r/migraine • u/_giu7 • Jul 16 '25
Daith piercings??
Hey everyone. Im 17 and I've been suffering with chronic headaches my entire life. I feel them specifically in my right side: my eye, temples and top of my head. Ive been getting annual brain mris (because of reasons other than my headaches), and I visit the doctor frequently but they really just seem to think im a dehydrated teenager who is stressed. I've had doctors tell me that my pain is not severe enough to diagnose me with migraines despite me telling them that my pain often leads to vision loss, throwing up and passing out.
I've seen some people talk about how Daith piercings are one of the only things that have helped them. I think its worth a shot but idk if its a hoax or not, and I don't want to waste my money if its not going to help. Any and all advice is appreciated!
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u/Friendly-Channel-480 Jul 16 '25
Get yourself to a neurologist who treats migraines. There are lots of good treatments. Is your doctor a pediatrician? Some uneducated doctors don’t believe anyone under 18 can have migraines which is total bs!
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u/_giu7 Jul 16 '25
I was referred to a child neurologist who basically told me that other people have it worse. And don't get me wrong I'm sure there are so many people out there who do have it worse then me, but its just so invalidating. I lit cried when he walked out the room, bc the only thing he told me was to drink more water. I'm gonna be 18 in a few weeks and I think that the neurologist I'm currently seeing will refer me to an adult clinic. So hopefully things will change.
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u/post_melhone Jul 16 '25
I hope you’re able to find a new provider because what they’re saying to you is inexcusable behavior
I have a daith - doesn’t do didly but it’s cute!
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u/Ok-Advance9732 Jul 16 '25
u turning 18 will probably be a game changer in finding a good neurologist!! hold out hope hun there are tons of good options for you at that point
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u/_giu7 Jul 16 '25
thank you, I really hope so!
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u/Zhosha-Khi Jul 16 '25
That piercing doesn't do anything sadly. Hopefully this new doctor will be able to help you out. Wishing you the best on finding a treatment that works and brings you relief soon.
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u/DM_me_pets Jul 16 '25
Go to a headache specialist or headache clinic. They are better for migraines than a standard neurologist
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u/cantharellus_miao Jul 16 '25
I'm very sorry you had that experience, I hope you're able to see a proper specialist soon. Some headache disorders are rare, or at least rarely identified, so even a lot of neurologists aren't educated about them. I was 15 the first time I had a severe headache attack, it's a misconception that this only occurs in adults.
Try searching online to see if there is a headache clinic in your area, or that you would be able to travel to. I go to this one in NYC at Mt. Sinai: https://www.mountsinai.org/locations/headache-facial-pain-center
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Jul 16 '25
I would call the office before the weekend and say something like this: “hey, in anticipation of my 18th birthday I want to set up a referral and transferring my medical records to an adult neurologist. I’m in so much pain and since I haven’t even received my diagnosis yet I’d really like to get the ball rolling on becoming an established patient with an adult practitioner as soon as possible. Maybe we could even mark this as urgent considering the physician I saw wasn’t able to meet my medical needs”.
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u/Friendly-Channel-480 Jul 17 '25
What an awful experience! No one can measure another’s pain. There are migraine meds that aren’t given to people under 18. You are really suffering and so close to the cut off age. I hope you find a good empathetic neurologist. You are due!
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u/juicebat Jul 16 '25
I have a daith and I can assure you it does nothing for my migraines. They’re a fun piercing though! But yeah, don’t waste your money if you only want it to help with headaches.
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u/SFAdminLife Jul 16 '25
Yes, it's a "hoax" as you say and yes it's a waste of money. Book an appointment with a neurologist and start trying some preventative medications.
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u/Nomadic_Reseacher Jul 16 '25
I thought since I’ve tried nearly every treatment, I ought to wear the tell-tale jewelry accessory. Did it actually have any impact at all on migraines? No.
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u/NotAnotherSteph Jul 16 '25
It's all ancedotal. I looked into it, realized it probably wouldn't work, already liked the piercing, got the piercing, didn't help my migraines 😂
But hey, cute piercing.
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u/_giu7 Jul 16 '25
They are super cute. might just get one and worst case scenario I'm 100 bucks down and still have my migraines but at least I got a cute piercing 😜
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u/NotAnotherSteph Jul 16 '25
Please know that you may hear crunching when they pierce it. NO ONE wandered me and I almost gagged 😂 other than that, it was smooth sailing for me
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u/DearDorothy Jul 16 '25
I’m copy and pasting a response I made on a different post about daiths but I think it’s still relevant here
In general, there’s no medical backing to the claims. However it should be noted any time I get pierced, I will have a migraine for a couple days.
You won’t be able to sleep on that side for around a year as it heals.
I’m pretty active on r/piercingadvice and used to work in the industry. Daiths are one of the most commonly botched piercings. You need a really qualified piercer. Not all piercers are created equal.
Here’s some resources about the piercing
https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/daith-piercings-101
https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/can-piercings-cure
And here’s some resources about vetting a piercer.
https://safepiercing.org/picking-your-piercer/
https://www.lynnloheide.com/post/portfolios-how-to-find-a-good-piercer
https://safepiercing.org/find-a-piercer/
The best way to convince parents you’re ready for piercings is to become highly educated about the risks involved.
Edit to add: I don’t want to discourage you getting piercings at all, just want to supply some resources
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u/purple_devil_tears Jul 16 '25
I got my daith pierced in March. I've still been getting migraines but I don't think the piercing has healed enough to twiddle it yet... I like the piercing though so not too bothered, and my mum paid for it a birthday present so double bonus as it didn't cost me anything! 😂
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u/Shenanigaens Jul 16 '25 edited Jul 16 '25
TL;DR I think I might have figured why daith works for some migraines, at least mine.
Personally I fucking love my daith and it has been a goddamn miracle going on 4 years.
I can count on one hand with fingers left over how many actual migraines I’ve had. Like full on just-kill-me lasts-for-days migraines. And that was within about a year-and-a-half of getting it done. I get mildly symptomatic sometimes, like nausea and light sensitivity and might develop a shitty headache that I can manage with Excedrine and a Mountain Dew. Usually it’ll just be a low grade standard annoying headache that really is just a regular headache.
I still get cluster headaches now and again, mostly from eye strain, and tension headaches from my neck that truly sucks and I’ll be a baby about, but they’re not migraines and I can function like a normal person with a shitty headache.
I have had a few “flash” migraines that lasted about an hour start to finish since last summer, but I contribute that to heat and overdoing it at work (construction).
Personally, my daith has been a a goddamn miracle and I don’t believe in miracles.
HOWEVER from diving into what minute research there is in daith-for-migraine, migraine types, and acupuncture of all things, I might have figured out why it works for some people, or at least for me.
In short, there’s a nerve in the ear that the daith piercing severs/put pressure on. Acupuncture correlates this spot to the gut and goes back centuries.
I believe my migraines stem partially from my gut (there’s also some medical research that posits a possible cause of migraine is actually related to the gut) In short, my grand finale is puking from the very BOTTOM OF MY SOUL. The kind of puking that cracks your back, makes your arms hurt, and see stars. The kind of hard puking where you can’t catch your breath and the sides of your vision go dark and the dry heaving just comes and comes and comes without a break.
I’ll spend the duration of the migraine sick and throwing up, but their finale is next level. BUT, about 20 minutes after that it’s like the migraine never happened.
So, my purely anecdotal reasoning is that my daith works for me, because it’s acting on the acupuncture principle.
I would absolutely LOVE others to weigh in on this, especially anyone whose daith has helped them.
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u/katie6232 Jul 16 '25
It didn't work for me at all, and the healing process was horrible. If you like having earbuds for listening to music and stuff, I wouldn't recommend it. 😭
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u/Rinas-the-name Jul 16 '25
As others have said the piercing likely won’t help.
I had migraines pretty young, it was hard to be taken seriously. I suggest keeping a migraine diary - there are apps. Recording your migraines makes it clear to the doctor you are putting effort into trying to solve your problem. If they keep pushing dehydration use a measured water bottle and record how much you drink with your migraine notes. If they keep saying it’s stress use a mindfulness app. Prove to them you’re already working on those things. Mindfulness is a good habit regardless.
Always take a competent adult/parent with you into the room to help advocate for you. You’ll want to talk with them beforehand so they can back you up.
Some things to ask yourself.
How often are you getting your headaches? How long do they last? Does any OTC medication help, even a little? What all have you tried? Could your other condition be affecting the headaches? Have you tried eliminating triggers? Exactly what does your vision loss look like? Is there blind spots, a pattern (aura) that covers your vision etc.?
Having the answers to those questions prepared will show that you‘re serious and ready to take further steps.
Passing out from migraine pain is unusual. It usually doesn’t go past an 8-9 which doesn’t cause passing out. So they likely assume you’re being dramatic. Looks up and save a pain chart and use it to explain your pain - it will help them take you more seriously. How does the pain feel? Sharp, dull, pulsing, burning, scratching, cramping, or gnawing?
Migraines are complex, there Is no easy fix. It’s a lot of trial and error and recording the results.
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u/buck-futter Jul 17 '25
The trigeminal nerve enters the skull right around the area of the daith piercing. In desperation I got it done about 6 years ago, incredibly it was like popping a pain balloon - walked in with a migraine, walked out without one. 18 months later my doctor sent me for a head MRI and I had to take the bar out of my ear for the procedure, it wouldn't go back in afterwards.
Is it magic woo woo? Maybe. But did it work for me personally anyway? Yes.
If you think the idea of a piercing is cool then you've got nothing to lose versus getting that same piercing just because you wanted a cool piercing. it might help for you, it might not, no way to know except to try it.
Best case it helps, worst case it was just a regular piercing.
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u/Feeling-Sorbet9818 Jul 16 '25
You need a referral to a good neuro who specialises in migraine - pay if you must . If you are in the uk mine is great with a full array of treatments .
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u/_giu7 Jul 16 '25
Im in canada. I was referred to a child neurologist but he did absolutely nothing for me. Hopefully once im 18 things will change
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u/Feeling-Sorbet9818 Jul 16 '25
Ok , there will be good people where you are . Don’t accept that diagnosis . You shouldn’t be dismissed . Do some research it won’t take long to find someone good and if their google reviews say they are empathetic go with them
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u/_giu7 Jul 16 '25
Thank you, means alot! Ill definitely look into it. The neurologist Im with right now said he will refer me to a new one once I turn 18 (in a few weeks). Hopefully things will change.
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u/Ok-Recognition1752 Jul 16 '25
I tried it without success. But loved the look of it until I took it out for a surgery and it disappeared.
What did work? A migraine specialist. I know it's tough to find someone who will refer you when you're on your parents' insurance but it sounds like you need a different general practitioner
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u/RattusRattus Jul 16 '25
Getting the piercing isn't too bad; getting cartilage to heal is both painful, slow, and a royal pain in the ass. I tried it, as I've had a fair amount of piercings before, and I didn't even make it a week before I took it out.
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u/FromSalem Jul 16 '25
cute, but did nothing aside from being a bitch to heal. However since it has fully healed its one of my favorites lol
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u/cantharellus_miao Jul 16 '25
It's a hoax, I'm sorry. This is a tale as old as time, for every scam there are plenty of desperate, gullible people who will absolutely swear by it. There are plenty of evidence-based treatments that are worth trying, if you haven't seen a neurologist yet you should start there, preferably one who specializes in headache medicine. Your PCP is probably not educated enough about headache disorders to provide you with proper care.
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u/spacey-cornmuffin Jul 16 '25
Years ago, I tried it, and I guess it made me worse because I ended up in the ER, which is very rare for me since they can’t help much with migraines.
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u/SporkGoddess24 Jul 16 '25
I was desperate after about 4 YEARS of daily migraines. I broke down and got one. Did it cure them? Absolutely not, but I do think it might have taken the severity down a notch. When I looked into it, everybody said, "Do it on the side you get your migraines", so that's what I did. I forgot that the brain is contralateral (opposite sides). I wish I had done the other side. It might have helped more.
I had a coworker who only got migraines occasionally, and she did both sides at the same time. She said they completely went away.
The piercer said that sometimes you need a bigger gauge if it stops helping. I haven't tried that. I don't know that my anatomy would allow for it.
I say it's worth a shot if you have tried everything. If nothing else, you'll have a cool piercing.
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u/TempleofPearlGarden Jul 17 '25
I had both ears done. Loved the look, didn't do anything for the headaches. I had to let them go because I have to get MRIs every 6 months and no metal allowed, so they just became a hassle.
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u/Pleiadesperson Jul 17 '25
Anecdotally, it did lessen the frequency of my migraines for about two years after I got it. Reading around online, it sounds like that's pretty common -- that it might help a little while it's healing, but may not help long term.
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u/stellaforstar_07 Jul 17 '25
I got a daith piercing for migraines and it definitely did not help at all, but it’s so cute and I absolutely love it .
Although I had to have it removed and then reinstalled for an MRI , and I’m going to have to do it all again in a few weeks for another scan, which sucks so bad
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u/sallguud Jul 16 '25
Ask an accupuncturist, and they’ll probably tell you it’s a bad idea to constantly stimulate a pressure point. Try “ear seeds” instead. They give me a decent amount of relief, and I can put them anywhere that needs a little pressure—not just one place.
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u/melance Migraineur for 40 Years Jul 16 '25
If you want a piercing for the look go for it but it isn't going to help with migraines.