Some headaches are not for a diary
The NHS lists headache signs that mean calling 999 or going to A&E rather than logging an attack: a headache that started suddenly and is extremely painful, one with numbness or weakness in the body or face, one following a seizure, difficulty speaking or balancing, or a headache after a head injury in the last three months. Their page carries the full list.
- NHS — Headaches: when to get help
The urgent signs, the non-urgent ones, and what to do about each. Worth reading once before you need it.
- NHS — Stroke
The FAST signs. A sudden severe headache with face, arm or speech symptoms is an emergency.
- NHS — Subarachnoid haemorrhage
Why a sudden, agonising, worst-ever headache is assessed urgently. If this is happening now, call your local emergency number.
If you are unsure and you are in the UK, NHS 111 is available online and by phone.
MigraineLog resources
Migraine — where to read further
Links to the migraine charities, headache societies and clinical references people usually want next. A headache diary is one of the things a neurologist will actually ask for, which is most of what this app is for.
MigraineLog is a record you keep. It is not a diagnosis, not a treatment, and it cannot tell you what type of headache you have. Patterns in a diary are a starting point for a conversation, not a conclusion.
Decisions about your health belong with a qualified professional. ClearStack Apps is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by any organisation listed on this page.
Migraine organisations
Charities that fund research and support people living with migraine. Their guides are written for patients and reviewed by clinicians.
- The Migraine Trust
UK charity with a support service and a thorough guide to the types of migraine, including the phases most people do not know are part of an attack.
- American Migraine Foundation
US non-profit founded by the American Headache Society. Its resource library covers treatments, triggers and finding a headache specialist.
Medication overuse — the trap that looks like worsening migraine
Taking painkillers or triptans on too many days a month can cause headaches of its own, and it is easy to miss because it looks like the migraine getting worse. A diary is one of the few ways to spot it, which is a good reason to log what you took as well as how you felt.
- The Migraine Trust — Medication overuse headache
What it is, the thresholds that matter, and why coming off treatment is done with a clinician rather than alone.
Health services and clinical references
- NHS — Migraine
Symptoms, triggers, treatments available on the NHS, and when to see a GP.
- NICE CKS — Migraine
The summary UK GPs work from: how migraine is diagnosed, what acute and preventive treatment should look like, and when to refer.
- ICHD-3 — International Classification of Headache Disorders
The formal classification headache specialists use. Dense, but it is the source every "type of headache" article is paraphrasing.
- International Headache Society
The body that publishes ICHD-3, with guidelines and research for clinicians.
Honest scope
A migraine diary reduces guesswork — it does not remove it, and no diary has ever stopped an attack. What MigraineLog holds is your own record of attacks, triggers and treatments, which is what a GP or neurologist asks you to bring and what makes an appointment worth the wait. It cannot diagnose migraine, rule anything out, or tell you whether a treatment is working. That belongs with a clinician.
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Reviewed 1 August 2026