Cefaly: A Non Pharmaceutical Option for Migraine Prevention and Acute Pain Relief
When Cefaly reached out to me to try their product, I could not pass this up! To be honest, I have had my eye on the Cefaly device for quite some time. I have been very intrigued about how Cefaly offers migraine suffers a drug free option for both preventing migraine attacks and for acute pain relief during an attack. Throughout this blog, we are going to be discussing what is Cefaly, how does Cefaly work, and my personal experience using the cefaly device.
**This post contains affiliate links. The Migraine Nurse LLC is a Cefaly Affiliate and makes a small percentage from qualified purchases through the links or codes provided. Thank you!***
Click here to purchase Cefaly and use code TheMigraineNurse for 15% off the Cefaly Device (Plus this discount code can be combined with other sitewide promos!)
What is Cefaly?
Cefaly is an External Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation device (e-TNS) that stimulates the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve is a major pain pathway that runs along the face. It is directly involved in the migraine process. Essentially when a migraine occurs, the trigeminal nerve is activated causing the pain response, including severe throbbing, pulsating head pain that most people experience during a migraine attack. By stimulating the trigeminal nerve by using the Cefaly device, it has been shown to decrease the frequency and intensity of migraine attacks.
Cefaly is designed for people with migraine who do not respond to medication treatment options for migraine relief and/or prevention or for those that wish to seek out non-medication options to treat migraine!
Click here to learn more!
How does Cefaly Prevent and Treat Migraine Attacks?
Cefaly can be used to both treat migraine attacks and prevent migraine attacks, making it a great addition to your migraine toolkit! It is super easy to use as well! The acute treatment for migraine relief is a 60 minute as needed session, where the device flashes blue. The prevention for migraine is a daily 20 minute session, where the device flashes purple.
A study conducted in 2019 showed that those that used the Cefaly device during a migraine attack had an average of 59% reduction in pain intensity after a 60 minute treatment. In another study conducted on the use of Cefaly for migraine prevention showed that those that used the Cefaly device daily for 20 minutes saw on average a 30% reduction in migraine attacks. Also, 38% of the participants saw a 50% reduction of migraine attacks. Since participants saw a reduction in migraine attacks, they saw a reduction in acute migraine medication per month!
Click here to purchase Cefaly and use code TheMigraineNurse for 15% off the Cefaly Device (Plus this discount code can be combined with other sitewide promos!)
My Experience with Cefaly
First Impressions: When the package arrived from Cefaly, I was so excited! They sent me SO many fun goodies along with the Cefaly device including a t-shirt, eye mask, and a handwritten letter. (They sure know how to make an influencer feel important!) When I got the Cefaly device, I had just moved to Minnesota from Arizona. During the weeks prior to moving and during the move, I had noticed that my frequency of migraine attacks had increased and I was using more abortive medication for migraine relief. I tried to not dwell on this too much because I was very stressed about this HUGE move across the country, but in the back of my head I was concerned about medication overuse headaches.
As soon as I opened the Cefaly device, I placed it on its’ charger (which takes about 4 hours to fully charge.) While I waited for the Cefaly to charge, I read through the device manual and I felt a little confused on how to use the device, so I went online to Cefaly.com and thankfully they had so many short videos to watch on how to use! That night, I tried Cefaly for the first time and did a 20 minute preventative session. At first, the sensation of the device was weird and I programmed it so it wasn't too intense. Then, I felt straight asleep with all the lights on! When I woke up a few hours later, I was shocked! (Apparently this can happen, so that is why I do the preventative setting before bed.)
Then, I continued using the Cefaly device for a few more days and weeks nightly before bed. I noticed that each time I used the device, I became more confident using the device and I was able to increase the intensity as well. After a while, I actually started to enjoy the sensation of the Cefaly device and looked forward to the 20 minute preventative treatments.
To be honest, when I did use it for acute relief during a migraine attack, the sensation of the device felt really good on my achy head and it would decrease my pain but not fully take it away, so I would still use acute medication after the treatment had ended. But I think I need to try it with more migraine attacks. I have only been able to use it twice for migraine relief and this is because you have to be lying down or leaning back when using the device (and if you are anything like me, I tend to keep pushing through or I have to keep working during a migraine attack, so I do not always have an hour available to use the device.)
However, I love how Cefaly gives me a nonmedictaion treatment option for pain relief and honestly I just need more time to try it out. This was the main reason why I was SO intrigued by this device (especially since my husband and I are wanting to start a family soon!)
UPDATE: It has been over 4 months of using the Cefaly device pretty consistently and I have witnessed two amazing things! One: my migraine pain has changed over time. What I mean by this is that the Cefaly device works by stimulating the trigeminal nerve and when done consistently that nerve becomes less reactive. Two: When using the Cefaly device at the very first sign of a migraine attack, my migraine completely dissipates without having to use medication. Now I am not perfect and I am not always able to use the Cefaly device right when an attack hits, but when I have a bad a migraine attack and combine Cefaly with medication, Cefaly serves as an amazing distraction from the head pain (it feels like my head is getting a nice massage) and that helps to distract me while the medication kicks in (and who knows, it could even be the combo of medication and cefaly to get rid of my migraine attack!)
Let’s go through some Pro’s and Cons of the Cefaly Device.
Cons
- Can be costly (Cefaly device is about $389) but after the one time cost, it is an additional cost of $25-$33 every 90 days for new electrodes (so make sure you use the discount code!)
- Must be lying down or leaning back to use device (making it hard to multitask) but also at the same time, the best thing for migraine relief is REST and listening to your body
Pro:
- No risk of medication overuse headache (rebound headaches)
- Easy to use (with videos available on Cefaly.com)
- Can reuse the electrodes
- Great non-medication option
- Prevent and Treats Migraine attacks
- Clinically proven to work by decreasing the intensity and frequency of migraine attacks
- No adverse events reports (main side effects are sleepiness or headache after use)
- Targets the Trigeminal Nerve (which is the major pain pathway in a migraine attack)
Click here to purchase Cefaly and use code TheMigraineNurse for 15% off the Cefaly Device (Plus this discount code can be combined with other sitewide promos!)
