Daith Piercing for Migraines: Does it Work?

After years of suffering from chronic migraines, I decided it was time to give the Daith piercing a try. Is the headache piercing everything it’s cracked up to be?

As I’ve shared with you before, I suffer from migraines; in fact, I suffer from them quite often. Sometimes I can brush them off and continue with my day, albeit struggling. Other times; getting out of bed becomes an unobtainable task. If you suffer from migraines as well, then you definitely know what I’m talking about. The moment you get the slightest warning that a migraine is coming, your day can be turned upside down from the anxiety of something you just can’t stop.

 

I fear them so much I sometimes let them consume me. My migraines can last anywhere between 4 and 72 hours, which at the moment, seems like a lifetime. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t pay attention to my caffeine intake, what kind of cheese I’m eating or if should I skip that glass of wine.  The days when I wake up with a stupid migraine are the worst as I know that my whole day is likely wasted. Depressing, right?

Oh, and let’s not forget the never-ending list of pharmaceuticals I’m prescribed. I’ve been on daily preventatives, medications to help ease the pain, anti-inflammatories, medications to help with the symptoms and then medications that help with the side effects of the medications for the migraines. Oh, and when the pills no longer work we have the handy-dandy injectibles. 

Once a migraine has finally dissipated and I’m ready to crawl back from the depths of hell, that’s usually when a rebound headache kicks in and the cycle just continues… anyway, you get the point. 

Out of complete frustration and exhaustion coming up on day 3 of a full-blown migraine, I decided enough was enough. I found a local tattoo parlor that specializes in the Daith Piercing and decided it was now or never. 

 

After signing all of the proper paperwork and explaining why I was there, it was go time. The all-female parlor was really clean and all of the ladies were very knowledgeable. When I asked the piercer about the process and the success rate of the Daith piercing helping with migraines from her professional standpoint.  

She said “it varies per individual but if all else fails at least I have a cute piercing.” Hmm… Ok. 

 

 

She thoroughly cleaned my ear and set up the equipment. She explained everything in detail while doing all of the prep work, including the healing time and cleaning instructions. 

When marking my ear she said in order to do the Daith piercing for migraines properly, it’s best to go with the natural lines of the ear. I chose my left side because that’s the side where all of my migraines occur. If by some freak chance I start getting them on the right, I will consider doing them both. 

 

 

At this point all I could think about was finally getting some relief from chronic migraines without the help of toxic medications so the thought of the pain never even crossed my mind. 

 

 

Honestly, the piercing itself didn’t hurt me at all. It was a quick pinch with slight pressure and it was over. I have talked to a few other people who have said it did hurt for them. 

 

My Daith piercing was done on 8/17/18 and so far it’s been three days. I can honestly say that later that night my migraine slowly went away and I have not had any symptoms of a migraine since. It’s been easy to clean and I wouldn’t even know it’s there until I accidentally itch or when I try to wear earbuds.

I will continue to update this blog post as my journey continues and give you my honest opinions. The only downside thus far is not being able to sleep on it.

Healing time is rumored to be four month. 

My piercing was $45 but the total ended up being $125 after I paid for the jewelry. Because it’s in such an add place in the ear, you can’t really change the jewelry yourself so I needed something I could leave in without worrying about it. Make sure you discuss of the Daith piercing jewelry options before choosing. 

Be sure to follow the instructions the piercer gives you. You don’t want to get an infection and prolong your healing time. 

Let me know if you have any questions!  

Post them below and I will respond as soon as I can.