While I was waiting for my insurance to approve the Botox injections, I was doing some investigating about my treatment options. I was told the insurance approval wouldn't take all that long, but I know my insurance. It ended up taking about six months for approval, and I was the only one that wasn't surprised by this*.
There are a few nifty devices I came across that are pretty similar to a TENS unit. I've used TENS units in the past for TMJ, the dystonia in my neck, and lower back/sacral joint/hip pain. We had that thing maxed out and it felt like someone put some several purring kittens on me. If you're not familiar with this 'lil gadget, its about the size of a pager and works by over stimulating the muscles with a controlled electric pulse which causes the muscles to contract. After a little bit, your body goes, 'Oh! I don't have to keep sending out these impulses 'cuz that's already happening.'
After your muscles get the memo, they stop freaking out and pain from the spasms dissipates. I doubt that most people would compare the experience to kittens. In fact, I've heard of folks that can't tolerate it, or say that it feels rather unpleasant.
I came across two devices that are designed specifically for migraines, and there's some limited reports of treatment for trigeminal neuralgia. I forgot the name of the first one I came across, but the one that I went with was the Cefaly device. It's been available for about ten years and is FDA approved. There's some folks that have been able to get their insurance to cover it, but I paid out of pocket. Cefaly also comes with a money back guarantee. I did end up returning mine, but I'll get to that in a minute. I don't want to put anyone off from trying it if you have the funds to do so. They aren't sponsoring me or anything, I'm just a regular 'ol consumer.
I purchased the Cefaly dual, which has two set 'programmes'. The acute setting runs for an hour at high intensity impulses, while the prevention setting runs for twenty minutes at a lesser intensity. However, you can adjust the intensity of the programmes. The acute setting is meant to be used during an attack, and the prevention setting is meant to be used daily. I only had it for about a month before I ended up returning it, so my experience is a bit limited. Over all, I think it did help somewhat.
I didn't get complete relief using the acute setting, but keep in mind that my migraine has been constant since September 2016. I suspect that it may work better for folks who get them occasionally.
Also, I was using that setting a few times a day two hours apart as they recommended. I was able to tolerate it just fine at the maximum setting on the first use. I wasn't trying to go full force at once, but they say to steadily increase the intensity as tolerable. I just happened to be able to max it out. It felt a bit more intense than kittens, but not by much. Again, that's just my experience.
The prevention setting didn't seem to prevent much, but I already mentioned that this has been ongoing. Neither of the settings made it any worse. The biggest difference I noticed was that it did help the spasms in my face. Which is exactly what I expected from a TENS unit. The device itself was quite small--about 3in, or half the size of a dollar bill. It had a USB charger and attached magnetically to an electrode on the forehead. I had some trouble with getting the electrode to stick to my forehead even after wiping my face with alcohol. Adhesives either really like me or don't stick at all. I just used it while lying down and that kept it in place just fine. I do recommend ordering extra electrodes. Especially if you're an oily mother f***er like I am. I didn't notice any irritation from the adhesive, which was nice. They do have electrodes for sensitive folks available. However, I think that the one provided with the unit is just the regular kind.
The reason I ended up returning the device is because of an ongoing problem that I have with electronics: I tend to short things out. This isn't a new problem, it's always happened. I avoid watches and other devices like iPods, high quality laptops, and expensive phones. I've even fried multiple holter monitors. I do have a small talking watch, but its on a keychain. The main reason I was attracted to the Cefaly was because of the warranty since I expected to fry it. And that's exactly what happened--just like my first cellphone, it was zapped within a month. Now, I don't want to dissuade anyone from trying it. But specifically, I shorted it out and it electrocuted me. I'm pretty sure that it was just due to my weird problem and I was fine afterwards. The company was great about the refund, and I only have positive things to say about their customer service. I may try it again in the future, but that's all for now! Unless anyone knows anything about why I fry stuff...
*and that was just a straight up approval. There weren't any appeals or anything else filed. But as I said, I knew it would take a bit. Hence, investigating other options.
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