Online Doctor's Note for a Migraine

How long a migraine attack usually lasts

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), migraine episodes can happen in phases: an early prodrome phase that starts hours to days before the pain, sometimes an aura lasting under an hour, the headache phase itself, and a postdrome phase afterward that can leave people feeling drained for up to two days. The headache phase alone usually lasts from hours to days, and it typically starts slowly and builds, most often on one side of the head. A rare complication called status migrainosus is pain that lasts longer than 3 days and can be severe enough to require medical treatment, sometimes including hospitalization.

Signs a migraine needs urgent care, not just a note

An absence note documents that you reported migraine symptoms and were advised to rest. It isn’t an evaluation, and this service doesn’t diagnose or prescribe. Seek urgent or emergency care for a sudden headache that’s the worst you’ve ever had, one that comes on abnormally fast, or one accompanied by fever, a stiff neck, confusion, weakness, or vision changes. Pain that keeps going past 3 days without letting up is also worth getting checked rather than waiting out, since NINDS describes that as a rare but serious complication that can involve severe pain and nausea intense enough to need hospital treatment.

What sets migraine apart from a typical headache

NINDS describes migraine as a health condition with a recognizable pattern: often throbbing pain on one side of the head, along with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, or smell, and in some people, aura symptoms like visual disturbances or tingling beforehand. Between attacks, people living with migraine can also have trouble concentrating, tiredness, or sleep difficulty. Common triggers include poor or excess sleep, skipped meals, strong smells, hormonal changes, emotional stress, and bright or flashing lights, though triggers vary from person to person and don’t apply the same way to everyone. If your headaches don’t follow that pattern, our general headache note page may be a better fit.

What to tell your employer

Most employers just need to know you were out and for how long. The note can confirm you reported migraine symptoms and were advised to rest without going into every detail, if you’d rather keep that private. If your employer wants to confirm the note is genuine, that only happens with your permission, since a doctor can’t disclose your health information to a third party without your consent. If migraine attacks are affecting your work often enough that you’re requesting notes regularly, that pattern is worth discussing with your regular doctor or a neurologist, since long-term prevention is a different conversation than a single absence note can cover.