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.