Skip to Content

My Migraine Piercing 1 Year Results

It’s been one year since I got the “migraine piercing.” I tried the daith piercing for migraines on February 19, 2016.

It’s been one heck of a year, and I’m super excited to tell you all about it. I cannot stress enough that this piercing may not be for everyone.

I am not a medical professional and am not giving medical advice. I’m only sharing my experience in hopes someone may find it useful.

After one year, I feel like the best way to approach this update is to give you what I would consider being the pros and cons of having this migraine piercing.

Ear with a daith piercing.

Migraine Piercing – Pros

Let’s start with the pros.

  • I have had approximately a 97% decrease in my migraine headaches and related symptoms.

    I went from 4-5 a week to having a total of SIX in an entire year. Those 6 incidents were nothing like what I used to experience.

    I had the aura and light sensitivity, but when the pain set in, it was weaker and only lasted about an hour compared to days.
  • It’s cute. The piercing itself is super trendy, and there are a decent variety of jewelry styles you can wear–I’ll be doing a whole post on the best daith earrings soon.
  • I’m now almost medication free. I only took a couple of ibuprofen for a few of those incidents, and that’s a tremendous decrease.

    Before this migraine piercing, I was taking 800 mg of ibuprofen daily and trying all sorts of prescription meds that only caused a nightmare of side effects.
  • It’s affordable. Getting your daith pierced isn’t expensive. Depending on your piercer and type of jewelry you choose, it’s only around $40.
  • For me, the piercing itself didn’t hurt that much. It was a lot of pressure. The days following, I had some soreness, but overall nothing so terrible.
Ear with a daith earring in it.

Daith Piercing – Cons

I’m going to keep it real. This piercing is kind of a pain in the–well, ear. But for the migraine relief I’ve experienced, I’m obviously just dealing with it. Small price to pay, in my opinion. But here goes:

  • It takes forever to heal. In fact, after a year, I still have to clean this ear piercing for migraines at least twice a week with wound wash.

    Because of the location, there is very little blood flow and a good bit of bacteria.

    When I was in microbiology, we swabbed the back of our ears and grew cultures… did you know we all have staph behind there?!

    Nothing to be alarmed about, just know that our immune systems are constantly working to keep everything at bay.

    But because this spot lacks blood, it gets infected easily. Just cleaning it in the shower with soap and water doesn’t seem to cut it.

    Wound wash is super easy, so it’s not a huge deal. You can also just use a salt water solution too.
  • The jewelry can make it difficult to wear earbuds, or if you’re a medical professional, a stethoscope might be a challenge.
  • With certain jewelry, if you lay on it wrong, it can disrupt sleep.

    I have a horseshoe shaped piece in there, and if it swings out and I lay on that side, it’s pretty uncomfortable.

    However, this is the easiest jewelry to clean.
  • Changing the jewelry may require a professional. See below for my experience on that.
  • If for any reason, this area swells, that hurts. Again, more on that below.
Collage of an ear with a daith piercing.

Tried something new…

For my daith anniversary, I decided to see Hershey and swap my jewelry. (She’s such a doll. Huge thanks for her letting us take video to share!)

I opted for a small bar with a flat back on one side. I figured this would make wearing earbuds easy again.

However–yowza. While my daith piercing had fully healed, going from a curved bar to a straight one caused some nasty irritation.

It was so weird. The pressure actually felt kind of good. But, it ended up getting infected, swelling and causing a decent amount of pain.

The new jewelry didn’t leave enough room to swell, so it ended up getting really tight.

While cleaning it, the bead popped off and I put my old horseshoe back in. Within 24 hours the pain and swelling are gone.

Even the infection seems to be 90% cured. I’ve been using heated salt water on a cotton ball 3x/day for just two days.

Ear with nothing and then an ear with jewelry in a pierced daith.

Basically, this area seems super sensitive to infection. I think I might try a smaller horseshoe or explore another curved barbell with a flat back after this is totally cleared up.

Moral of my story: for me, this piercing for migraines, despite any inconveniences, has been 100% worth it.

None of the piercing pain comes close to the pain of a migraine headache. And being medication–and therefore side effect–free is priceless.

Read my piercing for headache relief two year update for more.

Holding hair back to see the daith piercing in an ear.

Products I use for my Daith Piercing and Migraine Pain

  1. Heart Daith Piercing Jewelry
    $16.99
    Buy Now from Amazon

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    02/14/2023 04:25 am GMT
  2. Piercing Aftercare Spray
    $11.99 ($7.99 / Fl Oz)
    Buy Now from Amazon

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    02/14/2023 12:15 pm GMT
  3. MigreLief Triple Therapy
    $29.95 $26.45 ($0.44 / Count)
    Buy Now

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    02/14/2023 07:40 am GMT
  4. Body Back Buddy
    $34.99 $29.95

    Get those hard-to-reach spots anywhere on your body! When you're trying to DIY a massage, the back buddy is here to help. Apply as much or as little pressure as you need to the most stubborn knots using this handy tool!

    Buy from Amazon Video

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    08/17/2023 03:19 pm GMT
  5. Heated Back Shoulder Wrap
    $36.99
    Buy Now

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    01/20/2024 04:56 pm GMT
  6. CEFALY

    Discover a new gadget that provides drug-free migraine pain relief at home!

    Save 15% on CEFALY with the code JENNIFERS

    Buy Now My Review

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

  7. Magnesium Lotion Original

    Sleep Week Promo! Ends 3/19

    Buy Any 2 Lotions, Get FREE Magnesium Oil

    Buy Any 3+ Lotions, Get FREE Magnesium Oil & Bath Flakes

    Features:
    • New formula in a squeezable tube.
    • Creamy lotion that glides on smooth and absorbs quickly.
    • Contains 250mg of magnesium per teaspoon - one of the highest concentrations on the market!
    • Unscented, non-greasy lotion.
    • No parabens, phlatates, or synthetic chemicals.
    • Plant-based, all natural, sustainably sourced, vegan formula.
    Buy Now

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

  8. Ear Hole Piercing Pillow
    $16.99 ($16.99 / Count)
    Buy Now

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    02/14/2023 12:23 am GMT
  9. Compression Eye Pillow
    $14.99 ($14.99 / Count)
    Buy Now Video

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    08/17/2023 03:19 pm GMT
  10. Rechargeable Neck and Shoulder Massager
    $149.95 $109.95 ($109.95 / Count)
    • 4D Deep Tissue Massage: Goes beyond 3D with an up and down pressurized massage, like a real masseuse's hands.
    • Adjustable Straps for Hands-Free Use: Slip your arms into the extended straps and adjust the pressure easily.
    • Cordless & Rechargeable: Enjoy up to 3+ hours of massage anywhere with a USB-C charger.
    • Versatile & Travel-Friendly: Not just for neck and shoulders, but also for your whole body. Plus, it's TSA approved!
    • Soothing Heat Feature: Enhances blood flow for a more relaxing experience.
    Buy Now Video

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    12/20/2023 02:21 am GMT
  11. Migrastil Migraine Stick® Rollon
    $12.95
    Buy Now

    We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

    01/18/2024 02:18 pm GMT

Click to follow my daith piercing journey. The articles I’ve written are more organized so you can follow the timeline.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

FINALLY! A doctor in London, Dr Chris Blatchley MB BChir, has put together a team of experts to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the daith piercing for migraine headaches.

If you’ve had the piercing done, please take his survey. It takes about 10 minutes. 🙂

Thank you so much! I can’t wait to see his results and finally have some real data behind this. As soon as possible, I will share what I can.

If you try this migraine piercing, please let us know how it goes!

Lally

Monday 10th of February 2020

Thanks for sharing your experience. I just got mine. To be honest, I am a little bit concerned because I got a bump like you did (day 93), how did you manage to remove it? your ear looks pretty clear (day 360)

Jennifer

Tuesday 11th of February 2020

Hi Lally, I would definitely suggest showing your piercer first. Then, cleaning it well three times a day with the salt water solution. If you get a fever, go to your doctor. I hope it heals soon!

Terri Melton

Friday 13th of December 2019

I have had both of mine for 3 yrs, went from having 20 or more tandem migraines a month to 7 in the last 3 yrs. They did take a long time to heal but so worth it!!! I have had a bunch of friends get them after seeing how much it has helped me. Even my doctors are telling patients about my success. I went from 6 different meds to help my migraines to drug free!!!

Jennifer

Monday 16th of December 2019

NICE!! That's excellent news! Thank you for sharing!

Susan

Sunday 24th of November 2019

When I had a full month of migraine pain every day - while taking a monthly migraine shot - I was ready to do the daith piercings. The person doing the piercings would only do one ear at a time. Right side was first, still had pain and was so disappointed. The next week I did the left side. Two days later - no more pain! It has been amazing!!! I did not expect it to work at all and figured I would be back at my neurologist's office, trying some other med. I'm aware that the piercings aren't going to work for everyone. I wish it would! May you all find relief - it's such a horrible, maddening, depressing thing.

Jennifer

Sunday 1st of December 2019

Wow, that's so amazing! So glad to hear the other side worked for you, Susan. Thanks for letting us know!!

Denise

Saturday 9th of November 2019

I was just introduced to this type of piercing by a coworker. I’ve had migraines since I was in elementary school, it’s one of my first memories of school. I currently take the maximum dosage of prevention medication according to my neurologist, a medication once I get a migraine, plus a nausea medication. I was talking a shot that seemed to be helping too but now that I don’t have insurance I can’t afford it. So I’m looking into the daith piercing. I’m praying it works.

Roxie

Wednesday 11th of September 2019

I recently started having menstrual migraines. Out of curiosity has anyone tried the daith piercing for that? I am having trouble finding a medication that works, and my period is starting to move around so it is becoming difficult to know when it is coming. The migraine comes with vomiting and extreme fatigue.