Embedded Files
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Ottawa Headache Centre
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the Ottawa Headache Centre
Get clear answers to what you’ll need for your referral, first visit, treatments offered, fees, and clinic policies. Whether you’re a new patient or a referring clinician, this page helps you prepare for care at our headache specialty clinic in Ottawa.
What headache referrals will you accept?
What headache referrals will you accept?
We accept referrals for any headache disorder.
Please understand that we triage referrals according to urgency.
Migraine (episodic and chronic)
Headache in special populations (pregnancy and lactation, high vascular risk, older adults)
CSF dynamic disorders (idiopathic intracranial hypertension and CSF-leak/spontaneous intracranial hypotension)
Secondary headache disorders
Cranial neuralgias (trigeminal neuralgia, occipital neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, nervus intermedius neuralgia)
Any headache disorder
How do I get referred to your clinic?
How do I get referred to your clinic?
Any physician or nurse practitioner can fax a referral to 1.613.562.6384.
What can I expect in my first visit?
What can I expect in my first visit?
During your first visit one of our specialists will review your referral notes, and take a detailed history from you. This is the first step in establishing your headache diagnosis. While many patients may have a presumed diagnosis of migraine, a focused history often reveals an alternative headache disorder (e.g., tension-type headache, cluster headache, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, trigeminal neuralgia, etc.). It is not uncommon to discover a different (or additional) headache disorder than what was previously thought.
In clinic, the doctor will perform a focused neurological exam that may include taking your vital signs, examination of your cranial nerves (i.e., observing the movement of your facial muscles, ocular testing, facial sensation), fundoscopic examination of your optic discs (to look for signs of elevated intracranial pressure), a motor and sensory examination of your arms and legs, and reflexes. No element of the physical examination is invasive, and blood-work is not taken during this visit.
At the end of your visit, the doctor will summarize the findings and provide you with a precise headache related diagnosis and personalized treatment options.
Are the clinicians at the Ottawa Headache Centre doctors?
Are the clinicians at the Ottawa Headache Centre doctors?
Yes.
Our clinicians are physicians (i.e., medical doctors - MD) - all certified as specialists by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and/or the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
What services/treatments do you offer?
What services/treatments do you offer?
As a specialized headache clinic we offer comprehensive headache management across the full-spectrum of headache disorders.
We offer both foundational as well as specialized headache treatment (e.g., CGRP antagonists/monoclonal antibodies, occipital nerve blocks, onabotulinumtoxin-A injections - Botox® , evidence-based off-label treatment, etc.).
Do you offer onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) injections?
Do you offer onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) injections?
Yes.
We offer onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®) for eligible patients with chronic migraine, and selected off-label uses for other headache disorders (e.g., trigeminal neuralgia).
Do you offer CGRP antagonists?
Do you offer CGRP antagonists?
Yes.
To eligible patients we offer oral CGRP antagonists (gepants: atogepant, rimegepant, and ubrogepant), and injectable CGRP monoclonal antibodies (eptinezumab, erenumab, fremanezumab, and galcanezumab).
Are there any mandatory fees at your clinic?
Are there any mandatory fees at your clinic?
There are no fees for medically-insured services with a valid health card. A consultation will not be obligatorily bundled with an uninsured service.
For uninsured services, a standard uninsured fee may apply as per the Ontario Medical Association's guidelines.
Except in exceptional circumstances, patients who miss their scheduled appointment or cancel within 24 hours will be invoiced a "no show fee".
How do I prepare for my visit?
How do I prepare for my visit?
We are committed to provide the highest level of care we can. To help us do this, please follow these recommendations:
Arrive prepared.
Think about the headache (or headaches) you have had, and how frequently you are experiencing them.
Consider completing a headache diary (e.g., with the Migraine Tracker from Migraine Canada, or at least in pen-and-paper to get a sense of your monthly-headache-days).
Your doctor should send any relevant investigations, or other headache-specific consultation reports.
Be early.
To help us be on time, it helps if you aim to be early. Late arrivals have a snowball effect for the rest of the patients.
Consider bringing a family member.
It can be easy to forget a detail after a consultation; family members can help take notes.
If you foresee a language barrier, please bring an interpreter if you are able to.
Is your clinic accessible?
Is your clinic accessible?
Yes.
Our clinic is located in Suite 400 of the Carling Executive Park. It is located in the 4th floor accessible via an elevator. Take a look at the "Contact" page to learn more about how to find us.
Do you use narcotics/opioids at your clinic?
Do you use narcotics/opioids at your clinic?
Narcotics/opioids play almost no role in headache medicine and are recommended against by most international guidelines.
They are associated with worse headache burden, medication overuse headache, rebound headache, and avoidable side-effects. At the same time there are many evidence-based effective treatments for headache that are not narcotics/opioids.
Refills for narcotics/opioids must be done by the patients' own prescribing physicians.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse