What To Tell Your Neurologist

Neurologists are medical doctors who specialize in providing diagnosis, treatment, and care for a person’s nervous system. There are a lot of medical conditions they treat. 

A visit with your neurologist, or any type of doctor, can be a little bit intimidating. This is especially true if it is your first time.

So in this article, we will share with you some of what to tell your neurologist during your visit so they can provide the best care possible. 

What To Tell Your Neurologists 

Suppose you have an appointment with your neurologist after being referred to by your primary care physician. During your appointment with your neurologist, here are some of the things you will want to be prepared to share with them:

• Your symptoms
• Other medical conditions that you have
• Family history
• Medications
• Prohibited drugs

Now let’s go through them one by one.

Your Symptoms

It is important to tell your neurologist what your symptoms are. That is the reason why you are seeking medical attention in the first place. 

And when you inform your neurologist what your symptoms are, make sure to be as open, honest and specific as possible. This will give your neurologist an idea what your medical condition may be. And also help them make more informed decisions on what the next steps should be.

Depending on the symptoms, you may even want to keep a log of when you experience them, their severity, etc. This can provide some meaningful insights your neurologist can use to better understand what you are experiencing.

Other Medical Conditions 

It is also important for your neurologist to know what your other medical conditions are. This includes allergies and idiosyncratic reactions. 

By being upfront about your other medical conditions, you are helping your neurologist choose the right treatment option, or create the proper treatment plan for you. 

This may also help in knowing if your other medical conditions may be related to the reason you’re visiting the neurologist.  

Family History

As many of us know, medical conditions can be passed down in families. So it is important for your neurologist to know what your family’s history is. Because your medical condition may have something to do with what your relatives may have experienced. 

Medications

Similar to your other doctors, your neurologist must also know what medications you are currently taking. Also they often want to know what drugs you have taken in the past. This includes over-the-counter medicines like vitamins, supplements, and even herbs. 

These medications may be a factor to what you are experiencing. 

It might help to write these down ahead of time. That will give you time to make sure you have a complete list to share. That way you don’t have to try to remember it all at the doctor’s office. 

Prohibited/Illegal Drugs

This is a sensitive and confidential thing to talk about. Due to doctor – patient confidentiality, this is something that will stay between you and your doctor.  

Despite it being a sensitive topic, however, you must talk about it with your doctors. That is because taking illegal drugs, or other substances, may have something to do with your current medical condition. The neurologist can’t help you if they don’t know about everything that may impact your condition.

Summary

The key points here:

• Make sure tell your neurologist everything going on with you that could possibly be relevant to your condition
• It is often helpful to prepare ahead of time and write things down so you can remember them and share them with your neurologist
• The more open and honest you are with your neurologist, the better able they will be to treat you effectively