Talking to Your Healthcare Provider

Headache attacks can affect you more than how you feel. They may cause you to miss work, cancel plans, or disrupt your day-to-day life. When symptoms are not treated, they may also become more frequent, and in some cases, become chronic.

If your headache is getting in the way, it may be time to talk with your healthcare provider. Here are some steps you can take to ensure you get the right diagnosis and create a plan for your care.

Scheduling a Dedicated Headache Appointment

Make an appointment specifically to talk about your headache or migraine. Your healthcare provider will be the best place to start.

Your provider may ask about:

Number of headache days you have each month
Duration of headache attacks
Severity of head pain
Symptoms and possible triggers
How your headache affects your work, relationships, and activities you enjoy

In case your headache attacks are frequent and your provider is unable to help you; you may be given a referral to a neurologist or a headache provider. They have expertise in managing Migraine and Headache Disorders.

Prepare Before Your Headache Appointment

Preparation goes a long way to help explain your headache. At your appointment bring:

A headache diary that tracks when your headache happens, how severe they are, symptoms, triggers, how it affects your day, and how long each attack lasts. Tip: You may use an “M” to mark symptoms that are pointing to migraine, while using an “H” to indicate it was a moderate or a less severe headache day
A list of medications, supplements, and vitamins
Medical records including previous medications taken or test results if you have them

You can use a paper calendar, a headache diary, or a digital app to track your headache. The goal is to help you and your provider see how often your headache attacks occur and how they affect your life.

What You Want to Accomplish At Your Visit

Before you visit your provider, think about what you want to accomplish.

You may want to:

Get the right diagnosis and find out what type of headache disorder you have
Create a treatment plan, including acute treatment to take when the headache starts
Ask whether you may need preventive treatment to reduce how often and severe attacks are

Setting goals is important to determine what fits your lifestyle whether that be fewer headache days, being able to work or exercise, or missing fewer social activities. Your provider can help guide you to decide what success looks like for you.

When Should You Consider Preventive Treatment?

If you have 4 or more headache days each month, talk with your provider about whether preventive treatment is right for you. Preventive treatment comes in variations, so it is important to discuss the different options to reduce the number of headache days you have.

Your Care May Change Over Time

Finding the right treatment can take time. You may need to layer treatments and have follow-up visits to see how you are doing and make changes to your treatment plan.

Other health problems can affect your headache, too. Your care team may need to look at your overall health and work with other healthcare providers when needed.

For example, jaw discomfort, allergies, sleep problems, or other health conditions may need care from a different type of provider. The goal is to treat the whole person, not just the headache.

Keep the Conversation Going

Your first appointment should not be your last conversation about your headache. Tell your provider what is helping, what is not helping, and how your headache is affecting your life. If your treatment is not working, speak up and ask about other options.