Free Migraine Tools
Free tool
Visit summary builder
A one-page summary for your next appointment, built around what headache specialists ask. You can talk your answers in.
Free tool
MIDAS calculator
How many days migraine has cost you over 3 months, and your disability grade.
Free tool
HIT-6 calculator
How much headaches get in the way of daily life, from 6 quick questions.
Free tool
Do I have migraine?
The 3-question ID Migraine screener that many doctors use.
Free tool
Chronic migraine calculator
Episodic or chronic, and whether guidelines say prevention is due.
Free tool
Medication overuse checker
Your medicine days against the ICHD-3 limits for rebound headache.
Free tool
Is my preventive working?
Your percent drop in migraine days, and whether it has had a fair trial.
Free tool
Caffeine calculator
Your daily caffeine total and where it lands for migraine.
Understanding Migraine Science
Migraine Pathophysiology
What's actually happening in your brain during a migraine attack? Understand the science behind your symptoms and why modern treatments work the way they do.
Migraine Phases and Timeline Infographic
Visual guide to the four phases of a migraine attack, from the earliest warning signs through recovery. Perfect for understanding your attack patterns and timing treatments.
New Study Maps Migraine Symptoms Across Attack Phases
A detailed look at what symptoms happen before, during, and after your migraine attack, helping you better understand your own patterns.
Anatomical and Functional Consequences of Chronic Migraine
Learn how migraine changes your brain over time and what this means for your treatment approach.
Blood Flow Changes Between Migraine Attacks
Why your brain works differently even when you don't have a headache. New research explains what happens between attacks.
Brain Connectivity Changes During Migraine Cycle
See how different parts of your brain communicate throughout your migraine cycle, from attack-free days to full attacks.
Aura Characteristics in Migraine Disease
Everything you need to know about migraine aura: the visual and sensory symptoms that can come before or during attacks.
Understanding Migraine Prodrome
The warning phase before the pain. Learn the 36 prodrome symptoms that can show up 1 to 6 hours ahead and how spotting them early changes when you treat.
Neuroimaging: Migraine With vs Without Aura
What brain scans reveal about how migraine with aura differs from migraine without it, and why that difference matters for understanding your attacks.
Migraine Subtypes
Retinal Migraine
Vision loss in one eye, briefly tied to migraine. How to tell it apart from a stroke, the workup, and why some migraine drugs are avoided.
Hemiplegic Migraine and MUMS
A rare but serious form of migraine that can cause temporary paralysis. Learn about MUMS (migraine with unilateral motor symptoms) and the genetic factors behind this condition.
Vestibular Migraine
Dizziness, vertigo, and balance problems with your migraine attacks? You might have vestibular migraine, one of the most common but underdiagnosed migraine types.
Migraine with Brainstem Aura
Experiencing confusion, speech problems, or coordination issues with your migraine aura? Learn about this rare subtype that affects the brainstem and its unique symptoms.
Status Migrainosus
When a migraine attack lasts longer than 72 hours or keeps coming back without relief. Learn about this serious condition, when to seek emergency care, and treatment options.
Dizziness and Migraine: Is It Vestibular Migraine?
Dizziness or vertigo with your attacks? How to tell vestibular migraine apart from BPPV, Meniere's, and vascular causes, plus what actually helps.
Abdominal Migraine in Children and Adults
Recurring bouts of severe stomach pain, nausea, and pallor without much of a headache. How it's diagnosed, how it differs from typical migraine, and how it's treated.
Vestibular Rehabilitation for Vestibular Migraine
Seven studies and 272 adults show a pooled 24 point drop in dizziness handicap after vestibular rehab, above the clinical threshold. Balance confidence moved less, and the studies disagree a great deal.
Medication Overuse/Adaptation Headache
Medication Overuse/Adaptation Headache
Worried your pain meds are making your headaches worse? Learn the signs, causes, and treatment options, including new research showing you may not need to stop everything cold turkey.
Endocannabinoid System Genetics Breakthrough in Medication Overuse Headache
Groundbreaking genetic research reveals how your endocannabinoid system influences medication overuse headache risk. Could this lead to personalized treatment approaches?
Acute Treatments
Acute Migraine Management
What to take when a migraine attack hits. Learn the best medications, proper dosing, timing strategies, and when to head to the ER for fast, effective relief.
Over-the-Counter Painkillers vs Gepants and Lasmiditan
A 25-trial analysis ranked acetaminophen, aspirin and caffeine and ibuprofen highest for two-hour pain relief. Every comparison was indirect, and most of the authors work for the company that sells both.
Cannabis for Migraine: What Randomized Trials Show
A systematic review graded every randomized trial of cannabinoids for migraine and headache. Vaporized THC plus CBD beat placebo for acute attacks with moderate certainty, while CBD alone did not.
Cannabinoids and Migraine
What the research shows about cannabis-based treatments for migraine. Learn about different cannabinoids, potential benefits, and what to discuss with your doctor.
Simple Analgesics and Combination Oral Products for Migraine Treatment
Over-the-counter and prescription simple analgesics and combination medications for migraine relief. Learn which simple analgesics work best and when combination products might be the right choice.
Complete Guide to Triptans
Everything about the "gold standard" migraine meds: which triptan might work best for you, proper dosing, and what to expect from each one.
Gepants
The newest class of migraine medications that work differently than triptans. Great options if triptans don't work or you can't take them.
Gepants: Atogepant and Rimegepant Evidence
A review of 16 randomized trials puts the numbers for the two most-used oral CGRP drugs side by side, for both stopping attacks and preventing them.
Ditans
Learn about lasmiditan (Reyvow), a triptan alternative that's safe for people with heart conditions but may make you drowsy.
Dihydroergotamine (DHE) for Migraine Treatment
An older migraine medication that's getting new life with convenient nasal sprays and autoinjectors. When DHE might be right for you.
Timolol Eye Drops: A Novel Approach to Acute Migraine Treatment
Eye drops for migraine attacks? This beta-blocker eye drop shows promise as an unexpected acute treatment option. Learn about this off-label approach and what the research shows.
New Emergency Department Treatment Guidelines (2025)
The American Headache Society's 2025 update for treating migraine in the ER, built on 26 new trials. What the evidence now recommends when an attack sends you to the emergency room.
Choosing the best administration route
Preventive Treatments
Pharmaceutical Options for Migraine Prevention
Learn about preventive treatments that can reduce the frequency, intensity, and severity of your migraine attacks. These method of treatment is vital to inhibit the progression of migraine disorder.
Migraine Pharmaceutical Treatment Pearls
Insider tips from headache specialists on getting the most from your migraine medications, both for stopping attacks and preventing them.
Evidence-Based Guidelines for the Pharmacological Treatment of Migraine
What the leading experts recommend for migraine treatment based on the latest clinical research and evidence.
Which Migraine Preventives Work Best? (2026 Evidence)
A 199-trial network meta-analysis ranks preventive medications by both effectiveness and tolerability. See how beta-blockers, CGRP therapies, calcium channel blockers, and anticonvulsants compare.
Preventive Migraine Medications with a Higher Likelihood of Being Safely Combined
When one prevention medication isn't enough: which combinations are safe and effective for hard-to-treat migraine.
Candesartan for Migraine Prevention
A low-cost blood pressure pill that can also prevent attacks. What the 2026 evidence says about how it works, dosing, safety, and who's a good fit.
New AAN and AHS Prevention Guideline
The 2026 joint practice guideline: when to start a preventive, four separate drug lists depending on whether efficacy, tolerability, safety or cost matters most, and how long to give it.
Botox for Chronic Migraine: Real-World Results
479 patients across 12 headache centers averaged 5.9 fewer headache days a month, and 41.6% of those with medication overuse no longer met criteria for it. The response-prediction model failed.
Acupuncture for Migraine Without Aura
A meta-analysis of only sham-controlled trials found a modest drop in attack frequency and pain. Here is why the certainty is still low.
CGRP Therapies
CGRP and Migraine
What CGRP is, how it triggers a migraine attack, and how anti-CGRP antibodies and gepants block it, with the research figures explained.
How Long Do People Stay on Anti-CGRP Drugs?
A meta-analysis of 53 real-world studies found about three in four people still on anti-CGRP therapy at one year. Most stops happen in the first six months, and lack of efficacy, not side effects, is the main reason.
CGRP Therapy Medications List Infographic
Quick visual guide to all the CGRP medications: injections, pills, and nasal sprays. See dosing, costs, and which might work for you.
How to Manage CGRP Injection Site Reactions
Getting red, itchy bumps from your CGRP injections? Here are proven techniques to reduce reactions and keep your treatment working.
New Safety Insights from CGRP Antibody Study
What we've learned about CGRP medication safety from tracking thousands of patients: the good news and what to watch for.
Clinical Predictors for Efficacy of Erenumab (Aimovig) for Migraine
Who responds best to Aimovig? Learn the patient characteristics that predict success with this CGRP medication.
Effectiveness and Tolerability of Atogepant (Qulipta) in the Prevention of Migraine
Real-world results from the daily pill CGRP medication Qulipta: how well it works and what side effects people actually experience.
Atogepant for Migraine Prevention: What the Data Shows
A meta-analysis of 6 trials and 3,453 people shows how much atogepant (Qulipta) cuts migraine days, which dose works best, and what side effects to expect.
Atogepant and Weight
A one-year study of nearly 600 people on atogepant found average weight went down, not up. A reassuring signal for anyone worried about preventive weight gain.
Rimegepant for Migraine Prevention: Real-World Evidence
The same tablet that stops an attack can also prevent them. What real-world data says about response rates, every-other-day dosing, and why starting earlier helps.
Fremanezumab (Ajovy): What Real-World Use Shows
Clinic data pooled from real patients shows fremanezumab cut migraine days by nearly 6 a month, with about half getting a 50% or bigger drop.
One Treatment, Two Conditions: Study Reveals Ajovy's Impact on Migraine and Depression
Can one medication help both your migraine and depression? New clinical trial results on treating both conditions together.
Groundbreaking Study: Anti-CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies Disease-Modifying!?
Could CGRP medications actually change the course of your migraine disease long-term? New research suggests they might.
Triptans Enhance Anti-CGRP Treatment Response
New research shows that continuing to use triptans alongside CGRP medications may actually improve your prevention results rather than interfering with them.
Anti-CGRP Super-Responders: When to Expect Results
Some people see 70% improvement or even full freedom from attacks, but the biggest gains often arrive after 6 months. Why patience with CGRP therapy pays off.
Eptinezumab (Vyepti) Desensitization Protocol
Had a hypersensitivity reaction to Vyepti? A step-by-step, hospital-based protocol shown to let patients keep using it safely.
CGRP Monoclonal Antibody Safety
CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies (mAb) Adverse Events Chart
Real-world safety data on CGRP monoclonal antibody medications. What side effects people actually experience with Aimovig, Ajovy, Emgality, and Vyepti in everyday use.
Hair Loss and CGRP Migraine Drugs
A 2026 review of every published report finds a consistent class-wide signal of mild, diffuse, usually reversible shedding starting 2 weeks to 3 months in. True incidence is still unknown, with about 1% in two small registries.
Long-Term Safety of Anti-CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies
A meta-analysis of 4,300 patients finds CGRP antibodies stay well tolerated past a year, with only 3% stopping for side effects and no new safety signals.
CGRP Migraine Drugs and Blood Pressure
A meta-analysis of 19 trials looks at whether erenumab and the other CGRP preventives raise blood pressure, and what monitoring actually makes sense.
Neuromodulation
All Non-Invasive Neuromodulation Devices for Migraine Treatment
Drug-free migraine relief using FDA-cleared devices. Compare Cefaly, gammaCore, Nerivio and others: how they work, costs, and effectiveness.
Complete Guide to Neuromodulation Devices for Migraine Treatment
One comparison table of the FDA-cleared devices: how each one works, the protocol, the evidence and the side effects.
Neuromodulation for Migraine: Do the Devices Work?
A network meta-analysis of 28 trials ranks the drug-free devices for prevention: which have the strongest evidence and who they help most.
FDA Authorizes First Digital Therapeutic for Migraine
A smartphone app that's actually FDA-approved for migraine prevention. Learn how this digital therapy works and who can use it.
My 6 Favorite HeadaTerm 2 Features
An affordable migraine device that works like the expensive ones. Real user review of this budget-friendly option.
Biofeedback Types for Migraine Treatment
Learn to control your body's stress response to prevent migraine. Different types of biofeedback and how to get started.
Nutraceutical and Herbal Treatment Options
Migraine Nutraceuticals and Herbal Options
Evidence-based natural supplements and herbal treatments for migraine treatment. Learn which nutraceuticals have solid research behind them and how to use them safely.
Does Ginger Actually Help Migraine?
A new BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine review pooled eight randomized trials and graded every outcome as low or very low certainty. What that means for anyone trying ginger.
Special Populations & Comorbidities
Comorbidities
Chronic Pain Conditions Associated with Migraine
Do you have fibromyalgia, joint pain, or other chronic pain along with migraine? Learn why these conditions often occur together.
The Hidden Link Between Acne and Migraine
Surprising new research shows adults with acne have much higher migraine risk. Here's what the connection means for you.
Understanding the Link Between Endometriosis and Migraine
Women with endometriosis are more likely to have migraine. Learn about this important connection and treatment considerations.
Migraine and Hypothyroidism
Thyroid problems and migraine often go hand in hand. Learn about this important connection and how treating thyroid issues might help your headaches.
Subclinical Hypothyroidism and Migraine
Your thyroid levels might be "normal" but still affecting your migraine. Learn about this hidden connection and potential treatment.
Migraine and Depression
The two-way relationship between migraine and depression. Understanding how these conditions influence each other and treatment approaches that help both.
Why Migraine and Jaw Pain Go Together
A 2025 review of 10,000 patients confirms a strong two-way link between migraine and jaw (TMD) problems. Treating both together leads to better results.
Pregnancy & Reproductive Health
CGRP Migraine Drugs and Women's Health
A 2026 Headache review of 16 studies on CGRP drugs during periods, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and birth control, including where the evidence is still missing.
Migraine and Headaches During Pregnancy & Postpartum
Pregnant or planning? What medications are safe, how pregnancy affects your migraine, and when to worry about headaches during pregnancy.
Migraine and Pregnancy: Understanding the Risks
What the research shows about migraine and pregnancy complications. Important info to discuss with your doctor when planning pregnancy.
Is Botox Safe During Pregnancy for Migraine Patients?
Should you continue Botox during pregnancy? What the research shows about safety and what happens if you stop treatment.
Migraine Management: Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Planning
Evidence-based guidance for the whole reproductive journey, from trying to conceive through breastfeeding, including what's safe at each stage.
Migraine Treatment in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding (2026 Update)
What the latest evidence says is safe while pregnant or nursing, from triptans and NSAIDs to CGRP drugs, nerve blocks, and Botox, plus what to avoid.
Menopause & Hormonal Health
Menstrual Migraine
Attacks driven by the premenstrual estrogen drop. The menstrual window, mini-prophylaxis with long-acting triptans, and the oral-versus-transdermal estrogen distinction.
Migraine, Menopause, and Hormonal Health
Nearly half of women keep having attacks after menopause. What the research says about hormones, perimenopause, HRT, and what actually helps.
Demographics
Pediatric Migraine
How migraine looks in kids and teens, evidence-based acute dosing, and why the CHAMP trial reshaped prevention.
Understanding Migraine in the Elderly
How migraine changes as you age and what treatment considerations are important for older adults. Special safety concerns to know about.
Migraine: Men Vs Women
Why women get migraine 3x more than men, how symptoms differ between sexes, and why some treatments work better for one gender.
Migraine Through a Woman's Life
How migraine changes throughout a woman's life, from puberty through menopause. Understanding hormonal influences and life stage considerations.
Cardiovascular Connection
Migraine and Cardiovascular Disease: The Hidden Connection
Discover the surprising links between migraine and heart health that most people don't know about. Essential reading for understanding your cardiovascular risk.
Understanding The Migraine-Cardiovascular Connection
Why people with migraine (especially with aura) have higher risks of heart problems and stroke. What you need to know to protect yourself.
Migraine and Increased Cardiovascular Disease Risk
The numbers you need to know about migraine and heart disease risk. Why young women with migraine should pay special attention.
Primary Stroke Prevention in the Migraine Patient
Practical steps to reduce stroke risk if you have migraine. Evidence-based prevention strategies from heart disease experts.
New Study: Do Migraine Treatments Reduce Stroke Risk?
Could your migraine medication also protect you from stroke? Interesting new findings about propranolol and cardiovascular protection.
How Migraine and Heart Holes Double Stroke Risk in Young Adults
What happens when you have both migraine with aura and a PFO (heart hole). Should you consider getting it closed?
Blood Thinners for Migraine With a PFO
A 1,000-person BMJ trial tested aspirin, clopidogrel, and rivaroxaban against a standard preventive in people with migraine and a PFO. Rivaroxaban came out ahead, with real caveats.
Migraine and Stroke Risk After Menopause
A 130,000-woman study followed for two decades finds a migraine history is tied to higher ischemic stroke risk after menopause, and the risk does not fade with age. What it means and what to do.
Current Research & Updates
Semaglutide and Migraine: What a 189,000-Person Study Found
A nationwide Danish study found that people who started semaglutide for weight loss gradually filled fewer triptan prescriptions, about 7% fewer at one year. Here is what this hints about GLP-1 drugs and migraine.
Placebo Response in Migraine Trials
A 126-trial analysis found about 1 in 9 people are pain-free at 2 hours on placebo alone, and that number keeps rising. What it means for how we read drug results.
Can a Blood Test Measure Your Migraine?
A large Neurology study found resting blood CGRP was actually lower in people with migraine, not higher, and did not track with attacks or treatment. Here is why that questions the idea of a CGRP blood test, without changing how the drugs work.
Does the Side of Your Migraine Actually Matter?
If you've heard that the side of your attacks predicts brain damage, anxiety, or PTSD, the evidence doesn't back it up. Here's what the research really shows.
Chronic Pain and Brain Gene Expression
How chronic pain changes the way your brain's genes work. New research reveals the molecular mechanisms behind persistent pain and what this means for future treatments.
Migraine and White Matter Hyperintensities
Do migraine attacks damage your brain? Recent large-scale studies from 2023-2025 show NO association between migraine and white matter hyperintensities, contradicting older research.
How COVID-19 Changes Migraine Patterns
Did COVID make your migraine worse? You're not alone. Research shows how the virus affects migraine patterns and treatment responses.
Novel Treatments and Approaches in Migraine Research (as of February 2025)
What's coming next in migraine treatment? New therapies and approaches currently in development.
Global Migraine Trends Analysis
The big picture of migraine worldwide: how common it really is, who's most affected, and how the numbers have changed over 30 years.
A Breakthrough on the Horizon: PACAP-Targeting Antibodies Offer New Promise for Migraine Prevention
The next generation of migraine medications beyond CGRP. Early trial results for a completely new type of migraine prevention.
Lifestyle & Risk Factors
Sleep Duration and Migraine: A 6,267-Person Study
Both short and long sleep were tied to more headache days and higher disability, with 10 or more hours showing the largest link. Stress explained part of the pattern.
Sleep and Migraine
The two-way street between sleep and migraine, the weekend lie-in trap, CBT-I, and the melatonin evidence.
Weather Conditions & Migraine Attacks: Is there a relationship?
Does weather really trigger your migraine attacks? What the science shows about barometric pressure, temperature changes, and weather-related attacks.
The Migraine Trigger Myth: Why We're Often Wrong About What Causes Our Headaches
Think you know what triggers your migraine? Research suggests we might be wrong about our triggers more often than we think.
Alternate Nostril Breathing Protocol
A simple breathing practice that builds nervous system resilience over time. Studies show three months of daily practice can lower attack frequency and disability. Includes the step-by-step method.
Wildfire Smoke and Migraine
A study of nearly one million emergency visits links wildfire smoke to a roughly 6 percent rise in migraine and headache ER visits, with the largest effect in the most deprived neighborhoods.
Screen Time and Migraine
A review of 22 studies and 14,763 people links higher screen exposure to about 60 percent greater odds of migraine or headache, on low certainty evidence that cannot yet tell which way the cause runs.
Migraine and Blood Sugar: Low-Glycemic Diet Trial
A large randomized trial found personalized low-glycemic eating lowered monthly migraine days. How to steady your blood sugar safely.
Classifications
Resistant migraine (ResM) Vs Refractory migraine (RefM) Vs Non-resistant/non-refractory migraine (NRNRM)
What's the difference between these hard-to-treat migraine terms? Understanding these medical terms and what they mean for your treatment options.
Migraine, Cluster, Tension-Type, and Hypnic Headaches: A Complete Timeline Guide
When do different types of headaches typically occur? Timing patterns that help distinguish between headache types for better diagnosis.
Is Migraine a Spectrum, Not Two Separate Conditions?
A study of more than 36,000 adults across 14 countries found migraine burden rises smoothly with attack frequency, with no jump at the chronic threshold. A fresh look at where we draw the episodic versus chronic line.
Resources
Find a Headache Specialist
Search our directory of headache specialists near you, with a map and contact details for each one.
Today in Migraine Science
New migraine studies explained in plain language every day, each with the finding, who was studied and a link to the paper.
Migraine Science Archive
Every study we have covered this year, day by day, so you can catch up on anything you missed.
Unraveling Migraine (3rd Edition)
Our 783-page book on migraine as a neurological disease. Clear enough for patients, deep enough for clinicians.
Unraveling Migraine: Read Chapter 9, Cutaneous Allodynia
Read a full chapter of the third edition free, right here on the site. Why touch hurts during an attack and what it means for treatment.
The Migraine Record
A tracker built for your neurologist, your insurance and your work or school paperwork. 90-day and 6-month editions.
Top Migraine Tracking Apps
The best smartphone apps for tracking your migraine, identifying patterns, and sharing data with your doctor. Compare features and find your match.
