Migraine is a complex, long-term health condition that can involve debilitating pain and nausea, as well as sensitivity to light, sound and smells. The condition, which affects around 10 million people in the UK, can severely disrupt daily life, work and social relationships.
In this episode of The PJ Pod, senior editor Alex Clabburn shares insights from a recent expert roundtable meeting hosted and organised by The Pharmaceutical Journal, which explored how pharmacists can contribute to improved migraine care for patients.
By the end of the episode, you should be able to:
- Understand how to recognise symptoms and identify patients with undiagnosed migraine;
- Know which treatments are recommended for acute migraine and when preventative medications are indicated;
- Understand the long-term nature of migraine and need for ongoing patient support and optimised treatments,
- Know the importance of lifestyle adjustments and headache diaries to help patients reduce their exposure to migraine triggers and frequency of attacks.
Many thanks to Callum Duncan, consultant neurologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Scotland; Sandip Patel, Bethany Hill, a headache and facial pain clinical nurse specialist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London; Katy Munro, a senior GP headache specialist at the National Migraine Centre, London; Rob Music, chief executive of The Migraine Trust; and The Migraine Trust for its contributions and support in the production of this episode.
This programme is presented by Alex Clabburn, senior editor, research and learning, at The Pharmaceutical Journal, and was produced by Geoff Marsh.
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Further resources
‘Upskilling pharmacy teams to make migraine care routine practice,’ The Pharmaceutical Journal;
‘Migraine: pathophysiology, recognition and management,’ The Pharmaceutical Journal;
‘Changes in migraine treatment: how new classes of drugs can provide additional options for patients and prescribers,’ The Pharmaceutical Journal;
Headache diary templates, The Migraine Trust;
‘Partnering with pharmacy teams to improve migraine management,’ NHS Grampian.
References
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Headaches in over 12s: diagnosis and management. 2025. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg150/chapter/Recommendations
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. Pharmacological management of migraine. 2023. Available from: https://www.sign.ac.uk/our-guidelines/pharmacological-management-of-migraine/
Karlsson WK, Ostinelli EG, Zhuang ZA et al. Comparative effects of drug interventions for the acute management of migraine episodes in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2024 Sep 18;386:e080107. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2024-080107
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation: Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 [online] Available from: https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-2017 (accessed November 2025)
GBD 2021 Nervous System Disorders Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Neurol. 2024 Apr;23(4):344-381. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(24)00038-3
