The prognosis of migraine – will it go away?

May 5, 2008

How long will I suffer from migraines? Will it ever go away? These are very common questions patients ask their doctors. Drs. Bigal and Lipton reviewed a recent large study that looked at what happens to migraine patients within one year of observation. The study found that migraine completely went away in 10%, improved in 3% and worsened and became chronic (occurring on more than 15 days each month) in 3%. This confirms what we’ve know all along – migraine headaches tend to go away with age. In women this often happens after menopause and in men at around similar age; however this study and our experience indicates that for many people migraines may go away earlier, at any point in their lives. The problem is that we can never predict when this will happen and in a small percentage of patients (about 3%) migraines never go away.

Written by
Alexander Mauskop, MD
Continue reading
June 7, 2026
News
A new edition of my migraine book and an upcoming conversation with Dr. Sanjay Gupta
An overview of why I updated The End of Migraines: 150 Ways to Stop Your Pain for a 3rd edition, what has changed in migraine treatment, and how a more structured, realistic approach can help people who feel they’ve “tried everything.”
Read article
June 4, 2026
Research
A New Study of Meat Intake, Genetics, and Brain Health
A newly published Swedish study suggests that the relationship between diet and brain aging may be more genetically specific than previously understood. Researchers followed over 2,000 older adults for up to 15 years and found that higher meat consumption was associated with slower cognitive decline and lower dementia risk, but only in those carrying the APOE E4 genetic variant, the most common hereditary risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. This may be relevant for people with headaches.
Read article
June 3, 2026
News
Keynote address at the 22nd Annual Neuroscience Zappulla Research Day
I was honored to be delivering the keynote address at the 22nd Annual Neuroscience Zappulla Research Day on Wednesday, June 3, at the Hackensack Meridian Neuroscience Institute, JFK University Medical Center in Edison, NJ.
Read article
Insights from Dr. Alexander Mauskop on headaches and migraines
Subscribe to the Blog.
Subscribe
Subscribe