Why do I keep getting migraines?

If you keep getting migraines, it does not mean you are doing something wrong. Migraine is a neurologic disease influenced by genetics, hormones, sleep, stress, medications, illness, and environment.

The useful question is whether the pattern suggests undertreated migraine, trigger stacking, medication-overuse headache, a hormone pattern, or another condition that needs evaluation.

Common reasons attacks keep returning

• Family history or genetic risk
• Irregular sleep or missed meals
• Menstrual hormone changes
• Stress or the let-down after stress
• Alcohol, caffeine changes, dehydration, or certain food patterns
• Weather changes, bright light, loud sound, or strong smells
• Frequent acute medication use
• No preventive plan despite frequent or disabling attacks

Look at frequency and disability

Count migraine days, headache days, acute medication days, and missed-activity days. If the number is rising, or if attacks are disrupting work, school, caregiving, or sleep, it is time to revisit the plan.

What to do next

Track migraine days, medication days, symptoms, duration, and missed activities for 30 to 90 days. If attacks are frequent, worsening, hard to treat, or causing missed life activities, ask a clinician about diagnosis, acute treatment, prevention, and medication-overuse risk.

When the pattern changes

Seek medical advice promptly if headaches are new, suddenly severe, linked to neurologic symptoms, starting after age 50, or clearly different from your usual pattern. Do not assume every repeat headache is routine migraine.

Sources

• Mayo Clinic: Migraine symptoms and causes
• MedlinePlus: Migraine
• American Migraine Foundation: Medication overuse headache