ICD-10 codes for headache

The ICD-10-CM families that carry headache, with the axes that decide the fifth and sixth characters. Verified against the FY2026 code set.

Migraine — G43

Migraine codes turn on three axes: with or without aura, intractable or not intractable, and with or without status migrainosus. Chronic migraine has its own subcategories and is the one that matters for chemodenervation eligibility.

Code	Description	Notes
G43.009 / G43.019	Migraine without aura, not intractable / intractable, without status migrainosus	Add the 1 in the final position for status migrainosus: G43.001, G43.011.
G43.109 / G43.119	Migraine with aura, not intractable / intractable, without status migrainosus	G43.101 and G43.111 carry status migrainosus.
G43.709 / G43.719	Chronic migraine without aura, not intractable / intractable, without status migrainosus	G43.701 and G43.711 with status migrainosus.
G43.E09 / G43.E19	Chronic migraine with aura, not intractable / intractable, without status migrainosus	G43.E01 and G43.E11 with status migrainosus. The E subcategory is easily missed.

Cluster and other trigeminal autonomic headache — G44.0

Code	Description	Notes
G44.009 / G44.001	Cluster headache syndrome, unspecified — not intractable / intractable
G44.019 / G44.011	Episodic cluster headache — not intractable / intractable
G44.029 / G44.021	Chronic cluster headache — not intractable / intractable

Neuralgia and cervicogenic headache

Code	Description	Notes
M54.81	Occipital neuralgia	Note this sits in the musculoskeletal chapter, not with the G44 headache codes — a common reason it is not found.
G44.86	Cervicogenic headache
G50.0	Trigeminal neuralgia	B02.22 for postherpetic trigeminal neuralgia.
M79.2	Neuralgia and neuritis, unspecified	Where a named neuralgia has no specific code — supraorbital neuralgia has none.

Medication-overuse headache — G44.4

Code	Description	Notes
G44.40	Drug-induced headache, not elsewhere classified, not intractable	This is the medication-overuse headache code.
G44.41	Drug-induced headache, not elsewhere classified, intractable

Worth coding explicitly rather than folding into the migraine code, because it changes the treatment plan entirely — see medication-overuse headache and medication stewardship.

Other headache codes that come up

Code	Description	Notes
G44.89	Other headache syndrome	The catch-all within the headache category.
G44.1	Vascular headache, not elsewhere classified
G44.85	Primary stabbing headache
G44.83 / G44.84 / G44.82	Primary cough / primary exertional / headache associated with sexual activity	The primary headaches provoked by a specific trigger.
G44.81	Hypnic headache
R51.9	Headache, unspecified	Appropriate before a diagnosis is established; a poor choice once it is.

Two axes people get wrong

Intractable is a clinical determination about treatment resistance, not a synonym for severe. It has to be supportable from the record.

Status migrainosus is a debilitating attack lasting more than 72 hours. It is a specific duration criterion, and it is exactly the presentation most often sent for infusion.

Common questions

What is the ICD-10 code for occipital neuralgia?

M54.81. It sits in the musculoskeletal chapter rather than with the G44 headache codes, which is why searches within the headache family do not find it.

Which code covers medication-overuse headache?

G44.40 if not intractable, G44.41 if intractable — the ICD-10-CM wording is drug-induced headache, not elsewhere classified.

Is there a code for chronic migraine specifically?

Yes. G43.7 for chronic migraine without aura and G43.E for chronic migraine with aura, each split by intractability and status migrainosus. The G43.E subcategory is the one most often overlooked.

Is there an ICD-10 code for supraorbital neuralgia?

No specific code. M79.2 or G44.89 depending on the clinical picture — see supraorbital neuralgia after an eyebrow injury.