headache’. When an attack hits, I can become completely unable to function, it can feel frighteningly like a stroke. My vision can be severely affected, I become extremely sensitive to light, I can be violently sick and experience intense pain, pressure and relentless throbbing in my head. At its worst, I have no choice but to lie in a pitch black room and wait for it to pass. The suffering doesn’t always end when the migraine does.

I can be left feeling completely exhausted, with lingering head pain and tension headaches for days afterwards. Sometimes even another migraine can return the following day. I still don’t fully understand what triggers my attacks, which brings its own anxiety — never knowing when the next one might strike or how much of my life it will disrupt.

There is also the vulnerability that comes with an attack happening unexpectedly. Imagine being at work, in a restaurant or walking through town on your own when suddenly your vision becomes so severely affected that you are struggling to see. You can go from being completely independent to suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable and unsafe. 

Describing a migraine as ‘just a headache’ simply does not reflect the reality of living with this condition.

I want migraines to be better recognised and understood for what it is: a serious neurological medical condition that can be completely debilitating. I want this understanding to extend across doctors, hospitals and employers, so that people suffering with migraines are taken seriously rather than dismissed as having “just a headache” or being dramatic.

I am calling for better NHS migraine care and professional training, greater investment in research, improved treatment options, better access to specialist care, and greater understanding and support within the workplace.

No one living with debilitating migraines should have to repeatedly prove just how unwell they are before their condition is taken seriously.

By signing this petition, you are supporting greater recognition, better research and treatment, and meaningful support for people living with migraines.