5 Best Strategies for Talking with Your Doctor About Migraine Treatment
A migraine attack feels like a throbbing pain in the head that won’t go away, so I will share five strategies for talking with your doctor about migraine treatment.
Migraines come in a variety of forms. Migraine with aura (commonly known as a classic migraine) and migraine without aura are the most common type of migraine.
Other types of migraine include:
- Menstrual migraine usually occurs when a woman has her menstrual period.
- Silent migraine is also known as acephalgic migraine. It is when you don’t have a headache, but you have the aura symptoms.
- Abdominal migraine causes nausea and vomiting in addition to stomach pain. It’s common in kids, and it can progress to classic migraine headaches over time.
- Ophthalmoplegic migraine generates pain in the area around your eye and muscle paralysis because the symptoms can potentially be caused by pressure on the nerves behind the eye or an aneurysm. Ophthalmoplegic migraine can be considered a medical emergency.
- Hemiplegic migraine is a migraine that gives you a brief episode of paralysis (hemiplegia). You’ll experience weakness on one side of your body, and you may also experience numbness, disorientation, or changes in your vision. These symptoms could indicate a stroke, so seek medical attention immediately now.
It is necessary to see your doctor about the pain you are experiencing because of migraine to gain relief.
Even if you avoid triggers and maintain a healthy lifestyle, migraine attacks may still occur.
5 Strategies for Talking with Your Doctor About Migraine Treatment
Prepare as much information as you can for your appointment. Be ready to ask and respond to a lot of questions.
Receiving the most effective treatment comes from good communication between you and your doctor.
So, here are the five effective strategies for talking with your doctor to help you with your migraine treatment.
Keep a headache diary
Keeping a diary that keeps track of the details of your migraine episodes or headaches can be helpful.
The journal will help your doctor diagnose and recognize potential triggers and warning indications.
You and your doctor can also use the diary to check if your medication is effective or not and identify if there are any patterns during the attacks.
A headache diary can contain various information, but it’s frequently preferable to keep it short and note only the most essential details.
Here are some of the information that you might need to include in your diary:
- Date and time
- Length of time or how long the attack lasted
- Classification of the migraine attack, whether mild, moderate, or severe. You can also rate the pain from 1-10, with ten being the most intense pain you can imagine
- Symptoms you’re having in addition to the headache (dizziness, nausea, vertigo, sensitivity to light, sound, scents, numbness).
- Medicines you take, including the number of dosages
- Anything else you think might be helpful, like your menstrual period, side effects of medicine, and potential triggers.
Know your history
Your physician will be able to make the appropriate diagnosis based on your headache history. Migraine headaches are frequently passed down from generation to generation.
You have a 50% probability of getting migraines if your mother or father does. If you suffer from migraines, there’s a good possibility that someone in your family suffers from them as well.
Also, consider all of the treatments you’ve tried (including medications and lifestyle changes) and which ones worked and which ones didn’t. Discuss any significant pressures or recent personal changes as well.
Know the answers
During your appointment with your doctor, it is most likely that your doctor will conduct a physical examination and ask questions about your migraines as well as your medical history.
Prepare to answer questions. Here are ten possible questions your doctor might ask you during your consultation:
- When did you first get a migraine?
- When your migraine first started, how frequently did you get them?
- Was there anything that caused the first headache?
- How many days each month do you currently have a migraine?
- What percentage of your headaches are light, moderate, or severe every month?
- Do you have any signs that a headache is on the way?
- Do any symptoms linger after the headache has passed? What exactly are they? How long are they going to last?
- What causes or aggravates your migraines?
- Do you know anyone else in your family who suffers from migraines?
- What helps you get rid of your migraines? What causes them to worsen?
Stay focused on the most important questions.
While you’re with the doctor, try to absorb as much information as possible. Determine what information you require at this time and which questions can be postponed for a later visit.
You want to make sure you get the best answers when it comes to your migraine treatment.
Make sure to ask the following important questions:
- What are the possible adverse effects of the medication?
- How long will the medicine be able to work?
- How will I be able to tell if the treatment is working?
- What should I do if the medications aren’t effective? What are some indicators that they aren’t functioning correctly?
- Is there anything I should avoid taking since it can aggravate my headaches?
- Could vitamins, acupuncture, biofeedback, or non-drug therapy help me?
- What can I anticipate from my treatment plan?
- Can a change in my lifestyle, such as nutrition, meditation, or exercise, help ease my migraine?
Learn about your migraine treatment plan
Migraine headaches have no known remedy. You can, however, avoid them by avoiding your triggers, you can also prevent an attack by taking medicine, or you can begin treating migraine as soon as the pain starts.
The following are some treatment essentials to discuss with your doctor:
- Over-the-counter pain relievers
- Prescription-strength medicines
- Stress reducers
- Lifestyle changes
Many patients find written instructions useful, so don’t be afraid to request them.
Remember, if you have any questions and concerns about your medicine that your doctor didn’t answer at the clinic, you can contact your pharmacist.
The foundation of good medical treatment is honest and accurate communication, especially for those who experience migraines, because a good diagnosis is nearly entirely dependent on the information provided by the patient.
Unfortunately, healthcare providers and patients sometimes struggle to articulate themselves clearly and precisely.
Thus, using the five strategies for talking with your doctor about migraine treatment mentioned above may help develop a good relationship between you and your doctor.
Remember, your migraine symptoms and triggers are unique to you.
The best method to avoid and treat migraines is to work with your doctor. You’ll figure out what works best for you as a team.
Taking charge of your migraine treatment starts with communication.
These five strategies will help you have a more productive conversation with your doctor so that you can get on the path to better health.
It can be helpful to start by learning everything you can about migraines.
What strategy do you plan to try first?
