What chronic migraine means
The recognised chronic migraine pattern involves headache on at least 15 days per month for more than three months, with migraine features on at least eight days per month. A clinician still needs to interpret the pattern and exclude another explanation where appropriate.
Why counting both headache days and migraine days matters
A chronic migraine month does not necessarily contain 15 severe classic migraine attacks. Some days can feel milder, more pressure-like or partly treated. That is why a diary should capture every headache day as well as the days that clearly have migraine features.
Why frequency changes daily life
When migraine becomes very frequent, recovery time can overlap with the next attack. Sleep, exercise, work, parenting, concentration, mood and confidence can all be affected even on days when pain is not at its worst.
What clinicians usually review
The review commonly includes current acute treatment use, preventive treatment history, disability, associated symptoms, sleep, other pain or neurological conditions, mental health, hormonal factors and whether medication overuse may be adding to the headache burden.
Prevention becomes a bigger part of the conversation
The aim is not only to stop individual attacks. A preventive plan may try to reduce headache frequency, migraine days, severity and functional impact over time. Finding the right preventive approach can require repeated review rather than one quick medication trial.
Medication overuse can coexist
Frequent acute medicine use can become part of a cycle of frequent headache in some people. Do not abruptly change prescribed treatment because of an online threshold; review the medicine type and frequency with a GP, neurologist or pharmacist.
What to take to the appointment
Bring a 30- or 90-day record of headache days, migraine-like days, acute medicine days, disability and treatments already tried. This often gives a clearer starting point than trying to reconstruct three months from memory during the consultation.
Go to the original sources.
Clea checks source material, but PBS listings, medicine information and treatment access can change. Confirm current details with the TGA, PBS, your pharmacist or treating clinician.
How Clea sources and reviews migraine information →