10 Tips for Creating an Effective Migraine Treatment Plan

There are many proactive things you can do to take control of your migraine treatment. One way is to create an effective migraine treatment plan. I came across this list on migrainesavvy.com and wanted to share these tips!

10 Tips for Creating an Effective Migraine Treatment Plan:

1. Ask your pharmacist for a print out of your migraine medication. This printout will list

additional information for you and the expected side effects. If you have any

concerns, call your doctor and make an appointment as soon as possible. 2. Write out the instructions from both your doctor and the pharmacist on how to take

your medication.

Details are essential:

Write down the information on recipe cards.

• what you can take,

• how much and

• when (every 12 hours, or every 4 hours, for example).

When you have any medication changes, change the cards, therefore, you will not get

confused. This is a good way to avoid confusion if your pain is so severe that you have

trouble concentrating.

3. Try to form a routine with your medications. Take your prophylactic medications exactly

as prescribed – the same dose - at the same time(s) every day. Do not stop taking them

or change your medications unless you first talk with your doctor. Write out your own new

migraine treatment plan or a pain management strategy.

4. Involve your family and loved ones. Show your family your treatment plan. Write out ways

they can help you when you are not well. Ask them to be extra quiet, take the dinner out

from the freezer, walk the dog, pick up kids, or other things which would be helpful to

you. They love you, they will want to help. 5. Keep a migraine diary (Migraine Buddy and N1-Headache are popular apps). A calendar

or journal is also useful to list any changes you notice or to make notes when your doctor

makes any changes to your meds. 6. Be prepared. Keep a supply of your medication at home and take one with you for

emergencies at all times. Remember to take your abortive with you wherever you

go.

7. If you are going to take over the counter medication for migraine, check with your

doctor first. Some can not be combined with migraine medication. 8. Keep really good records. Research shows that the way the body responds to

medications may change over time, so your medications may need to be adjusted.

Tell your doctor if you notice a difference in the effectiveness of your chosen treatment.

9. Studies have shown that each type of migraine medication is most effective when used in

combination with other medical recommendations like dietary and lifestyle changes,

exercise, and relaxation therapy. This is important! Learning to relax will increase the

efficacy of your medications too. 10. Find what works and do it! Now you can write your own migraine pain management and

treatment plan and add to it as you learn what works for you.