A Darien company is providing a different type of pain relief to people who suffer from migraines.

Cefaly has created a device you put on your forehead to stimulate pain relief as opposed to using medications.

CEO Jen Trainor McDermott says she know how debilitating migraines can be. The device was cleared by the FDA in 2014 and is becoming more widely used throughout the U.S. each year.

“It stimulates the nerve where migraines really start. Once you stimulate it, it sends triggers to the central nervous system and it starts releasing the migraine pain,” says McDermott.

Dr. Deena Kuruvilla, the medical director of the Westport Headache Institute, conducted Cefaly's trials for the treatment and says the device can be placed on the forehead for an hour during an attack for relief or alongside rescue medications.

“We have patients use it for 20 minutes a day for the prevention of migraine,” says Kuruvilla.

Both Kuruvilla and McDermott say the device improves the quality of life of those with migraine pain without major side effects.

“Insurance companies don't approve many as needed medications leaving them with not much, I tell them to use it with medication,” says the doctor. Officials say Cefaly can improves the quality of life of those with migraine pain without major side effects. The medication is currently available over-the-counter, but as of October 2020 a prescription will no longer be needed.