Preparing For Your Appointment
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.
You can help your
doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the
following questions. When you go to your appointment, be sure to bring your
headache diary (What is a document?).
- What medicines do you take, either weekly or
monthly, depending on the severity of your headaches? What is your response to
the medicine? Make a list to help you remember your medicines and your
response.
- For a headache that started suddenly (acute):
- When did the headache start?
- What
were you doing when the headache started?
- For ongoing headaches (chronic):
- When did your headache problems
start?
- How often do you have headaches?
- How long do
your headaches usually last?
- Where is your headache pain
located?
- Describe your headache pain (stabbing, throbbing, dull,
sharp), and how you would
?
- How do your headaches
usually begin or evolve?
- Do you have other symptoms with your
headaches?
- Are your headaches related to your menstrual
cycle?
- What do you think causes your headaches?
- What
home treatments have you tried, and how well did they work?
- What
prescription medicines have you been given? Did they work?
- What
prescription or nonprescription medicines do you take?
- Are you
using an alternative or complementary medicine or treatment (including herbal
remedies)?
- Have you recently had a dental procedure, such as a
filling or a root canal?
- When was your last eye examination? Do you
wear corrective lenses?
- Do you have any
?