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Reading graphs

A Rise That Starts Late

The peak ends up about the same, but it takes longer to get there. What matters is the starting point, not the height.

The graph

An example curve where the rise starts later than usual The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 15:00. The vertical axis is how well the body is moving, relative to that person's own range — higher is better movement. Doses are marked at 07:00. The highest point is around 09:30. higher lower 07:00 06 08 10 12 14 An example curve where the rise starts later than usual The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 15:00. The vertical axis is how well the body is moving, relative to that person's own range — higher is better movement. Doses are marked at 07:00. The highest point is around 09:30. higher lower 07:00 06 08 10 12 14
  • Response through the day
  • Reference curve, for comparison
  • Time a dose was taken
An example curve made for teaching. The dotted line is a reference curve for comparison and does not mean "normal."

Lay the two curves over each other and the difference is clear. The dotted line and the solid line show doses taken at the same time, but the solid line stays flat at the bottom for a while before it finally starts to rise.

One common misreading here is thinking, “a day it comes up late is a day the medication was weak.” In fact, there are days when the peak still climbs to about the same height as the dotted line. On days like that, the medication wasn’t weak — the start was just delayed — and the two situations call for recording different information.

So for this shape, if you get just two things right — the dosing time and the time it started to change — the curve will tell you the rest.

What to look at

  • The horizontal distance from the dose marker to the point where the curve begins to rise That this distance is longer than usual is all there is to this shape.
  • The height during that gap Whether it stayed flat at the bottom while waiting, or was inching up little by little.
  • The peak it eventually reached, even coming late Whether it climbed to about the same height as the dotted line, or stopped somewhere lower.

Worth recording when you see this shape

  • The time the dose was actually taken Noting it at the moment, rather than from memory, is what makes the gap accurate.
  • The time you felt it start to change For this shape, this time matters more than the peak.
  • Meal times and what you ate, before and after This lets you look at the gap between dosing and meals together.
  • Which dose of the day it was In some cases it shows up only at the first dose of the morning.

The shape of the curve is material for describing your situation. Decisions about the type, dose, or timing of medication belong with the clinicians who look after you.

Start recording