CEFALY, a nerve stimulator for migraine headaches, now available without prescription

Headache patients can now purchase the CEFALY trigeminal nerve stimulator online without a prescription. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the CEFALY DUAL “as an over-the-counter product for the acute and preventative treatment of migraine headaches in adults (18 years and older),” according to a press release by CEFALY. Use of the CEFALY device for post-traumatic headaches (PTH) in concussion patients was discussed in a presentation chaired by Nathan Zasler, MD, a leading expert on PTH, at the 2017 International Brain Injury Association Conference. 

Headache is the most common symptom after traumatic brain injury (TBI). According to a 2020 study by Jordan Vanderende et al., the most common type of PTH is “migraine or probable migraine (49%), followed by tension-type (37%) and unclassifiable.” Patients are “managed according to the primary headache type their PTH symptoms most closely resemble.” This study also found that “more than half of patients will continue to experience significant and potentially disabling headache symptoms 1 year following mTBI.”

The CEFALY DUAL is available on the CEFALY website. There is a 100% money-back 60-day guarantee and financing options. While some leading clinicians are using CEFALY with patients, Concussion Alliance is not aware of any research on the use of CEFALY for post-concussion headaches.