|
1) Educate yourself and your family. Read about your type of headache and its
treatment.
2) Maintain a headache diary. Learn to identify and avoid headache
"triggers".
3) Obtain written instructions from your doctor.
4) Limit your use of over-the-counter (non-prescription) medicines to no
more than two doses per week. Excessive use can actually increase headaches.
5) Follow a regular schedule:
- Don’t skip meals, especially breakfast.
- Get eight hours of sleep nightly.
- Avoid caffeinated foods (for example, chocolate), beverages
(for example, teas, colas, coffee), and other dietary triggers. (For example,
aged cheeses, pizza, luncheon meats, sausage/hot dogs, other
"junk" foods, Oriental foods containing MSG)
- Minimize stress and other headache triggers
6) Daily school attendance IS A MUST.
7) Initiate non-drug measures at the earliest onset of your headache:
- Seek rest in a quiet, comfortable location.
- Use relaxation strategies and other methods to reduce stress.
- Apply a cold compress.
8) Don’t wait. Take the maximum allowable dosage of recommended medicine(s) at the first sign of a severe headache.
9) Take prescribed medicine regularly, as directed, and
maintain regular follow-up visits.
10) Call your doctor when problems arise.
|
