Seeking medical advice
It may sound obvious, but before you start any form of treatment you need to be sure that you are being treated for the right condition.
If you are getting regular headaches or other symptoms that you suspect could be migraine, it is important to see a doctor and get a proper diagnosis.
Proper diagnosis of your symptoms can:
Give reassurance that the headaches or other symptoms are not a sign of a very serious illness.
Allow you to get advice on stopping, managing and treating your symptoms.
If other medical conditions co-exist alongside your migraine this is important in terms of treatment.
A confirmed diagnosis of migraine and appropriate treatment can help prevent some attacks from occurring and help you to control the remaining attacks more effectively.
How is a diagnosis made?
There is no actual test to diagnose migraine. Diagnosis will depend upon your doctor taking your medical history and ruling out other causes for the attacks.
When you visit your doctor to talk about your headaches, you should therefore expect to give some detailed information about your attacks which may include:
- A detailed history of the headaches and/or other symptoms is taken. This history includes analyzing:
-The features of the headaches (for example, how often they happen, how severe the pain is, what symptoms go with them.
-The effect the headaches have on your everyday activities.
-The family history of headaches.