It’s important to talk openly and honestly with your health care provider about migraine so you can get the right care. In this video, Linda shares her tips on how to talk to your doctor about migraine. By giving details about your symptoms and how they affect your daily life, you can help your health care provider find the right treatment for you.¹ Before your medical appointment, take some time to write down the questions you have about migraine treatment.

Here are four questions to ask your health care provider so that you get the right migraine treatment for you.

1. How Do I Know What Migraine Treatment Is Right for Me?

A health care provider will consider important details about your migraine when coming up with a treatment plan for you. Some factors include^1,2:

• Severity — How bad your migraine pain and other symptoms are
• Frequency — How many days per month you get migraine attacks
• Symptoms — Migraine symptoms you experience, such as nausea
• Disability — How much and in what ways migraine affects your daily life

Based on these and other details about your migraine and overall health, your health care provider will give you some treatment options like rescue treatments, preventive treatments, or a combination of both.²

For example, acute or rescue treatments might be right for you if:

• You have fewer than four headache days per month.
• You haven’t tried any migraine medications.

Acute migraine treatments aim to reduce migraine pain and other symptoms and get you back to your usual functioning.³

Preventive treatment may be right for you if:

• You have at least four headache days a month or at least two that significantly affect your ability to function.
• You have attacks that significantly interfere with your daily routine, even with rescue treatment.
• You find yourself using rescue treatments very frequently (10 to 15 days a month) or are unable to use them due to side effects.

Preventive treatments are meant to reduce the number of migraine attacks (as well as how long they last and how severe they are), reduce reliance on acute medications, and improve functioning, among other goals.³

2. What Side Effects Might I Experience From Treatments?

If a health care provider gives you several treatment options, ask about their side effects. This will also help you know what to expect when starting a new migraine medication.

You may be open to tolerating some side effects but not others. This is why it is important to consider not only how well a treatment may work for you but also how the side effects may also impact your life. Linda said she asked her health care provider this question when deciding which treatment to pursue.

3. What Should I Do if a Treatment Doesn’t Work for Me?

You might not think to ask about what to do if a treatment doesn’t work for you. Also, you should ask about what to do if you feel like you can’t manage the side effects.

Linda offered her advice: “Definitely understand your body, understand what works for you, and don't let others [tell you what to do],” she said. “Not everything works for everyone.” Medications won’t work the same way or as well in everyone with migraine.

For example, your health care provider may recommend trying a preventive migraine treatment for at least eight to 12 weeks before determining whether it’s working and if you’re able to tolerate any potential side effects.³

This is another reason it’s important to record your symptoms and tell your health care provider about your experience.² “That’s the only way you’re going to be able to have them prescribe something that’s better for you in the future,” Linda said.

4. What Are the Instructions for This Treatment?

If your health care provider suggests a certain type of migraine treatment, ask about the process for taking it. Is it a pill you take by mouth, or is it an injection? How often do you need to take this treatment? How soon can you expect the treatment to start working? If you’re curious, ask how the medication works.

Preventive treatments, which help prevent migraine attacks, may be an option for you. Health care providers don’t always mention preventive migraine treatments during medical visits, so feel free to ask about them.² “Let [your health care provider] know what's working and what's not working, so that you can work together… to find [a treatment that’s right] for [you],” Linda advised.

Keep these tips in mind for improving communication with your doctor:

• Prepare questions ahead of your appointments.
• Stay positive through your treatment journey.
• Keep a migraine diary to help guide conversations.

ABBV-US-01694-MC V1.0 Approved 9/2024