20/07/2026
Hint: You won't believe the last one.
** Myth #1. “It’s just a headache.” — (9/10) **
Every day, I see people saying things like...
“It's just a headache.”
“Take a Panadol and move on.”
“Drink more water.”
“Have some tea.”
“Eat more salt.”
“Become mentally stronger.”
But, the problem is that migraine is not just pain.
And it's NOT "just a headache."
Instead, it is an incredibly disabling neurological condition.
In fact, migraine is among the most disabling conditions in the world.
Sadly, people dismiss it...
Because they haven't experienced losing days of their life to it.
They haven't experienced cancelling plans...
Missing work or school...
Being unable to look at light...
Simply being able to function.
** Myth #2. “Just take a painkiller.” — (10/10) **
This drives me crazy...
Yes, painkillers have a role in migraine treatment.
But, only if you get a migraine once every month or once every couple of months.
On the other hand, if you take painkillers regularly...
You can develop medication-overuse headaches.
And increase your risk of problems such as stomach ulcers and kidney issues.
Sadly, this myth doesn't just come from patients.
I see patients every day who tell me...
“I started getting migraines. So, I went to a doctor, and I was given painkillers.”
That's it.
No discussion about prevention.
No discussion about migraine education.
No discussion about what to do when attacks become frequent.
Eventually, they develop complications and end up with a much bigger problem.
** Myth #3. “Just control your triggers.” — (7/10) **
This one sounds logical.
But it is often taken way too far.
Migraine is a genetic neurological condition.
In other words, triggers are not the cause of your migraine.
They are just the thing that pushes you over the threshold on a particular day.
And triggers can change.
They can change from day to day.
They can change from hour to hour.
They can change as you grow older.
The problem is that if you try to eliminate every possible trigger...
Your life can become overly restrictive.
You stop going out.
You stop eating certain foods.
You stop eating at certain times.
You stop travelling.
You stop exercising.
You stop doing things you enjoy.
Some people even quit their jobs.
And eventually, the lifestyle restriction becomes more disabling than the migraine itself.
** Myth #4. “Just fix your lifestyle.” — (8/10) **
This is closely related to the trigger myth...
“Go to bed on time.”
“Drink more water.”
“Eat healthy.”
“Stop using screens.”
“Don't travel.”
“Don't stay up late.”
“Don't sleep in.”
And yes, your lifestyle can influence migraine.
But even if you do everything 100 out of 100, you can still get migraines.
Because migraine is a neurological genetic disorder.
In other words, your lifestyle is not the cause of your migraine.
And when we tell patients that their migraine is happening because they slept late one night...
Or because they travelled...
We can end up blaming the victim.
So, the patient starts thinking...
“It's my fault.”
“I caused this.”
“I'm not disciplined enough.”
“My lifestyle is the problem.”
And that can have a devastating effect on their mental health.
** Myth #5. “Bachon ko sar dard nahi hota.” — (8/10) **
I hear this all the time...
And it is simply not true.
Migraine can begin at a very young age.
I've had patients as young as five years old with migraine.
And often, their symptoms are dismissed by their parents because...
“Bachon ko sar dard nahi hota.”
Even though, one of the parents is actually experiencing migraines themselves.
Sadly, because the child has been told from a young age that children don't get headaches...
They learn to dismiss their own symptoms.
They grow up thinking something is wrong with them.
They delay seeking help.
Their quality of life suffers.
And the cycle continues for years.
Children can get headaches.
Children can get migraine.
And when they do, they deserve to be taken seriously.
** Myth #6. “Just try this migraine hack.” — (6/10) **
Mint water.
A particular tea.
A certain food.
A hundred-rup*e hack you heard from someone at the gym.
A hundred-rup*e hack you saw online.
But please know that there is no universal migraine hack.
Migraine is not something you can treat with a random trick.
So, when these hacks don't work patients become even more hopeless.
They start thinking...
“Nothing works for me.”
“I'm just going to have to live with this.”
Migraine treatment needs to be migraine-specific.
And it can vary from person to person.
** Myth #7. “Migraine treatment is just medicines.” — (8/10) **
This is another major myth.
Medicines are one part of migraine treatment.
But, they are NOT the entire treatment.
In fact, some patients may not need medication at all.
The frequency of your attacks matters.
The severity matters.
The type of migraine matters.
The impact on your life matters.
** Myth #8. “I will never get better.” — (8/10) **
This is one of the saddest myths.
And unfortunately, many patients start believing it.
They have been dismissed for years.
They've been told it's just a headache.
They've been given painkillers.
They've tried getting help repeatedly.
Eventually, they become exhausted.
They stop seeking help.
They accept that they are going to spend 10, 12 or 15 days every month incapacitated by migraine.
And they start thinking...
“This is just my life now.”
But it doesn't have to be.
There are treatment options.
There are preventive strategies.
There are different approaches to migraine management.
And if one treatment doesn't work, that does not necessarily mean that nothing will work.
You are not destined to spend the rest of your life disabled by migraine.
** Myth #9. “There is one magical cure for migraine.” — (10/10) **
Okay, this one isn't exactly a myth people say out loud.
But I see it all the time.
People are constantly searching for the next cure.
The next supplement.
The next injection.
The next hack.
The next doctor.
The next treatment.
The next thing that will make migraine disappear forever.
And I understand why.
When you've been suffering for years, you want a cure.
But in most cases, the answer is not one magical treatment.
Migraine management is often about understanding the condition...
Identifying the right treatment strategy...
And finding the approach that works for you.
The goal is NOT to find one magical thing that makes migraine disappear forever.
Instead, the goal is to reduce the frequency, severity, and disability.
So, you can live your life.
And honestly, that is often much more realistic and much more achievable.
P.S. Which one of these myths have you heard the most?
Dr Azrung Fayaz
Neurologist