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What Is the Difference Between Episodic vs. Chronic Migraines?

First things first, what is a migraine?

The pain of migraine attacks last anywhere from 4 -72 hours and is usually felt as a pulsing on one side of the head.²Migraines also come with other symptoms beyond pain, such as nausea and/or vomiting, sensitivity to light and/or sensitivity to sound.² Some sufferers have migraines with aura – visual disturbances that can manifest as geometric patterns, flashing lights or a shimmering effect.³ Migraine is a recurring condition diagnosed by a doctor.

There are different types of migraines.

The International Classification of Headache Disorders defines episodic migraine between 0 to14 symptomatic days per month, while chronic migraine is defined as 15 or more symptomatic days per month for more than 3 months.^2,4 A 2012 study identified that chronic migraine sufferers make up 7.68% of the total migraine population.⁵ Both types of migraine can be debilitating, but studies have shown that chronic migraine sufferers have a higher burden on their quality of life.⁴

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Excedrin Migraine is indicated for episodic migraines.

If you suffer from episodic migraines, your doctor may recommend that you try an over-the-counter migraine treatment with a well-established safety and efficacy profile, such as Excedrin Migraine, before a prescription drug.

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for migraines. While some treatments can work for some sufferers – others can’t find anything that works. There’s still a lot to be learned about this condition. Even if Excedrin® Migraine doesn’t work for you, we hope that you’re able to work with your doctor or neurologist to find treatment options that will bring relief.

Excedrin^® Migraine won’t work for everyone.

At Excedrin^®, our mission is to relieve your migraine pain. We genuinely hope that Excedrin^® Migraine will work for you. We are the No. 1 neurologist recommended over-the-counter medicine for migraines*, but we understand that every sufferer’s migraine is different, and treatments vary. If Excedrin® Migraine doesn’t work for you, we hope that you’ve learned something about the condition — and we hope you’re able to work with your doctor or neurologist to find treatment options that will bring you relief.

We are committed to a deeper understanding of migraines.

At Excedrin^®, our goal is to help relieve migraine pain and symptoms. But just as importantly, we are committed to raising understanding and awareness about the true impact of migraines.

SOURCES
American Migraine Foundation, “Migraine – Who Does it Affect?”, last accessed 11/20/15.

http://www.americanmigrainefoundation.org/about-migraine/.

International Headache Society Classification ICHD-II, “Migraine without aura.” Last accessed 11/20/15.

http://ihs-classification.org/en/02_klassifikation/02_teil1/01.01.00_migraine.html.

American Headache Society, “Headache Toolbox: Migraine Aura.” © 2009 American Headache Society. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2009.01473.x

https://www.americanheadachesociety.org/assets/1/7/Migraine_Aura_July-August_2009.pdf.

Defining the Differences Between Episodic Migraine and Chronic Migraine Zaza Katsarava, Dawn C. Buse, Aubrey N. Manack, Richard B. Lipton Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2012 February; 16(1): 86–92. Published online 2011 November 15. doi: 10.1007/s11916-011-0233-z

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3258393/.

Buse DC, Manack AN, Fanning KM, Serrano D, Reed ML, Turkel CC, Lipton RB. Chronic migraine prevalence, disability, and sociodemographic factors: results from the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study. Headache. 2012 Nov-Dec;52(10):1456-70. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-4610.2012.02223.x. Epub 2012 Jul 25. PubMed PMID: 22830411.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22830411.

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