Her Campus, Her Migraines: What You Need to Know

*Disclaimer: This article and its survey findings were made possible by Novartis Consumer Health, Inc., the makers of Excedrin® Migraine. Respondents of the survey were diagnosed migraine sufferers. See your doctor for diagnosis of migraines and migraine treatment options.

At Her Campus Wake Forest, we care about our collegiettes. Most of the time, we’re chatting relationships (Aphrodite’s Advice), diet and exercise (Haute and Healthy) and fashion (Fashion in the Forest) with our readers—bringing you candid tips, the best advice and the hottest cutting-edge styles.

For the most part, we keep things fun and entertaining, but we also care about our collegiettes on a much deeper level: in terms of health and wellbeing. So when we stumbled upon the Millennial Migraine Report, a recent survey commissioned by the markers of Excedrin® Migraine, we felt the need to share… ASAP.

In the report, 1,000 female migraine sufferers ages 18-64 were surveyed to better understand how migraines impact their lives.

Did you know:

·       85% of millennial migraine sufferers surveyed are looking for a better way to treat their migraines?

·       40% of millennial migraine sufferers surveyed say it impacts their family life?

·       21% of millennial migraine sufferers surveyed say it impacts their friendships?

·       71% of millennial migraine sufferers surveyed would give up their favorite pair of jeans to never suffer from a migraine again?

We sure didn’t. And there are even more illuminating statistics at Excedrin.com/stories.

While you may not personally suffer from migraines, statistics indicate that many of your friends, family members and fellow collegiettes do.

So how can we make things better for those suffering? It starts by having more open and honest conversations about migraines, to help migraine sufferers better manage their condition and to equip friends with the tools to help them cope, too. Luckily, Excedrin® Migraine offers tons of ways to engage in these conversations—whether on our smartphones OR face to face.

In the age of smartphones, there are exciting new tools for migraine sufferers, like the My Migraine Triggers™ app. The app, which lets you log when and where you get migraines and their potential triggers. It is easy to use and facilitates conversations between migraine suffers and their doctors. It’s free and available in the Apple App store and Google Play store.

With all of the tests, quizzes and extracurriculars facing a collegiette at Wake Forest (not to mention tailgates and dfuncs), life is crazy enough. Imagine having to manage suffering from migraines on top of it all?

To all the collegiette migraine sufferers—we want you to know that you are not alone.

And to all of the collegiettes who have friends suffering, remember how important it is to listen carefully and be there for one another. Remember that migraines are one of the top 20 most debilitating medical illnesses affecting millions of Americans (Migraine Research Foundation, Fact Sheet).

According to millennial migraine sufferers surveyed, there are the three things never to say to a migraine sufferer—“everybody gets headaches,” “it’s all in your head,” and “get rid of your stress.”

So with that in mind, remember: words do have the power to soothe or aggravate the situation.