MIDAS Migraine Disability Score Calculator
How much are your migraines actually costing you? The MIDAS questionnaire summarizes reported impact on work, home life, and relationships. It can support a care conversation, but it does not tell you which treatment you need.
"How bad are your migraines?" is a question most sufferers struggle to answer. Pain is subjective. But missed workdays, cancelled plans, and half-productive afternoons? Those are measurable. And that's exactly what the MIDAS score captures.
The Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) was developed by neurologists Dr. Richard Lipton and Dr. Walter Stewart. It's been validated in clinical trials, used by headache specialists worldwide, and takes about 2 minutes to complete. The result is a single disability score that adds context to a broader clinical assessment.
Why Your MIDAS Score Matters
Most people dramatically underreport how much migraines affect their life. You power through bad days, skip the party without thinking twice, and slowly adjust your expectations downward. The MIDAS questionnaire gives you a structured way to count that impact.
Here's why that number matters clinically:
- It adds context. A clinician can consider the grade alongside headache frequency, symptoms, history, preferences, and other health conditions.
- It speeds up the conversation. Walking in with "I get headaches sometimes" is very different from "My MIDAS score is 34." The second one gets taken seriously immediately.
- It tracks reported disability. Repeating MIDAS can show change over time, but a score alone cannot prove why it changed or prescribe the next step.
The MIDAS Grading Scale
Little or No Disability
Reported impact falls in the little-or-no-disability range.
Mild Disability
Starting to interfere with daily life. Worth discussing with your doctor.
Moderate Disability
Reported impact falls in the moderate-disability range.
Severe Disability
Reported impact falls in the severe-disability range; consider a clinical review.
Take the MIDAS Assessment
Answer 5 questions about the last 3 months. Be honest — the point isn't to get a "good" score, it's to get an accurate one. Your doctor needs the real picture.
Answer all 5 questions below based on the last 3 months. Enter 0 if the answer is none.
Supplementary (not scored — but useful for your doctor)
0
What to Do With Your Score
Bring It to Your Doctor
Print or screenshot your results. The MIDAS score is one of the most widely recognized disability measures in headache medicine. Combined with a symptom history and tracking diary, it can add useful context, but it is not a complete assessment.
Retake It Every 3 Months
A single MIDAS score is a snapshot. The real value is tracking it over time. If you start treatment and your score changes after three months, discuss that change with your clinician alongside headache frequency, side effects, and other factors.
Combine It With Daily Tracking
MIDAS measures the what — how many days you lost. Daily headache tracking reveals surrounding context — possible triggers, patterns, and circumstances around attacks. Together, they can help you prepare a more specific care conversation.
Find your migraine triggers with Claru
A tool result is only a starting point. Claru can help you organize episodes and review possible patterns to discuss with your care team.
Trigger Analysis
AI helps surface possible patterns in your entries
7-Day Forecast
Probabilistic risk estimates, not medical predictions
Doctor Reports
One-tap PDF reports for your neurologist
See the app store for current availability and plan details.
How Many Migraines Is Too Many?
There is no universal cutoff. The right time to seek care depends on frequency, duration, symptoms, disability, changes from your usual pattern, and your medical history.
- Increasing frequency — record the change and discuss it with a clinician.
- Meaningful disability — missed work, school, household, or social activities matters even when attacks are less frequent.
- New or changing symptoms — seek medical advice regardless of your MIDAS score.
But frequency alone doesn't capture the full picture. Two migraines per month that each knock you out for 3 days is arguably worse than four migraines that each last 4 hours. That's why MIDAS measures disability, not just frequency — and why both numbers matter when talking to your doctor.
People Also Ask
Is the MIDAS questionnaire the same one doctors use?
Yes. The MIDAS is the same validated questionnaire used in clinical settings worldwide. It was developed by headache researchers and published in the journal Neurology. Many neurologists use it as a standard intake tool and ask patients to retake it quarterly to track treatment effectiveness.
What if my score seems too low but I still feel disabled?
MIDAS captures missed and reduced-productivity days, but some impacts are harder to quantify — anxiety about the next attack, avoiding trigger situations, reduced quality of life even on "good" days. If you feel your headaches are a significant problem, tell your doctor regardless of the score. MIDAS is one tool, not the whole picture.
Can I use MIDAS for tension headaches, not just migraines?
MIDAS was designed and validated for migraines specifically, but it measures disability from any headache type. If tension headaches are significantly impacting your daily life, the questionnaire is still useful — it quantifies the impact in a way your doctor can act on. Not sure which type you have? Take the migraine vs headache quiz first.
What treatments are available for high MIDAS scores?
A high score is a reason to discuss the level of disability with a clinician. Any treatment conversation should account for diagnosis, frequency, other conditions, current medicines, pregnancy, side effects, access, and personal preferences. The score alone does not select a treatment.
Related Resources
- Migraine vs Headache: How to Tell the Difference (+ Free Quiz)
- Pressure Points for Headaches: A Practical Guide
- Foods That Cause Migraines: Trigger Food Checker
- 5 Most Common Early Warning Signs Before a Migraine Starts
Sources: Stewart WF, Lipton RB, et al. "Development and testing of the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Questionnaire," Neurology 2001. American Migraine Foundation. American Headache Society. This tool is for educational purposes and does not replace professional medical advice.