Step 1: Make a scheduled appointment to discuss your headaches.
Family practice physicians, internists, neurologists, and gynecologists are all skilled in treating headache. However, some doctors treat more headache than others, and you may need to talk to your health care providers to see if they are the ones that should work with you on treating your headaches.
Step 2: What should you tell your doctor?
Once you have scheduled your office visit and the health care provider is ready to spend time with you reviewing your headache history, there are several key points to raise so they understand all the different aspects of your headache.
- Symptoms: Tell the doctor what other symptoms come with your headache, such as nausea or vomiting. This is important as it might help determine if you need a tablet, nasal spray, an orally disintegrating medication, or an injection.
- Timing: The doctor should know how fast your headaches develop. Some medications, such as injections, work very quickly.
- Other Illnesses: It is very important that the doctor know about other health concerns because the medications may help or make worse these coexisting conditions. Some health conditions that are common among migraine sufferers include depression, anxiety, hypertension, and asthma.
- Impact of Headaches: Discuss the impact headache has on your work, family, and home life. This is important as it will help the doctor better understand how severe your headaches are and how disabling attacks can be.
Step 3: Work with your doctor when designing a treatment plan.
When you go to your doctor, both of you want the treatment plan to work. There is no point in the physician giving you a medicine that you do not want to take. Therefore, one way to improve the chances that a treatment plan will work is to discuss issues that are important to you. Headache medications are available in several different kinds of delivery formulations. Sometimes patients can actually pick the delivery that is preferable for them.
What are the different ways you can take headache medicines?
- Oral tablets
- Orally disintegrating tablets (dissolve in your mouth so you do not have to swallow with liquid)
- Nasal sprays
- Injections under the skin (subcutaneous, sc)
- Rectal suppositories
For example, some people do not like injections, others do not care for suppositories, and others may prefer a nasal spray. Only you can tell your doctor what you prefer, and this will help make sure you get a medication that you are willing to take.
For a listing of various headache medications see Understanding your medicines
Reprinted from the web site of the American Council for Headache Education (www.achenet.org)
