After your visit
A Headache Diary That Helps Guide Your Follow-Up
For recurring headaches, a short record can be more useful than trying to remember an entire month. Track headache days, medicines used, and effects on daily life. The purpose is to help your clinician assess the pattern and treatment response.
What to do next
- Record the date, start time, duration, and where the pain occurred. Note symptoms such as nausea or light sensitivity.
- List medicines taken, when you took them, and whether they helped. Include over-the-counter products.
- Record missed activities and possible context such as sleep changes or menstrual timing without assuming causation.
- Bring the diary to review how often you need acute treatment and whether a prevention plan should be discussed.
When to contact your care team
A sudden, extremely severe headache or a headache with new weakness, confusion, trouble speaking, or vision loss needs emergency assessment. Fever with a stiff neck also needs urgent evaluation. Do not wait for a scheduled follow-up to discuss a new or very different headache.
Put it into practice
A practical summary is: “I had headaches on __ days and used rescue medicine on __ days.” Count medicine days even when pain improved quickly. Do not increase the frequency of treatment just to complete your usual activities without discussing the pattern.
Notes for your next visit
Write these in your own notes or on a printed copy. Bring them to your follow-up.
- Headache day and duration:
- Medicine, timing, and relief:
- Activities missed and questions for the visit:
Sources and further reading
General education for adults. Follow your clinician’s individual plan and the current instructions for your prescribed product. If instructions conflict, ask your clinician or pharmacist to clarify. For a medical emergency, call 911.