What's the difference between chronic and episodic migraine?
The difference comes down to how many headache days you have each month. Episodic migraine means fewer than 15 headache days a month. Chronic migraine means 15 or more headache days a month for more than three months, with at least 8 of those days having migraine features. It's the same underlying condition described at two levels of frequency.
Where the line sits
The 15-days-a-month threshold, sustained for more than three months, is what separates chronic from episodic migraine in the recognised criteria. Below 15 headache days a month is episodic; at or above it (with at least 8 migrainous days) is chronic. The line matters because chronic migraine carries a heavier burden and is sometimes managed differently. It's worth stressing the 'more than three months' part — one intense month doesn't make migraine chronic, and improvement can move someone back toward episodic.
Why the distinction is useful
Classifying migraine as episodic or chronic helps set expectations and guide management, and it's linked to related issues like medication-overuse headache, since frequent attacks often mean frequent acute-medication use. Migraine can also transition between the two over time — episodic can become chronic, and effective management can reverse that. Knowing which side of the line you're on, and which way you're trending, is genuinely informative for you and your clinician.
How tracking helps
Both the threshold and the direction of travel depend on an accurate monthly headache-day count — precisely the thing memory gets wrong, usually by under-counting milder days. A dated diary gives the real number and the trend across months, which is what the definitions require. Temple keeps that count; it records your pattern and doesn't assign you a diagnosis. Temple is a tracking tool, not medical advice — for anything specific to you, consult a healthcare professional.
Temple keeps an accurate monthly headache-day count and its trend, so you can see which side of the chronic line you're on and which way you're heading.
Common questions
- What separates chronic from episodic migraine?
- The number of headache days a month: fewer than 15 is episodic, while 15 or more for over three months (at least 8 with migraine features) is chronic. It's the same condition at different frequencies, and people can move between the two over time.
- Can episodic migraine become chronic?
- Yes, migraine can transition from episodic to chronic, and effective management can move it back. Because the shift depends on your monthly headache-day count, an accurate dated record is the best way to see which way things are trending.