Living With Frequent Headaches | MyChronicMigraine.ca

I'm suffering from frequent headaches

If you're experiencing frequent headaches, you could be living with Chronic Migraine.

Living with Chronic Migraine means having:

15
or more days of headaches each month (also called headache days), including...
8
OR MORE DAYS OF HEADACHES THAT HAVE FEATURES OF MIGRAINES EACH MONTH...
FOR 3
or more months.

This means that you can have Chronic Migraine even if not all of your headaches are migraines.

Migraines are headaches that:

Are usually moderate to severe in intensity
Are throbbing or pulsating
Often occur on one side of the head
Can be accompanied by nausea and/or vomiting, and sensitivity to light and/or sound
Can get worse by routine physical activity (such as walking or climbing stairs)
Can be associated with changes in vision or hearing (also known as aura)
Can last from 4 hours to 3 days

Because there are different types of headaches, even your doctor may find it difficult to recognize Chronic Migraine. But there is a simple tool that can help. Check out the Identifying Chronic Migraine Screener below.

Identifying Chronic Migraine (ID-CM) Screener

The ID-CM Screener can help start an important conversation with your doctor about your condition.

If you're suffering from frequent headaches, it's important that your doctor knows what you're experiencing.

A completed ID-CM Screener can provide your doctor with key information to help make a diagnosis and to identify a treatment plan that's right for you. Complete the Screener and share the results with your doctor.

What is the ID-CM Screener?

While the results of this screener may suggest you have Chronic Migraine, they do not replace a diagnosis from a qualified healthcare professional. It's very important to discuss the results with your doctor.

It can be difficult to remember specific details about headaches and migraines you have experienced weeks or months ago. Learn about tracking your headaches with the easy-to-use Headache Diary below.

Migraine Tracker Apps and Headache Diary

Monitoring your headaches and treatment can help you and your doctor better understand your headache patterns.

Here are two different applications and a downloadable headache diary developed specifically for migraine sufferers:

The Canadian Migraine Tracker

This application will help you keep a simple and focused migraine diary directly from your smartphone or tablet so that you can monitor what is important to you. This includes migraine attacks, symptoms you may feel and your results from treatments. This way, communicating with your healthcare provider can be easier and more effective.

To begin tracking your migraines, simply select the store you would like to access below to download the app. This application - The Canadian Migraine tracker-was developed by the Canadian Headache Society and is now available in English and French in both the Apple and Play Store.

How do I get started?

The Migraine Buddy is the #1 migraine app in the world with over 2.2 million community members. Designed with neurologists and data scientists to help you improve your migraine condition. Track your migraine, understand your triggers, and share your migraine history with your doctor to get the best possible treatment.

Learn more at www.migrainebuddy.com.

The Headache Diary

A headache diary provides your doctor with important information about your condition, including the number and severity of your headaches, your migraine triggers, and the type and amount of over-the-counter or prescription medications you're taking.

To begin tracking your headaches, download the diary and complete it every day, as accurately as possible. Be sure to note every headache, no matter how mild, and share the details with your doctor.

Download the Headache Diary

Treatment Options

If you're living with Chronic Migraine, there are preventative, acute, and alternative treatment options that can help manage your headaches.

Preventative therapy
can help reduce the frequency, severity, and duration of headaches.
Acute therapy
can help relieve your symptoms after a migraine or headache starts.
Behaviour therapy
may also help reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks, or help sufferers cope with migraines.

Learn more about these treatment options

Can acute treatment cause headaches?

Talk to your doctor to find out how preventative, acute, and alternative treatments may benefit you.

talking to your doctor

Talking to your doctor is an important step toward finding a treatment that's right for you.

Your doctor with experience in treating headache disorders can help you find ways to manage your headaches and migraine.

Get the conversation started

To get an important conversation started about your condition and to find a treatment that's right for you, take your completed ID-CM Screener and the Headache Diary to your next doctor's appointment. With the information from these tools, together you can more accurately determine the type of headache you're experiencing and the best course of treatment, which may include preventative and acute medications.

If you're suffering from frequent headaches, you could be living with Chronic Migraine. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and getting a treatment that's right for you. If you're currently not seeing a headache doctor and you think you could benefit from one, find a headache doctor and ask your family doctor for a referral.

To learn more about Chronic Migraine, explore Frequently Asked Questions.