You can now purchase a Cefaly Dual without a prescription. It’s currently $399 on the Cefaly website and has a 60-day trial period.
I have mixed feelings about Cefaly being available over-the-counter. Cefaly has brought at least some relief to many people I know. I also know others who have had a lasting worsening of their migraine attacks after using it. While that could be coincidental, headache specialists have told me that they’ve seen the same. My headache specialist told me that of all the devices, Cefaly is the only one he’s seen patients have a lasting worsening of symptoms with.
Early on, some providers recommended patients push through the increased pain for weeks to months to see if they would eventually notice an improvement. That’s when my specialist noticed the lasting increase in symptoms with his patients. The continued use through pain could very well be the problem—not the use itself—so a short-term trail may be just fine.
I don’t want to dissuade people from trying Cefaly—but do caution you to be mindful when doing so. Here are some recommendations for trying it:
- Even though you don’t need a prescription, consult the health care provider who would have prescribed the device before you try it. Ask for their recommendations for safe use. Be sure to ask the questions that will help you feel comfortable using it.
- Start on the lowest setting and see how you do. If you notice an improvement, try sticking at that level for a while to see if it’s enough before increasing the intensity. If you don’t notice an improvement, ease into an increase slowly.
- If you notice a worsening of your symptoms when you use the device, don’t try to push through to see if things improve. Consult your health care provider instead. You may want to try it several times to be sure the device is the culprit and the worsening isn’t coincidence (which it very well could be), but that’s best to do under the supervision of a health care provider.
A friend shared the news of Cefaly’s OTC availability and mentioned that her implanted nerve stimulator experience was a nightmare. She said that experience has made her cautious about trying anything that might make her worse. Similarly, my nerve stimulator implant also made me aware that the things we try to improve our health can instead exacerbate our symptoms. I’m sure I am more cautious than most people—I got that way out of experience and fear of worsening my already tenuous health.
So take what I say here with a grain of salt if you need to. I don’t want to scare anyone, but do recommend an abundance of caution when trying Cefaly.