A Review on Prevalence, Trigger Factors and Self-Medication Practices among Individuals with Migraine

Author

Vasani Aryan, Dr. Harsha Patel, Mrs. Manuni Thakkar, Srushti Vataliya, Trivedi Vaidehi, Nancy Soni, Vishakha Thakkar


Abstract

 Migraine is a common and disabling primary headache disorder, and it ranks second among the world’s causes of disability. This narrative review brings together published evidence on how common migraine is, what tends to set off attacks, and how people with migraine treat themselves. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, Google Scholar and ScienceDirect and compared thirteen key studies side by side, including meta-analyses and community-, clinic- and student-based cross-sectional surveys. Around the world, about 11.6% of people have migraine. Females are affected roughly twice as often as males (13.8% versus 6.9%), and rates are higher in urban than in rural populations; among students, estimates ranged from 4.04% to 28%. Psychological stress and disturbed sleep were the triggers people reported most often, followed by fasting, hormonal changes and sensory or environmental stimuli. Self-medication was widespread and relied mainly on over-the-counter paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Triptans, the drugs made specifically for migraine, were rarely used, and many patients had never received a medical diagnosis, which raises the risk of medication-overuse headache. Knowing your triggers, keeping a headache diary, diagnosing with ICHD-3 criteria and offering pharmacist-led counselling on sensible analgesic use can all help ease the burden of migraine.


Keywords

Migraine, prevalence, trigger factors, self-medication, over-the-counter analgesics, medication-overuse headache, pharmacist



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References


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