What Is Chronic Migraine?
Chronic Migraine means living with 15 or more headache and migraine days a month each lasting 4 hours or more.




Migraine or Chronic Migraine?
Knowing the difference between migraine and Chronic Migraine can make all the difference when it comes to treatment. If half your month is spent with headaches and migraine attacks, you may have Chronic Migraine.
Over the years, headaches and migraines get more frequent and more severe until it reaches the point where that person has Chronic Migraine.
– Dr. Ailani
Mary from Ohio:
What’s the difference between migraine and Chronic Migraine?
Dr. Ailani
That’s a great question, because I think there’s some confusion out there about what Chronic Migraine really is. There are many people who get migraine often but don’t have Chronic Migraine.
Doctors define Chronic Migraine using a simple rule. If you're living with 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more, with at least 8 of those headache days associated with migraine, it is Chronic Migraine.
Most people who are eventually diagnosed with Chronic Migraine start off having only a few headaches and migraines per month. Over the years, headaches and migraines get more frequent and more severe until it reaches the point where that person has Chronic Migraine.
People with Chronic Migraine struggle with frequent and severe headaches. That’s why it’s so important to tell your doctor about all of your symptoms that are new or are not getting better, how headaches and migraines impact your daily life, and to consider using a preventive treatment. These types of treatments prevent headaches and migraines before they even start, which is an important part of trying to manage Chronic Migraine.
Please see Important Safety Information including Boxed Warning at the end of this video or on the website below.
What makes preventive treatment different from acute?
Preventive treatments are taken on a schedule.
Preventive treatments like BOTOX®…prevent headache days before they even start.
– Dr. Ailani
Rebecca from Tennessee:
What’s the difference between an acute and a preventive treatment for Chronic Migraine?
Dr. Ailani
Treatments for Chronic Migraine tend to fall into one of these 2 categories. Acute treatments are taken to reduce pain once a headache or migraine has already started. You can buy some acute treatments over the counter. Others you can only get with a doctor’s prescription.
Preventive treatments like BOTOX® are different. They are prescription medications taken on a schedule to prevent headache days before they even start. BOTOX® was the first FDA-approved preventive treatment for Chronic Migraine. If you have questions about whether you should be taking a preventive treatment, talk to your doctor.
Please see Important Safety Information including Boxed Warning at the end of this video or on the website below.
What are the common symptoms of Chronic Migraine?

1
Moderate to severe headaches or head pain
2
Head pain that causes throbbing, pounding, or pulsating sensations
3
Nausea and/or vomiting
4
Sensitivity to light, noise, and/or smells
5
Attacks that last from 4 hours to several days
Do it for one month

If you are experiencing this 15 times or more a month with each headache lasting 4 or more hours, you may have Chronic Migraine.

Is half your month
spent with headaches
and migraine attacks?

If you have 15 or more headache days per month, you may have Chronic Migraine. BOTOX® prevents headaches and migraine attacks before they even start.*
*BOTOX® prevents, on average, 8 to 9 headache days and migraine/probable migraine days a month (vs 6 to 7 for placebo).
Where’s my nearest Chronic Migraine specialist?
Finding one who’s right for you could be an important step in managing your treatment.
Please note: While we update our directory regularly, this list may not have current provider information. This is a list of physicians compiled by Allergan, an AbbVie company, known to have experience with BOTOX® in the past 5 years. The results shown may not be inclusive of all physicians who may have experience with BOTOX® or therapies like BOTOX® in your area. Please see the Terms and Conditions for additional details.
If you are a healthcare provider whose practice is currently being shown on Find a BOTOX® Specialist and you would like to opt out or update your profile information, please contact AcademyHelp@Allergan.com.
If you are a healthcare provider whose practice is not currently being shown on Find a BOTOX® Specialist and you would like to be included in appropriate search results, please contact AcademyHelp@Allergan.com for more information.

Ask your doctor
if they have BOTOX®
samples available*
*Only your physician can determine if BOTOX® is appropriate
for you. Sample availability may vary by provider or location.

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