Is migraine forever?

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Many families of children and teens with migraine worry about what their futures will look like, they ask: will my child always get migraines?

 

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The answer is about 50/50. If a school-aged child is diagnosed with migraine there is about ¾ chance that they will still get migraines when they are 25 years old. With time, risk of continued migraines further decreases, with only 50% of childhood migraine sufferers continuing to have migraines at age 50. 1

 

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If you child continues to have migraines into adulthood there is good news. As an adult, even if a person continues to get migraines, studies have shown that over time migraines happen less often and when they do happen, are less painful and shorter in duration. 2 This is true for a majority of people but not everyone. To help predict migraines and determine useful treatments, we suggest tracking migraines with a migraine diary or with an app to help learn about triggers so that they can be avoided as well as developing useful strategies to cope with migraines. Another option is to try preventative therapies to help reduce the number of migraines every month. Although migraine can lead to stigmatization and other issues, having a migraine shouldn’t prevent anyone from having a happy, social and productive life. We suggest talking to your doctor about migraine to get more answers to help your child and family.