How to Maintain a Migraine Headache Log

Migraines are a painful and frustrating condition for those who sufferer from them. Treating migraines can sometimes be just as frustrating; learning what triggers migraines, making lifestyle and diet changes, and working towards a medication regime that can help prevent and also alleviate the migraine.

Keeping a migraine headache log can greatly assist in managing your care. The more information you can provide your medial team, the better you can work towards a program that can have a positive impact on your health. It also makes you a proactive participant in your own health care.

This article walks through the steps in maintaining a migraine headache log that you can take with you to appointments to provide information to your medical care team.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spreadsheet or notebook

1. Make a choice if you want to keep an electronic log or paper notebook. Depending on your preference, some people are more comfortable using a spreadsheet program such as Excel to categorize information.
   
   Others prefer a small notebook that can be carried with them and information added as it happens.
   
   With either method, make sure you have something you can take with you to your appointments. It doesn't need to be pretty, but it needs to be consistent and understandable for your health care provider.

2. List the information you wish to track. Most migraine sufferers track the onset time of their headaches, medications taken and when taken, duration and severity of the migraine. A simple 1 - 10 scale will suffice for measuring the severity of the migraine.
   
   Other important things to note are any triggers that may have preceded the migraine. If you don't know what your triggers are, write down what you ate previous to the migraine. The most common triggers are alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, coffee, artificial sweeteners, and cigarette smoke or strong perfume.
   
   Triggers are different for everyone; too much regular coffee will trigger a migraine for me, but regular cola will not. Learning what
   your triggers are is an important part of preventing migraines.

3. Record any other physical symptoms you may have either before or with the migraine; visual aura, nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, any dizziness or vertigo. Not every migraine sufferer experiences the same physical symptoms nor experiences the same symptoms with every migraine.

4. Record any medications you are currently taking, either on a regular basis or occasionally, including any over the counter medications, vitamins or supplements.
   
   Also record the medications you take when you have a migraine. Record what works, what doesn't and any side effects you may experience.
   
   Keeping a record of how your prescribed migraine medication works can help your medical team understand if your current regime needs any adjustments.

5. Make a note of the weather as well. You may notice that changes in weather trigger a migraine, such as a front moving through, a change in barometric pressure or sunny days, if you suffer from a sensitivity to light.

6. Note, if you are a woman, where you are in your menstrual cycle when you have a migraine. Many, but not all, migraines can be triggered by hormonal fluctuations during the month.

Tips & Warnings

• Provide as much detail as you can, until you see a pattern. You may notice certain foods trigger a migraine; if how soon after onset you take your medication makes a difference; if certain times of the month, or year, affect your migraines.

Resources

• How to Take Migraine Medication Safely
• How to Stop a Migraine with Hot Water and an Ice Pack

[nanamusicgirl]

on 10/6/2009 This is very smart thing to do...Take to your Dr. and it will be invaluable in trying to get help!
5 stars. Recommended.