Migraine and Work

What does chronic pain really mean, and why can it feel harder to manage in midlife?

In this episode of Heads Up, host Dr Katy Munro, headache specialist at the National Migraine Centre, is joined by Dr Rebecca Walker, a GP with an extended role in headache medicine and menopause care. Together they unpack menstrual migraine and the powerful role of hormones. They explain how migraine often changes at puberty, during pregnancy and through the menopause transition, and why women are three times more likely than men to experience it. Practical takeaways include how to track headaches alongside your cycle, which contraceptive options are safe with and without aura, and when combined pills, progestogen-only methods or coils may help stabilise hormones. They also review treatment options from anti-inflammatories, triptans and newer gepants to anti-sickness tablets, lifestyle measures, supplements and non-drug neuromodulation devices. Additional Links: Dr David Kernick and Exeter Headache Care: https://exeterheadachecare.co.uk/ Dr Aziza Sesay and S6 E4: https://www.nationalmigrainecentre.org.uk/understanding-migraine/heads-up-podcast/ Nerivio: https://www.nerivio.co.uk/ Cefaly: https://www.cefaly.com/ Dr Salwa Kamourieh and S2 E10: https://www.nationalmigrainecentre.org.uk/understanding-migraine/heads-up-podcast/ MyHeadache app: Apple AppStore: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/myheadache/id6746536132 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avegenhealth.hm.dhp302.prod&hl=en_GB https://www.headacheaudit.org.uk/migraine-audit NICE: https://www.nice.org.uk/ S5 E4: http://headsup.libsyn.com/exploring-new-anti-cgrp-treatments-for-migraine

Getting the right support for migraine or headache can sometimes feel difficult. How can you prepare for an appointment, make sure your concerns are heard, and get the most out of the time you have with your healthcare professional? In this episode of Heads Up podcast, our host Dr Katy Munro is joined by Dr Lauren Wellburn and Dr Surangi Mendis, all three headache specialists at the National Migraine Centre, with extensive experience helping people living with migraine and other headache conditions. In this episode they share practical advice on preparing for appointments, keeping a simple headache diary, explaining your symptoms and treatment history, and being clear about what you want from your care. They also discuss what to do if a treatment isn't working, when it may be helpful to seek a second opinion, and why it's important to understand what happens next. The episode explores some of the barriers people can face when accessing headache care, including language, health literacy, race, gender, cultural attitudes and wider health inequalities.

In this inspiring episode of Heads Up podcast, our host Dr Katy Munro is joined by Amy Mowbray and Lily Earle, two women who transformed their lives after years of living with chronic migraine and debilitating symptoms. Together, they share their personal recovery journeys and discuss how brain training, pain reprocessing therapy, somatic tracking and self-compassion helped them break free from cycles of fear, sensitisation and disability. Amy and Lily explain how understanding the brain-body connection changed their relationship with pain, reduced anxiety around migraine attacks and helped them regain confidence, independence and joy. They also offer practical insights into techniques that listeners can explore for themselves. This conversation is filled with hope, compassion and evidence-informed discussion, reminding anyone living with chronic migraine that recovery is possible.

What does it take to kayak the entire British coastline solo while your partner manages chronic migraine from a motorhome on shore? In this first episode of series eight of Heads Up, Dr Katy Munro sits down with Nicola and Dominic Gribbin for an honest and inspiring conversation that covers far more than adventure. Nicola has lived with migraine since childhood, from episodic attacks during school exams at sixteen, to chronic daily migraine and the added challenge of vestibular migraine. She shares her decades long journey through medications, including the pitfalls of codeine and the life changing arrival of anti CGRP treatment Vyepti, alongside the things that have helped her most: hypnotherapy, coastal meditations, and the unexpected creative outlet of writing her debut fantasy novel. Silent Curse. Dominic is a TV cameraman and Nicola's husband of over two decades. He reflects on what it really means to be a partner to someone living with chronic pain, talking openly about flexibility, relationship dynamics and choosing to stay positive. Together they are preparing to take on a 2,300-mile kayak circumnavigation of mainland Britain, raising funds for the National Migraine Centre, Parkinson's UK and the Atrial Fibrillation Society.