Medication Diary Get started
Reading graphs

A Rise That Doesn't Reach as High

The starting point is the same as usual, but it stops at a low height. What to look at is the vertical height.

The graph

An example curve that rises but peaks low 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 08:30. higher lower 07:00 06 08 10 12 14 An example curve that rises but peaks low 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 08:30. higher lower 07:00 06 08 10 12 14
  • Response through the day
  • Reference curve, for comparison
  • Time a dose was taken
An illustration generated for teaching. The dotted line is a reference curve for comparison and does not stand for normal.

This is a textbook case of something that disappears if you only record it as good or bad. It’s not that nothing happened, and it’s not that the usual amount happened either, so if you have to pick one of the two, neither one fits well.

On the curve it’s easy to see. The solid line starts rising at the same time as the dotted line, but it stops at about half height and comes back down from there. The horizontal direction is similar; only the vertical direction is different.

Recording output by degree carries the most weight for this pattern. Once a single peak number accumulates over several days, how many times it was low, and at which dose, stays on record just as it happened.

What to look at

  • The height of the peak Compared with the dotted line, about how high it stopped.
  • The point where it started rising Whether the start was the same as usual. If so, then only the height has changed.
  • How long the low peak held Whether it held for a while even at that low level, or came back down right away.

Worth recording when you see this shape

  • The peak height at the best moment This is the single most important thing to note for this pattern.
  • Your usual output at the same time of day You need something to compare against before "low" becomes a specific value.
  • The time it began to rise This separates a delayed start from a merely low one.
  • Meals before and after, and what they were This lets you see the interval between the dose and the meal.

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