Air purifiers and migraine
Fairly recently I decided that since the medical profession were unwilling/unable to help me with my migraines it was all down to me. I have taken a variety of steps, including getting an HEPA filter air purifier, however, despite all advice to the contrary this seems to cause migraine in me! Does anyone have any idea why this could be?
- Greetings! Thank you so much for sharing this conundrum with us. It definitely seems illogical at first glance. My assumption would be that perhaps the filter or machine is putting out a smell that may be triggering attacks for you. Do you generally find you are triggered by smells? I'm sorry you are feeling disappointed in the medical profession - it's understandable. I thought you might be interested in some links about types of at-home approaches you can try to help your condition: https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/natural-remedies. And: https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/migraine-otc-drugs. And: https://migraine.com/complementary-and-alternative-therapies. We are here for you as you navigate your life with migraine - and are here to provide support and information anytime. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team. bettynoodle, I wonder if your air purifier uses any ionizing processes. I had had a whole home system put in (in my main air handler). The company said it emits ALMOST zero ions, but it definitely triggered major headaches that in turn led to migraine. I had them come back to remove it and the pain disappeared very quickly. I have a lung condition so have been considering a HEPA filter purifier, but now I am having second thoughts.
This is so helpful! Thank you for sharing! Glad you found a way to stop the attacks that were triggered by the filter. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.
I have one and it does help. I do make sure to put it in the ‘night option’ which turns off all lights on filter off and sound is minimize . I also prefer to use an eye mask to avoid any equipment light in the bedroom .
Thank you for sharing how you use your filter. It's nice it has these options to customize your experience. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team.
I have read that air purifiers that have a ion genertaror can cause headaches. They can also dry the air. The more probable issue is that your machine has an ion generator fucntion. My machine has one and I can turn it off. It is made by Medify. Best wishes.
Ah! This is fascinating! So grateful you shared this knowledge with us. I wonder why ions can trigger migraine? Thanks again for sharing. Warmly- Holly -migraine.com team
