Anti-migraine Device

We have considered buying a Cefaly® Anti-migraine Device for some time, but we have baulked at the price. That's just crazy if it offers relief - right? So we've bought one primarily for for my wife to use. Let me briefly explain - my wife took a proper tumble several years ago in an underground car park in Brighton called 'The Lanes'. She quite literally kissed the concrete and hard. She damaged her right knee, right boob and her right cheek - Ouch! Once recovered from the actual trauma, bruises and soreness, she went on to develop an acute form of headache called Chronic Paroxysmal Hemicrania or PH for short (read about it here:[...]). This extreme, persistent and unpleasant form of head pain is sometimes - and I quote "... triggered by 'trauma'." Gee thanks', we know that now! Each episode/attack can go on for days and I do mean days. Often lasting for 5, 6 and even 7 days at a stretch. When at last the severe pain subsides she is left with a very unpleasantly numb head. For many people there is a treatment available for PH which is documented as being very successful. Here's a quote taken from the website I have linked to above: "The treatment of PH is prophylactic and it has a rapid and consistent response to indometacin." However there's a caveat to that statement. My wife has ME which means that she cannot tolerate that #1 treatment. That just leaves more normal pain relief drugs. She has tried them all and never found any relief with any of them, just the added complication of Nausea. Okay - there is some good news, no, lets call it Great News - The Cefaly® Anti-migraine Device actually works and works well. Since initial purchase just before Christmas 2013 my wife has had the start of several of these chronic PH episodes/attacks begin to build and I have applied the sticky pad to her forehead, attached the 'Wonder Woman' tiara lookalike that is the Cefaly unit and she has started a treatment cycle. On each occasion the Cefaly has dramatically improved her symptoms and the episodes/attacks have in each case subsided to a quite manageable background headache. Success, relief, euphoria... call the result whatever you wish, but for her it feels like a little slice of heaven after the excruciating pain she has endured for several years now. I have had one or two bad headaches (not a patch on the level of pain that my wife has suffered) over the last month, and NO before you suggest it, this was not drink related as I hardly drink - been there done that and had several holey 'T' shirts in my youth. I personally have found the Cefaly easy to attach, set and use. The sensation in your forehead can seem a little extreme the first few times, but you have complete and very simple control, so you can limit the level. You can even choose the lowest of the 3 presets and still limit the maximum, at the touch of the single button. To be honest after the first few uses I have enjoyed having the Cefaly attached and have gone on to additional cycles, stepping up the performance level to the middle setting. Using the unit like this becomes a soporific and really does relax you. I have suffered for several years with extreme depression and anxiety which I have to say has been improved with the aid of this device. The negatives? I can think of two, sort of. 1) The high price asked for the Cefaly - cheap it is not. But compared to what? There simply isn't any amount of money you wouldn't pay when you are in the grip of an extreme head pain. The Cefaly can offer you a way out at last. 2) Those replacement adhesive electrode pads. To purchase a set of three pads are expensive - £7 per pad is way OTT. You can however off-set that cost by following the skin cleansing advice given before affixing the electrode pad each time. Keep the pad clean and keep re-using it. One review I read suggested a 3 month life from a single pad - way-to-go. In which case £7 isn't so bad. Cheaper than a bucket load of pain killers that's for damned sure! What's my recommendation? If you relate in the least to my wife's brief story, then you shouldn't hesitate - buy one and get some relief because it works. Good Luck ;o)

Hi There I did not buy it for me but I just came from Brazil and the feed back was incredible. It really works !!! You can buy it. I am returning to Brazil now and will buy more gel here in UK and also will try to sell more of this as no one can find it down there.

I love my Cefaly for when I actually have a migraine, when I put it on, it helps me sleep and the pain disappears during use, however I haven’t found that it works as a preventative measure. However, all I want to do is rest and lay down and this version hinders that as you can’t move once it’s on as if it’s knocked slightly then the machine will turn off. I would spend the same amount of money on the new version that doesn’t have the bits that go behind the ears!

I have tried to wear this several times as per the instructions but unfortunately I am finding the device very painful even when stopping it on a lower setting for the 20 minutes. I was desperate to try this device having seen it some years ago in the making by way of reading updates on its launch, etc, even showing & asking a consultant neurologist about it. I am a real hard core migraine suffer having them at least twice a week & having suffered since the age of 12 now being 50. It is a shame that it doesn't seem to be the answer for me but when you really suffer anything is worth a try. I do apologise that I can only rate it as 2 stars but my own experience is all I have to go on

I am very disappointed. I found the experience of using it for the first time most unpleasant. Afterwards I felt worse and quite strange and it was some time before I normalised. I am afraid to try it again . I have wasted all that money and regret it bitterly. Is there any way I could return the device and retrieve the cost?

My Grandparents bought me this device as I suffer from chronic migraines. I suffered with migraines most days with an average of 20 a month rated 7 and above on pain scale. However I have used this for 3 months and it's given me a new lease of life. It was painful and uncomfortable at first and still is when I use it. I use it at night before bed and find lying down makes it less uncomfortable. I strongly suggest these to anyone who has suffered and struggled. I am hoping it carry on working. 😁

My in laws bought my wife one about a month ago. She says it was very uncomfortable to use at first but she has persevered and now says the difference has been amazing. The number of general headaches are down and it's now much easier for her to spot a proper migraine and get the medicine in quickly. We think the number of migraines is also going down and she does seem able to use the device to keep the migraine at bay until she is able to sleep. The device also seems to help her relax. If it ever breaks I'm sure we'll be getting another one.

Can’t believe there is a device which is effective for migraine… Simply brilliant!!! I purchased this device about two weeks back for my daughter and I’m extremely happy and grateful that it was started to work for her. My daughter has been suffering from migraine since her childhood. She has been on medication ever since to deal with the pain. The medicines are working well for her but come with their own set of side effects. I was constantly looking for a substitute for medicines and came across this “brilliant device.” My daughter used the device at least once a day and is really enjoying the entire experience. She feels relaxed and has also witnessed a drastic drop in the frequency and the intensity of the migraine attacks.

After seeing reviews that said this device was either a miracle or a waste of time, I feel cautiously optimistic. I have been using it for three weeks so it might be too soon to tell, but at the moment I'm leaning toward it being extremely helpful in reducing the number, duration, and intensity of my migraines. Following the advice of another reviewer, I use witch hazel cleansing pads before applying the electrode. Cefaly says the electrodes are supposed to last for ten uses, but I am still using the original one after three weeks.

I was skeptical but also desperate, and took my chances on buying this device since nothing else was helping. I have been using it for over a month now and it is a big help. In my experience, it does not always totally eliminate the migraine, but at a minimum it reduces it to a mild and more tolerable headache rather than a debilitating migraine. On some occasions it totally gets rid of my migraine. I should add that my my migraines are not as bad as some people have - no vomiting and no trips to the hospital, but enough to leave me feeling tired, irritable and struggling to concentrate, with no relief from Tylenol or other over the counter medications. Over the last 3 or 4 years I have been prescribed various medications, none of which helped as much as this device. When I first used it for some reason it didn't seem to work, and I checked the batteries and re-read the manual. Since then it has worked fine every time. Not sure what I did wrong to begin with but it works well now.

I bought this device for my wife. So far this is the only device that has worked for my wife and has substantially reduced the dependency on medication. She use to frequently have migraine attacks. However, with regular use of Cefaly device, my wife witnessed tremendous relief during her migraine attack and also the frequency of the migraine attack reduced substantially. Highly recommend this device for everyone suffering for migraine or any other kind of headache.

Worth it