---
title: "Migraine: symptoms, causes & treatment | Sanara Health"
description: "Migraine is more than a headache — it often includes nausea, light sensitivity and throbbing pain on one side."
url: "https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/conditions/migraine/"
source: "Sanara Health"
licence: "Quote with attribution and a link to the url above."
---
# Migraine: symptoms, causes & treatment

Migraine is more than a headache — it often includes nausea, light sensitivity and throbbing pain on one side. Effective prescription treatment exists for suitable adults.

Editorial information by **Kaiser Khan**. Not clinically reviewed.

Coming to NHS pharmacies in England

## Pharmacy First is adding this condition

NHS England announced on 10 September 2026 that Pharmacy First will add low-frequency, episodic migraine for adults aged 18 to 64 this autumn, at pharmacies with a pharmacist prescriber. It is not live everywhere yet — ask your local pharmacy, or use your GP or NHS 111 in the meantime.

[How Pharmacy First works →](https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/guides/pharmacy-first-uk/)[NHS or online? Decision tool →](https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/tools/nhs-or-online/)

Source: [NHS England: five new Pharmacy First pathways](https://www.england.nhs.uk/2026/09/patients-to-get-quicker-treatment-for-migraines-acne-and-3-other-everyday-conditions-at-pharmacies/), checked 24 September 2026. Sanara earns nothing when you use the NHS.

## Symptoms

- Throbbing headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Light and sound sensitivity
- Visual aura in some people

## Why it happens

Complex neurological condition triggered by hormones, sleep, stress, certain foods and weather. Not simply tension or dehydration.

## Treatment

Prescription triptan tablets taken at migraine onset relieve most attacks within 1–2 hours when used correctly.

## Self-care that helps

Identify triggers in a diary; regular sleep and meals; hydrate; treat early at the aura or headache onset.

## When to get help

Sudden worst-ever headache, weakness, speech difficulty, or headache with fever and stiff neck — seek urgent care.

[See our migraine support →](https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/medicines/acid-reflux/)

Go deeper

## Related guides

[Migraine treatment online UK: triptans and when to use them — Prescription migraine tablets in the UK — how triptans work, safety limits and when headache needs urgent assessment.](https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/guides/migraine-treatment-online-uk/)

Available without prescription

## Products that can help

[Everyday health — Vitamin D3: 1000 IU explained](https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/supplements/vitamin-d3-1000iu/)

[Everyday health — Omega-3 fish oil](https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/supplements/omega-3-fish-oil/)

[Everyday health — Daily multivitamins](https://www.sanarahealth.co.uk/supplements/daily-multivitamin/)