A new survey has revealed that 80 per cent of women are unhappy with how their migraines are managed. According to women’s healthcare company, Organon, who conducted the survey of over 1,000 women, migraine attacks are still taking too long to be controlled, with women revealing it can take up to eight hours to manage symptoms.
Almost half of women diagnosed with migraine experience the worst of their symptoms within the first hour. Migraine is a common neurological disorder impacting almost 5 million people, mainly women in Australia. The survey revealed 80 per cent of women living with migraine feel unsatisfied with how they manage the symptoms.  Three quarters (70 per cent) of these women say they can’t stop a migraine attack from occurring and two thirds (68 per cent) can’t reduce their symptoms fast enough. Of the 62 per cent of women that experience migraines at work, the lighting in the office (63 per cent) and loud music and conversations (52 per cent) were identified as common triggers.
“Lights are a major trigger for my migraine and playing netball professionally meant bright lights were almost impossible to avoid. Game day was the worst time for me to experience an attack, it wasn’t possible to just push through the intense pain, I needed effective solutions quickly to ensure I didn’t miss out on court time”, says Bianca Chatfield, professional Netballer winning a World Championship and two Commonwealth Games medals, Sports Commentator living with migraine.
From November, people diagnosed with migraine will have access to MAXALT Migraine Relief, which is available from your pharmacist without the need for a prescription. Ask your pharmacist about this product, as their advice is required. The survey revealed this will remove one of the major barriers to optimal migraine management, as only 15% of women surveyed said they carried their script with them preventing quick access to treatment.
Nirelle Tolstoshev, Managing Director of Organon ANZ, said, “We know that women are twice as likely to be affected by migraine than men, and the painful symptoms and debilitating impact on women and their families and careers are underestimated. At Organon, we are committed to continuing to empower these women to actively manage their migraine and help them to get back to the things they love doing faster.”
