Headache treatment
Headache treatment is not the easiest task, as it depends on various side factors, which often require the involvement of different specialists.
First of all, if one has complaints about headaches, he or she should immediately pay a visit to a family doctor, who assesses the general state of health, sends for tests and immediately prescribe the initial treatment.
However, there are cases when family doctor alone is not able to solve the patient’s problem, so the next step is involving other specialists – a neurologist or an algologist (pain management doctor).
If necessary additional diagnostic examinations and consultations with specialists from other fields are prescribed. At the end of the visit, an individual treatment plan will be provided, including a comprehensive approach: reviewing lifestyle, regimen and eating habits, as well as choosing the most appropriate medications and procedures.
To make the visit and the treatment process even more effective, we recommend filling out the Headache Calendar beforehand and showing the findings to the doctor.
Headache calendar can be useful for recording observations about headaches and migraine attacks – in particular how often do the attacks occur, how intense are they, what medications does the patient take, how much, how often, and so on.
The observations obtained will help:
- the doctor to make diagnosis and suggest the most appropriate type of treatment;
- to recognize the factors that provoke seizures and warning signs to prevent further seizures;
- assess whether the medications a person is currently taking are helping.
The first visit to a specialist is important, because during this visit the doctor learns about the symptoms of your disease, and in turn, you understand the possible causes of the disease and the most effective treatment methods. For the visit to be successful, it is necessary to prepare for it, thus facilitating mutual cooperation.
Before the visit:
- Observe conditions that exacerbate or relieve headaches;
- Please take with you: examinations, tests, conclusions of other consultants (if any), hospital statements, list of medicines you are taking or have taken. Examinations made several years ago may also be useful, and may be important information for the doctor in diagnosing headaches and planning further examinations;
- Interview your immediate family members and relatives about your headache experience, as migraines are often inherited;
- Think about all the questions you want to ask the doctor.