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Reading graphs

A Shorter Held Stretch

This is a shape you can only see by placing a whole day's curves side by side, not just one. What to look at is the stretch between one dose and the next.

The graph

An example curve where the dose interval stays the same but the held stretch keeps shortening toward the end of the day The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 00:00. 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, 11:00, 15:00, 19:00. The highest point is around 12:00. higher lower 07:00 11:00 15:00 19:00 06 09 12 15 18 21 24 An example curve where the dose interval stays the same but the held stretch keeps shortening toward the end of the day The horizontal axis runs from 06:00 to 00:00. 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, 11:00, 15:00, 19:00. The highest point is around 12:00. higher lower 07:00 11:00 15:00 19:00 06 09 12 15 18 21 24
  • Response through the day
  • Time a dose was taken
An illustration generated for teaching. It does not represent the response to any particular medication or dose, and real curves differ from person to person.

This shape can’t be recognized from a single dose alone. Looked at by itself, one peak looks unremarkable. Only when you line up a whole day’s peaks does it become visible that they narrow and the troughs widen as the day goes on.

There’s an order to reading it. First, check whether the spacing between the dose marks stays even. If the spacing itself is uneven, you can’t tell whether the held stretch got shorter or the dose was just taken late. Once you’ve confirmed the spacing is even, look at how far ahead of the next dose each peak starts coming down.

By feel, this becomes “the medication got weaker,” but what actually changes on the curve is usually the width, not the height. This difference only shows up once you record the time it began to feel heavy again.

What to look at

  • The spacing between the dose marks First check whether this spacing stays the same all day. In the graph above, it does.
  • The point where each peak starts coming down Look at how far this point sits ahead of the next dose mark.
  • The depth and width of the trough between one peak and the next Whether the trough gets deeper and wider toward the end of the day.
  • The change in peak height The height is often similar; it's usually only the width that narrows.

Worth recording when you see this shape

  • The dose time You need to confirm the interval was steady before anything else can mean much.
  • The time it began to feel heavy again This is the single most important thing to note for this pattern.
  • How much time remained until the next dose This is what gets calculated to show how early it dropped.
  • Which dose of the day it was This lets you separate the morning difference from the afternoon one.
  • That day's activity level Keep days with a lot of movement separate from days spent resting.

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.

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