Why use the Migrevention Headache App?

The Migrevention Headache App lets you track and analyze your headaches, including frequency, medication use, medication effectiveness, triggers, and relief methods, with a digital, structured, and visualized headache diary. The app is designed to help prevent medication-overuse headaches (MOH) by warning you when you may be taking too much medication.

Medication-overuse alert function enables the calculation of medication-overuse limits and criteria according to the IHS Classification ICHD-3, based on the input data provided by the user (patient), and to provide warning alerts to the user (patient) in case the medication-overuse nears the threshold that aligns with the criteria specified in the IHS Classification ICHD-3.

Headaches are among the most common neurological conditions, and treating them often requires more than just taking medication—it involves lifestyle changes and collaboration with various healthcare professionals.

Keeping a headache diary is a crucial part of managing headaches. It helps you record when headaches occur, which medications you take, and, in some cases, the intensity of the pain. Although it might seem tedious and unnecessary, consistently filling in a headache diary is essential for making accurate diagnoses, tailoring treatments, and monitoring the effectiveness of those treatments.

Traditionally, headache diaries have been paper-based. However, studies have shown that paper diaries are prone to recall errors. This happens when symptoms aren't recorded immediately but instead are added later, often inaccurately. These errors can mislead your treatment team, leading to less effective care.

Recent research indicates that digital headache diaries, such as smartphone applications, offer a more reliable method for collecting data. They are generally preferred over paper diaries because they are easier to fill out, more discreet in public, and less prone to recall bias. Digital diaries can send automatic reminders, encouraging timely entries, which improves the accuracy of the data and ultimately enhances the quality of your treatment.

Age, gender, season, day of the week, headache frequency, headache intensity, medication use, and the time required to fill in the diary can all influence compliance with headache diaries. A well-designed digital headache diary should be easy to use, save time, avoid unnecessary questions, and allow quick entries even when you're experiencing a severe headache. Additionally, it should ensure that your healthcare team can access your data quickly and reliably.

For more information, you can refer to the following studies:

1. Giffin NJ, Ruggiero L, Lipton RB, Silberstein SD, Tvedskov JF, Olesen J, et al. Premonitory symptoms in migraine: An electronic diary study. Neurology. 2003;60(6):935–40.

2. Heyer GL, Rose SC. Which factors affect daily compliance with an internet headache diary among youth with migraine? Clin J Pain. 2015;31(12):1075–9.

3. Coons SJ, Eremenco S, Lundy JJ, O’Donohoe P, O’Gorman H, Malizia W. Capturing Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) Data Electronically: The Past, Present, and Promise of ePRO Measurement in Clinical Trials. Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Res. 2015;8:301–9.

4. Vo P, Paris N, Bilitou A, Valena T, Fang J, Naujoks C, et al. Burden of Migraine in Europe Using Self-Reported Digital Diary Data from the Migraine Buddy© Application. Neurol Ther. 2018 Dec 1;7(2):321–32.

5. Sorbi MJ, Mak SB, Houtveen JH, Kleiboer AM, van Doornen LJ. Mobile Web-Based Monitoring and Coaching: Feasibility in Chronic Migraine. J Med Internet Res. 2007 Dec 31;9(5):e38.

6. Minen MT, Torous J, Raynowska J, Piazza A, Grudzen C, Powers S, et al. Electronic behavioral interventions for headache: a systematic review. J Headache Pain. 2016 Dec 10;17(1):51.