This week is Migraine Awareness Week 2023 and South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has joined with his constituent and migraine sufferer Ellie Crossan to raise awareness of this serious condition which is often dismissed for too long as ‘just a headache’, despite it being a complex and debilitating neurological disorder.

Ellie, who lives in Moffat, has had migraine attacks since she was eight years old and has told of the debilitating effect they have had on her life for so long.

She said: “In 2010, my migraines were diagnosed as chronic migraine, which means more than 15 migraine days per month.

“Having this number of migraine days starts to affect your overall health and energy levels, the way it was explained to me was that migraine is a symptom of a complex neurological condition.

“This has had a debilitating effect on my family life and career.

“As a teacher, although this is a very rewarding job, it can be a very challenging environment when suffering with chronic migraine.

“With little flexibility I felt like my only choice was to reduce my hours to part time. As a mother, I often felt unable to give the best of myself to my children and felt wracked with guilt as a result.”

Chronic migraine is classified by the World Health Organisation as one of the most debilitating illnesses. More people in the UK suffer from migraine than suffer from asthma, epilepsy and diabetes combined. However, as a hidden disability it is often dismissed in healthcare, the workplace and in life.

Ellie continued: “Over the years I have tried numerous different medications, supplements and devices.

“Some bring a little relief, but the results are usually short lived. Medications usually prescribed for the treatment of migraine are not ‘migraine specific’ e.g. topiramate which is an anti-epileptic.

“In 2019, the Scottish Medicines Consortium passed the use of anti-cgrp medication, the first ‘migraine specific’ medication. Unfortunately, although this was passed for use in Scotland, it was not available in Dumfries and Galloway.

“Aware that these medicines had been approved, after years of asking and with worsening health, I turned to the National Migraine Centre and was prescribed anti-cgrp medication privately.

“I have gone from 20 migraine days per month to between 3 – 5. While it might not work for everyone, this medication has changed my life.

“My husband and myself have spent the last nine months fighting the NHS in Dumfries and Galloway to provide this much needed medication in our region, and I am delighted to say they have recently relented in my case, which I would hope means it will be available to others.

“Qualifying standards for anti-cgrp state are that you should have more than four migraine days per month and have tried three or more preventative treatments that have not worked.

“While there are no cures for migraine, I am really hopeful for the future, rapid developments and new treatments are becoming available all the time. I would hope that the local health board will keep up with innovations going forward.”

Unlike other health boards, Dumfries and Galloway does not have a dedicated headache clinic, which results in a post-code lottery for treatment.

South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has been working with Ellie and her family to try and resolve some of these issues.

The local MSP said: “Hearing Ellie’s story and how much she and her family have suffered over the years really hammers home how serious migraines can be.

“Often they are dismissed as ‘just’ a headache but as we have seen, they can be so much worse and have a huge negative impact on people’s lives.

“I’m happy that Ellie has been able to get the anti-cgrp medication and I hope that this can provide some relief but it has taken so long and this is really unacceptable. It’s clear that we do need to see better support for this facing this debilitating condition.

“Few people know that migraine is the third most common disease in the world, with a prevalence of one in seven people. Despite this, awareness and understanding is still low and I hope Ellie’s story can help change that in our area.”

Ellie’s advice to anyone locally who is looking for help and advice:

-Your starting point is to speak to your GP

-The migraine trust website (www.migrainetrust.org) is a great resource as is the HeadsUp podcast by the National Migraine Centre.

-Keep a migraine diary, I use an app called migrainebuddy and I find this really useful for keeping track of when I have migraine. A diary will be required to receive treatments like botox and anti-cgrp.

Migraine Awareness Week runs Sunday 24 September to Saturday 30 September and more information can be found here https://migrainetrust.org/migraine-awareness-week-2023/