How will a migraine diary help?
Author: Dr Vanessa Doyle and Dr Suzanne Christie
It is important to keep a detailed headache diary each day that the headaches occur. It is not easy to recall what happened 3 to 4 months ago and diaries make it easier for your doctor to see at a glance how you are doing.
There is no blood test to monitor migraine, only a well-kept diary can reveal what’s going on and the more complicated your situation is, the more you need to fill a diary.
Some of the benefits of keeping a diary include:
- to identify triggers so you can avoid them if possible
- to help your doctor determine what medications might work best for you
- to determine if you have different migraine subtypes or patterns to your attacks
- for women, it helps to determine if migraines are linked with their menstrual cycle
- to help you see if the preventive treatments you try are working
- to be aware of how often you use acute medications and avoid medication-overuse headache
Bring your headache diary to each appointment with your doctor. By tracking your headaches with a diary, you and your doctor can work together to find what works best for you and try to record all your headaches, mild and severe – so your doctor has the real picture. Sufferers often only write down the bad attacks.
You can download a diary here (LINK or App)
And finally – a simple diary that has been filled-in is much better than a complex incomplete one.
How do you code a migraine when you’ve catch it early and take medication? When my doctor saw that I had a bunch of 1s or 2s instead of my usual 7s or 8s (I use a 10pt scale), she made the statement that it looked like they were getting better. No I was getting better at recognizing the early symptoms and taking the medication right away so that I could save my day. Sometimes I may be taking the medication before I am sure that it is a migraine – but I didn’t so many times I waited too long and the medications didn’t work. So I am not certain how best to record this information and would appreciate some ideas. Thank you
Hello!
I use a 0-1-2-3 technique. SO, if you treat a migraine early and with success, it will show as a 1, but with a medication. If it’s just a mild headache left untreated, it will be a 1 with no medication. If you treat but it still reaches moderate or severe, it will show as a 2 or 3, with failure or partial success of acute treatment depending on how it goes. I hope this helps! Dr Leroux