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| Part of the Migraine, Your Doctor, and You: Key Conversations series |
Top 3 Questions Your Doctor Should be Asking You
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:12:07
Dr. Linda Davis
Hi, I'm Dr. Linda Davis, a paid consultant to AbbVie, and today we'll look at the top three questions every person with migraine should be asked by their doctor.
00:00:12:09 - 00:00:35:12
Dr. Linda Davis
Number one, “How do you track the symptoms of your migraine attacks?” Tracking details around your migraine attacks is essential for effective migraine management. Many patients use a journal, a calendar, or phone apps to document their symptoms. They can record how severe and frequent they are, any patterns they show, and any additional information they find pertinent to their migraine. So why is this important?
00:00:35:14 - 00:00:59:23
Dr. Linda Davis
Since a migraine attack can last 4 to 72 hours, tracking your attacks and symptoms helps you and your doctor identify patterns, predict when attacks might occur, and allow for a more rapid response. This can help guide your doctor's approach to acute treatment. If doctors don't have the tracked details around your migraine, they might miss the fact that you're having four or more headache days per month, which could delay finding proper treatment.
00:01:00:00 - 00:01:22:05
Dr. Linda Davis
Treating attacks earlier may help with migraine management and avoid some of the symptoms associated with your migraine attacks. So be sure to track your migraine symptoms and share the details with your doctor. Another question your doctor should be asking you is, “How do you feel after taking acute treatment?” Acute refers to medicines you can take to treat a migraine attack once it has started.
00:01:22:07 - 00:01:44:13
Dr. Linda Davis
Your response can vary — some people may feel improvements in their migraine symptoms. Some people may experience side effects like drowsiness or an upset stomach. This is where you and your doctor can look at your symptoms journal to identify how many days you've had symptoms, whether you can return to normal activities, and if additional medication or a change in medication may be needed.
00:01:44:15 - 00:02:06:06
Dr. Linda Davis
These details help guide your doctor in refining your treatment plan to continuously optimize your care. Finally, your doctor should ask, “Do you have any concerns when taking an acute treatment?” If they don't ask, you can still speak up with your questions, such as ‘Will the medication provide pain relief and address my most bothersome symptoms?’ ‘How quickly does it work?’
00:02:06:08 - 00:02:27:00
Dr. Linda Davis
‘Will I be able to resume my normal activities?’ ‘Will the acute treatment have an impact on other chronic conditions or interact with other medications?’ or ‘What are the common side effects?’ Addressing these questions with your doctor can help build your confidence in your treatment plan. When you feel informed and assured, you're more likely to stick to your plan —
00:02:27:02 - 00:02:46:12
Dr. Linda Davis
and that's key to reducing the burden of migraine. We are in a cutting-edge environment right now where we have many options to help improve quality of life and reduce migraine burden. Never hesitate to ask questions and advocate for yourself. Learn more and connect at MyMigraineTeam.com.
Trying to answer doctor questions about your experience with migraine can be a difficult and intimidating task. However, knowing specific details about your migraine attacks can help your health care provider understand what you’re going through and recommend the best treatment plan for you.1 It’s important for your doctor to ask the right questions in the short time they have with you during an appointment.
To highlight these questions, MyMigraineTeam talked with Dr. Linda Davis about the questions health care providers should be asking their patients. Dr. Davis is a board-certified family medicine physician with a special interest in migraine management. She is the founder and medical director of Kolvita Family Medical Group in Mission Viejo, California, and has more than two decades of experience as a physician, mentor, and medical lecturer.
Here are the three key questions Dr. Davis recommends doctors ask their patients about migraine — and how to bring up these topics yourself if your doctor doesn’t ask them.
According to Dr. Davis, this question is important because keeping track of the “details around your migraine attacks specifically is essential for migraine management.” She discussed the different ways to keep track of symptoms, such as noting them on a calendar, writing them in a journal, or using various phone apps.
By tracking the details of your migraine attacks, you can help your health care provider find patterns, predict when attacks might occur, and allow for a more rapid response, Dr. Davis said. Some of the key details to track include1:
Dr. Davis also emphasized that knowing these details may help your health care provider find the right migraine treatment for you more quickly.
The second question health care providers should ask relates to how you feel after taking a migraine acute treatment. Dr. Davis advised that it’s important to communicate how a migraine acute treatment worked on your migraine symptoms. She also stressed that you should mention any side effects you experienced.
Dr. Davis emphasized that this information can help a health care provider understand whether a treatment is working and if they need to change it to better meet your needs.
Your health care provider should ask if you have any concerns about your migraine acute treatment. Even if they don’t ask, Dr. Davis suggests speaking up about your questions and concerns. Some questions you might ask include2:
Dr. Davis emphasized that asking these questions can help build confidence about your treatment plan and may help you better stick with it. Many current migraine treatment options can help improve your quality of life and reduce the burden of migraine, she said. Dr. Davis ended the conversation by encouraging people with migraine to always ask questions and never hesitate to advocate for better migraine care for themselves.
© 2025 AbbVie. All rights reserved. ABBV-US-01911-MC V1.0 Approved 3/2025
Nicole Naccara, PharmD. Associate Scientific Director of U.S. Medical Affairs at AbbVie
is currently focused on supporting migraine-related initiatives.
Learn more about her here.
Elizabeth Wartella, M.P.H., an editor at MyHealthTeam, in collaboration with AbbVie
holds a Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University. She is passionate about spreading accurate, evidence-based health information.
Learn more about her here.
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