Overview

• About 10–15% of people in Germany experience migraines, with women affected roughly three times as often as men, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
• In 2024, Rhineland-Palatinate saw a record number of migraine drug prescriptions, and more than 1.7% of employed insured received at least one prescription, with employed women prescribed about five times more often than employed men, Techniker Krankenkasse reports.
• Acute care guidance stresses resting in a dark, quiet room, cooling the head, and using appropriate painkillers only after medical confirmation of migraine, with clear warnings against medication overuse.
• Prevention focuses on regular sleep and meals, adequate hydration, stress management, exercise, and magnesium where appropriate, and research into diets such as ketogenic or DASH shows suggestive benefits without supporting a one-size-fits-all ‘migraine diet’.
• Experts note that symptoms often shift during perimenopause, with about half of affected women reporting worsening, and they weigh options including carefully considered hormone therapy alongside relaxation methods, endurance exercise, and newer targeted treatments via primary care referral.