Cefaly Medical Device Approved

The first preventative migraine medical device has just been approved by the FDA:

fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/ … 388765.htm

Wonder if this would help with MAV as well (I don’t see why not?). What are people’s thoughts?

I read on another site that it costs $250 in Canada at Costco. Seems like a pretty reasonable price to pay if it would work to reduce the migraines to me…

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I came on the site today because of this article in the Canadian press:

o.canada.com/health/fda-approves … migraines/

Is it only for the migraine pain, or does it work for the vertigo? Is it related to that huge one that’s being tested for Mdds by Dr. Cha, the rTMS? Or is it a head Seabands?

It’s not just a seaband for the head. It mentions using electrodes and a pulse, so it sounds like a trans-cranial stimulation device. I’m allergic to the adhesive they use on all those pads so I don’t know if I am a candidate or not, but would love to try it!

Literally JUST saw this on the news! I was wondering if it works for us that struggles with almost every SX BUT headaches!! :expressionless:

I am dying to know if this will work for vertigo!!! anyone?!

I’m really considering this as an option, does it work? If so, how does it help? Thank u!

Yes, I use it daily. It’s reduced the painful parts of migraines. Ask Erik @ander454, he’s had longer experience.

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How does it work? When you “use” it, what do you do? How long do you use (wear?) it?

It’s electro stimulation of the trigeminal nerve. I don’t what makes it work but I can say after 2 months I have less migraine pain. I have more crystal clear days and way less brain fog.

It’s an electrode with some little electronic do-dad that fries your brain for 20 minutes (prophylactic) or 60 minutes (acute). It kinda hurts but you get used to it. It’s spendy - $500, but they have a 60-day return policy. They can’t have it back.

Sexy, though, not even. Cue the jokes about Vision, Infinity Stones, Star Trek.

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Wow! So, if you are having a migraine headache, and you put it on for 60 minutes, how much do you think it reduces your pain?

If that migraine isn’t due to my neck vertebrae pinching my brain stem, the Cefaly can kill the migraine. It gets kind of addictive to where you want to use it daily.

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I think it may work as a “gate” to migraine pain in acute mode, and then a sort of desensitization over time in preventative mode. I use mine most ever night for 20min. Much more tolerable than medication I think. My wife says I look like wonder woman.

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I use a lot less rescue meds since I got the Cefaly.

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I ordered and received my Cefaly last week, thanks to a very generous benefactor.

I used it once for 20 minutes at night-time and unfortunately it provoked a very noticeable increase in rocking sensations, which lasted all the next day too.

I don’t want to give up on it too easily, so think I might try again but start with just a couple of minutes and build up more slowly, though I do feel a bit nervous of it.

But are there any people out there who found the Cefaly made them worse at first but helped them in the long run? Or is it a question of you either being someone it helps or not?

Also, I had the feeling that the aspect that the vibration of it could potentially help is the part of my brain that is being numbed out by Nortriptyline (70mg) at the moment. Any thoughts/experience of combining it with drugs?

Hope you’re all surviving the coronavirus craziness…

Yeah it definitely takes a bit to get used to, on occasion I will feel a bit dizzier afterwards, but not significantly. Are you pressing the button when it starts to feel too intense? That will stop the intensity from ramping to the max over the 20 min therapy. I suggest taking it “easy” with the sessions for a couple weeks while you get used to the sensations. Another tip is to really wash your forehead well with soap before you apply the electrode. If this isn’t done the electrical signals can sort of hurt over time I’ve found. And the electrodes lose their stickiness fast…

I use Cefaly with 20mg of Ami and Emgality. Per my Neurologist’s guidance the Cefaly is completely safe to use with drugs. I actually can relate I think by your comment “numbed out by Nortriptyline”, but I think this sensation is just present when you are on the drug AND are having migraine activity. Now that I’m near 100% recovered and still on 20mg of Ami, I feel much less numb than when I started Ami. In other words, its probably not just the drug, its probably a combo of the drug and migraines together… Hope this helps!

Erik

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Thanks for your helpful reply. Yes I did press the button when it got too intense, within a couple of minutes of starting I think. It didn’t seem too much while I was actually doing it, it just left me with a lot of rocking after I stopped… I think I’ll try again with a shorter very mild setting and see what happens.

Just out of interest, do you feel like you have discrete migraine episodes that start and end, that the Cefaly helps with? Or do you have ongoing chronic symptoms that don’t change very much? I wonder if the Cefaly maybe helps people who have more episodic VM?

My VM is a chronic type that doesn’t change a lot from day to day. It can definitely vary from day to day a bit but mostly its just baseline symptoms that have been slowly receding over several years.

I have pressure between my eyes, in my sinus and sometimes exploding head pressure everywhere in the head. However my sinuses are always clear now (thanks to Amitriptyline). I never describe the head/nasal pressure as a headache, its not a sharp pain, just a dull and irritable pressure. So it makes sense I think that I get relief from Cefaly, as it sits right there on my face where I feel a lot of symptoms during the day!

At first Cefaly didn’t help me with the dizziness. Now, about a year in, whenever the dizziness starts to really ramp up, I use my Cefaly. I often walk away feeling stable and clear headed.

Right yes that makes sense. I don’t have pressure in my face so much, more just round the crown of my head.

Thanks for your comment :slightly_smiling_face:. I had heard that it might take a while for it to help, what I’m not sure about is whether any of the people it eventually helps experience exacerbated symptoms from the Cefaly when they first start using it… As nobody has responded saying they did feel worse initially, I’m thinking that maybe that didn’t happen to the people who have stuck with it.