So many options! Cefaly, Spring TMS, Sphenocath, oh my!
I just had my second appointment at a headache center. I've done a lot of reading about various treatment options, which I discussed with my neurologist. To my surprise, he was willing to let me try any of them!
My top three options to try are the Cefaly, the Spring TMS, and the Sphenocath SPG block. He actually had a Spring TMS in the office that he let me try, but he said the evidence was really for migraine with aura (I have episodic migraine without aura). I'm eligible for a CRGP monoclonal antibody trial, but the lack of information about long-term risks makes me leery. I ended up choosing the Sphenocath, which will likely be available at this clinc within the next month.
If anyone has experience or insight into any of these treatments, I would love to hear from you!
Hi Avalonna,
Thank you for your question and sharing that information with us. I'm happy to hear you have a doctor who seems to be knowledgeable about managing migraine.
I don't have personal experience with any of the above, but can provide you with the information we have. Here are the links;
Cefaly
https://migraine.com/blog/cefaly-questions-answered/ and
https://migraine.com/blog/cefaly-migraineurs-review/TMS
https://migraine.com/news/springtms-migraine-treatment-now-available/SPG
https://migraine.com/blog/experience-spg-nerve-blocks/Good luck and let us know how you make out,
NancyThanks Nancy - I had already seen the first two posts but hadn't seen the Sphenocath video. Nice to see it in action.
Update: I got a SpringTMS a few days ago. I haven't had a headache-free day since getting it, but my migraines have been milder and more manageable. I am coming off of my worst migraine streak ever - 10 days of pretty severe migraine, I can't say for sure that the SpringTMS is responsible for my improvement or not, but I'm thrilled to feel better! Unfortunately, my insurance won't cover any of the cost.
I'm also going to try the Sphenocath. My doctor's office was out of them, but they are back in stock and I can go any time. I'm going to see how the next couple of days go; if I continue to feel okay, I think I'll put the Sphenocath off for a bit.
I'm not going with the Cefaly at this time.
I've had Sphenocath, NeuroStar TMS (just finishing treatment), Gammacore Sapphire vagal nerve external stimulator, transcranial electrical stimulation with Fisher-Wallace device (similar to Cefaly in how it works), and am undergoing treatment with Amovig (2 treatments in).
The Gammacore Sapphire delays the onset of my migraine by about 15 minutes, but that is all, so is not worth the cost to me. I had a bad reaction to Sphenocath, but did have 2 migraine free days after having it done. I'm going to give Aimovig the full 6 month trial and wait to see what happens in the few months after completing TMS before making conclusions about them.
