What to Tell the Doctor
- Talk to the doctor about changing a pain medicine from PRN (as needed) to a regular around the clock (ATC) schedule if the person needs the medicine frequently. This gives the person better pain control hour by hour. This also alerts the doctor that the plan of treatment may need to be adjusted or changed due to the level of pain that the person is having.
- Show the doctor your care diary that describes the person’s pain and steps taken to relieve the pain. Include details about the pain and any behaviors you have noticed such as pain scale measures, body movements or expressions.
- Let the doctor know about any new type of pain.
- Let the doctor know what, if anything, relieves the person’s pain.