Day-to-Day Headache Care Tools

Practical tools to support your headache care

Managing a headache disorder often involves more than clinic visits alone. Tracking symptoms, understanding medications, and having reliable tools between appointments can make care more effective and less stressful.

This page brings together practical tools and downloads for patients of the Ottawa Headache Centre. These materials are commonly recommended by your clinician to help you prepare for visits, understand your treatment plan, and participate actively in your care.

You do not need to use every tool listed here.

Tracking your headache

Keeping track of headache frequency, severity, triggers, and medication use can help your clinician better understand your condition and adjust treatment appropriately. At times, an accurate headache diary is the only tool that can help make an accurate diagnosis and start targeted treatment.

You may be asked to use one of the following tools before or after your visit.

Recommended headache trackers

Migraine Tracker by Migraine Canada

Migraine Buddy

MyClusters - built specifically for cluster headache (i.e., Horton's headache)

Prefer pen-and-paper? Download one of the printable headache trackers from Migraine Canada.

Bring your records to appointments or review them with your clinician as advised.

Understanding your medications

Medications are an important part of headache care, but they work best when patients understand why they are being used and how to take them safely. Handouts are intended to reinforce discussions and answer common questions.

The specialists at Ottawa Headache Centre have prepared downloadable Medication Handouts to help you and your clinician make informed decisions.

Explore our Medication Handouts here.

These materials explain how medications are used in headache care, common side effects, precautions, and when to seek advice. They are intended to support — not replace — discussions with your clinician.

Bringing resources to your doctor

Some patients find it helpful to share clear, evidence-based information with their family physician when discussing headache treatment options, or while they wait for a specialist consultation.

At the Ottawa Headache Centre, we have developed a physician prescribing guide to provide support on how to select acute and preventive treatments. It is designed to support constructive conversations between patients and clinicians and reflect current headache care practices.

Access our Clinical Guidance for doctors here.

These materials are not meant to direct care independently, but to provide a common reference point that can support shared decision-making and coordination of care.

Special situations

Headache care sometimes requires additional considerations depending on life circumstances or where care is provided.

Additional resources

Headache in Pregnancy and during Breastfeeding / Lactation

Headache in the Emergency Department (ED)

These materials are included to support safe decision-making in specific situations and may not apply to everyone.

Looking for more detailed information?

Some patients want to explore headache conditions or treatments in more depth.

For detailed explanations of headache disorders, visit Conditions and Diagnosis.

For an overview of treatment approaches, visit Resources → Treatments and Medications.

To learn more about migraine-specific treatments, visit

Migraine → Migraine Acute Treatments

Migraine → Migraine Preventive Treatments

Migraine → Botox® for Migraine

Migraine → CGRP Antagonists

For reliable and trusted external resources, visit Resources → Tools and Trusted Resources