Munro said headaches were a symptom of migraine attacks, but so too are “visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting, sometimes numbness and tingling, sometimes abdominal pain, sometimes dizziness”.
They are also a spectrum condition, she said, from episodic – meaning people have mild or rare attacks – to chronic where they have more than 15 days a month affected by migraine symptoms.
“If you have a migraine attack and you put up with it and then you have another one and put up with it, your brain actually gets more irritable,” she said.
That means the migraines become more regular and can become chronic if effective treatment is not applied.
The first barrier to treatment, Munro said, is that a lot of people believe they are “normal headaches”.
She said people should always get repetitive headaches checked out by a GP.
The next barrier is that GPs often just note down the headaches as a symptom rather than diagnose migraine.
The third barrier is the medication that was offered in the past, though this has improved in the last five years, she said.
“We need better education throughout the whole of society about how significant migraine is to people who suffer from it.”
The Welsh government said it recognised the effect migraines can have on people’s lives and that guidance was available to help NHS staff diagnose and manage conditions.
The UK government said National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) had “clear guidance on the diagnosis and management of migraines, and we expect healthcare professionals to follow it and deliver high-quality care to all patients”.
If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this story, information about available help and support can be found via BBC Action Line.
