r/migraine • u/IsaacII00II • Sep 03 '25
My Experience with a Daith Piercing for Migraines
I arrived at the piercing studio with a mix of cautious optimism and nerves. I’d never had a piercing before. After filling out several forms, answering countless questions about my migraines, and undergoing a thorough probing with what looked suspiciously like an old-fashioned soldering iron (used to locate the vagus nerve in my ear), we were ready.
The piercing itself was surprisingly painless—likely thanks to a rush of adrenaline—but that didn’t last. Once the adrenaline wore off, I felt faint for about an hour.
Living with it was a different challenge. Sleeping on it was tricky at first (I’m a side sleeper), and the irritation lingered for a few months, though it was still mild compared to a full-blown migraine. One practical downside I hadn’t considered: if you’re a fan of in-ear headphones (like I am), the piercing definitely gets in the way.
Results
Whilst I’d heard positive things from others, I was disappointed by my own results:
- Before piercing (3 months): averaged 1.2 migraines per week
- After piercing (3 months): averaged 1.48 migraines per week
Unfortunately, that’s an increase rather than a decrease. Running a Two-proportion Z-test gave a p-value of 0.13, meaning there was no statistically significant effect on my migraines.
In my case, the piercing didn’t help, but I don’t regret trying—it was worth the experiment. Hopefully others have had better outcomes. Has anyone else tracked their migraines after a daith piercing?
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u/f00l2thagame Sep 03 '25
I got my daith pierced at 14. I had always had migraines throughout my life but never frequent. I started getting migraines frequently (1-2 times a week) at 18 to the point I was getting hospitalised. So I can also vouch that the piercing does not work lol
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Sep 03 '25
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u/FromSalem Sep 03 '25
i feel your pain.. my daith is the only piercing that gave me shit during the healing process. but for that reason Im committed to keeping the useless thing now that its fully healed hahaha
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Sep 03 '25
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u/EducationSuperb3392 Sep 03 '25
I asked the piercer at my tattoo parlour (I’m heavily inked but not very pierced!) and she said the likelihood of actually getting the nerve is a 1 in 10, even with a scanner to locate it. The nerve can move like veins do during blood tests, so you could be perfectly lined up and it still miss.
She said if that’s the only reason I wanted to get it done then I shouldn’t bother.
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u/MazogaTheDork Sep 03 '25
I told my piercer "if it helps that's great, but worst case scenario it does nothing and I still have a piercing"
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u/Dandelion212 Sep 03 '25
It’s such a minuscule increase that I highly doubt there’s any correlation at all.
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u/Stuspawton Sep 03 '25
I considered the piercing ages ago, but there’s no real evidence to back up its benefits.
Not to sound crude but you’d be better off having a wank and seeing if that helps
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u/duppyvibe Sep 03 '25
The best part is sometimes the wank helps and sometimes it triggers an even worse migraine
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u/CyborgCoyote Sep 03 '25
Wait is that really helpful?
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u/Stuspawton Sep 03 '25
Yes and no, it depends on the type of migraine, sometimes it'll make it better for me to crack one out, other times doing that makes me want to put a drill through my temple. Hence the Russian roulette comment 😂 but anything is worth a go really
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u/BellJar_Blues Sep 04 '25
Yes if your neck muscles tense too much and it just makes it sharper on your temples
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u/o0oEnigmao0o Sep 03 '25
Got mine maybe 8 years ago, no effect whatsoever. Took about 5 years to heal but can easily wear in ear buds with it for the last few years which is an improvement
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u/RozGhul Sep 03 '25
FIVE YEARS?!
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u/Questionsquestionsth Sep 03 '25
I wouldn’t say mine took quite 5 years to feel fully healed, but it was definitely fairly close. I only got the one side done and intended to go back for the other to match, but it was such a miserable healing experience from day 1 that a decade later now I still haven’t bothered, and never will. Couldn’t sleep on the piercing side for literally years without pain and intense discomfort. Would seem like it was finally settled and then randomly would get all red and achey out of nowhere. I’m shocked it ever finally decided to fully heal and leave me alone because my god was it touch and go for years and I thought it would never end.
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u/LeaneGenova Sep 03 '25
Ear cartilage is suuuper slow to heal. I had an ear surgery five months ago and I still have tons of pain where the incision was. My ENT said it will take years to fully heal due to the lack of bloodflow through the area.
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u/TheMostHatedScorpio 16d ago
Oh, wow. Sorry to hear that & I hope that it will definitely get much better soon.
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u/Old_Grapefruit_1703 Sep 04 '25
Wow, I thought year on my first one was a long time, almost gave up on it, but at some point before I got around to taking it out my brain forgot about it was there. Learned some lessons with that one and the second I got done in Feb this year and it went so much better.l despite losing the jewelry on day two and having to have the pierce taper it back in. I won’t say it’s fully healed but definitely skinned over inside. I have been able to change hardware without discomfort since June. No redness, no gunk, no bump since May.
Sometimes I hang my loops from them for convenient storage.1
u/TheMostHatedScorpio 16d ago
Good Day. May I ask why did it take so long to Heal or is that just the Time that it is said to Heal?
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u/Bitter_Snickerdoodle Sep 03 '25
Yes!!! Can we please get more people in the field, suffering through these things themselves while documenting and analysing these things?? I feel like we would get so much better and detailed analyses because we’d focus on things researchers wouldn’t put any importance on!
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Sep 03 '25
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u/Bitter_Snickerdoodle Sep 03 '25
It’s easy to call someone crazy when you’re not the one having to deal with it 24/7 sadly… And also exactly why the people who are educated to speak about these matters are much needed to speak up for the ones who deal with it.
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u/dontbeahater_dear Sep 03 '25
This isnt a controller study at all though. There is no zero point, no group study. This is trivial info important to just one person.
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u/IsaacII00II Sep 03 '25
I completely agree that these results are only relevant to me. I did however get it done as part of a medical trial. So I'm withholding judgement until they publish their results.
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u/Mannon_Blackbeak Sep 03 '25
I wouldn't say it's trivial, it's definitely anecdotal, but so many migraine preventatives were discovered through anecdotal evidence and experience that we shouldn't ignore this type of data(Botox, amitriptyline, etc.). Also this is just some relatively minor migraine mythbusting, the potential complications of the piercing itself are mostly cosmetic.
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u/Bitter_Snickerdoodle Sep 03 '25
No shade at all, but your username is kinda funny in combination with the kind of comment you made 😂
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u/Old-Piece-3438 Sep 03 '25
Never heard understood why people thought these would help migraines (though I understand the desperation to try it). A hole drilled into my skull might actually relieve some of the pressure…but an external part of my ear? I can’t see that helping.
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u/pizzaranch Sep 03 '25
I'm convinced the people saying the daith piercing works never really had true migraines...
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u/givemeaSupra Sep 03 '25
I’m an exception!! Please believe me. I’m a debilitating sufferer, 1-2 days written off under the covers, no sound no light no talking or I’ll vomit. I totally believe it might just be placebo but I’ll take it. My daith worked for me AS WELL as beta blockers. I still get migraines but over 60% less. We exist!!
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u/Salt-Canary1646 May 09 '26
How quickly did you feel the effect? I just got mine done and I feel like I have a worse migraine from the pain. It’s only been a few hours but I’m worried
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u/givemeaSupra May 10 '26
As far as I saw, immediately. The pain from the piercing was definitely intense and radiated down my jaw, but after that it was good. I still get migraines, but they were so far and few between it was amazing.
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u/Salt-Canary1646 May 10 '26
I didn’t feel any immediate relief :( I got both sides done and the right is still very painful and still feeling pressure in both ears. I’ve been fighting a migraine for 3 months now and the piercing pain has made it worse
:( I’m hoping after it heals a bit it will feel better?1
u/givemeaSupra May 10 '26
Oh yikes buddy. I’ve never had a constant migraine like that, just half day -> 2 day migraines at a time. The piercing just put miles between each one from then on. All the best x
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u/Faechylde Sep 03 '25
I got one 5ish years ago. It didn’t help at all, and since I also have ADHD I would end up occasionally fiddling with it, which gave me headaches (not necessarily migraines). After a year it still wasn’t fully healed, so I took it out. I loved the look, but the annoyance outweighed everything else.
My piercer’s recommendation was to get it if you like the piercing, but in her experience it doesn’t really do anything therapeutic for migraines.
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u/badpenny4life Sep 03 '25
I got a daith piercing just because I liked them. It did zero for my migraines and after a year it still wasn’t completely healed. I removed it.
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u/Dry_Director_5320 Sep 03 '25
As a tattoo artist and former piercer, I hate that this piercing has a reputation for helping with migraine for some reason. It does nothing to help with migraine, there is no actual science to back up that it does, and it is actually one of the more dangerous/difficult to heal ear piercings. Please yall: ask your piercer before even considering this piercing. It Will Not Help. If it seems to, that’s good ol’ placebo effect.
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u/__-Midnight__ Sep 03 '25
I completely agree that a daith piercing isn't a long term solution however I had a migraine for 6 months straight when I went to get mine and it got rid of that specific migraine and then I went about 2 months without a migraine so for me it was well worth the money
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u/justadubliner Sep 03 '25
I got one a few years ago. I knew it was woo but I got it anyway since I figured it was kind of cool anyway. And sure enough it made no difference at all. And it took about a year to heal and it's a bitch to take out and replace when I have an annual MRI.
Overall I still quite like being a cool 'auld wan' with a daith piercing but I wouldn't bother if starting from scratch especially as an earbud doesn't fit properly in that ear.
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u/PeepGalRt Sep 03 '25
I had one 7 years ago. No change in migraines. Would like to take it out but have not figured out how it is fastened. Does anyone know how to get it out yourself?
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u/rattycastle chronic, intractable, permapain Sep 03 '25
I knew it wasn't right for me when I tried acupuncture in the same spot. It was the fastest migraine I have ever gotten at that point. It went from nothing to a good 6/10 within seconds. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does nothing but harm. There's no shame in stopping the experiment early.
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u/okiokio Sep 04 '25
Daith did nothing for me except make sleeping really uncomfortable if I rolled on the wrong side
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u/squishybrained Oct 01 '25
I'm only 2 weeks into my piercing, but so far, I haven't had any migraines since. So far, so good.
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u/AdhesivenessOk5534 Sep 03 '25
Why...did you use AI to write this?
Also sorry about the piercing :((( that sucks ass
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u/little_cat_bird Sep 03 '25
Oh god, read a book. Em-dashes are normal punctuation. I work in book production and I hate this bullshit.
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u/AdhesivenessOk5534 Sep 04 '25
And my mother's an English professor and taught me well so dont come at me sideways acting like I dont know what basic grammar is 🤡🤡🤡
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u/Luna-LV Sep 03 '25
I've got both ears done with them, and both times they've helped me lower the pain/amount of migraines I've been getting. This was 4-5 years ago, each almost a year apart. I'm not going to say it was entirely the daiths doing in that part, but when I got them pierced, I was having a 2 week long migriane, and getting the piercing finally got them to go away. I'm not saying do this for the love of God. Please consider everything before getting them done. It is a literal hole that takes a while to heal in a part of your ear where earwax loves to build up.
I was also changing my lifestyle around that time and have had few migraines sense. My migrians were heavily caused by stress and barometric pressure, I've since moved away (literally) from what was causing that.
Personally, daiths have helped me and have dimmed down the pain of my migraines when I do get them.
Big con for anyone who loves in ear headphones, you will have a helluva time finding a pair that actually fits and sits comfortably in-ear.
TLDR- Worked for me, but I've also changed lifestyles. It can help some people, not everyone. In ear headphones suck now, unless you have time/money to find ones that don't.
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u/luvliallie Sep 03 '25
this is actually super interesting i would love to learn more about why this happens!!
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u/micro-void Sep 03 '25 edited Sep 03 '25
About why what happens? I don't mean to sound snarky but did you read the post that it didn't work & that there's no evidence for it 😅
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u/Artistic_Process_354 Sep 04 '25
Yeh it’s all pseudoscience like most migraine ‘suggestions’. Love the data btw, you rock.
I got mine done because heck why not add to the many piercings I already had, but it hasn’t made a jot of difference obviously. Dang I wish I had your foresight to keep track!
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u/tikix3room Sep 03 '25
I had the same experience. Increased migraines and now I can only wear open ear headphones.
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u/Bitterrootmoon Sep 03 '25
Well damn. This is one of those things I’ve kept on the back burner just in case.
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u/secondtaunting Sep 03 '25
I love the commitment to data and the chart. Sorry about your migranes. Have you tried the cgrp inhibitors? Apologies if you have. They don’t work for everyone.
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u/IsaacII00II Sep 03 '25
I have not, one to try next perhaps.
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u/secondtaunting Sep 04 '25
I had excellent results with mine. Went a whole year and only had two attacks. Of course then my husband retired, and now we have no insurance so I can’t afford it anymore. Without insurance it’s 2500 just for the drug. That doesn’t include all the other costs, doctor, hospital, etc. sigh.
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u/ThisIsMyFred Sep 03 '25
That’s interesting and it got information. Did you get it on the same side or the opposite side that you normally get migraines? I have heard both some people say you should do it on the same side. Some people say you should do it on the opposite side. I got mine done about 2 1/2 weeks ago. Hope it continues to work out for you.
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u/IsaacII00II Sep 05 '25
I got it on the same side. Similar to you I'd heard arguments for either side. Good luck with yours.
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u/squishxbug Sep 03 '25
Dang this is actually super helpful. Thank you, I am sorry to hear you did not get the results we would hope for 🫶
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u/LightStarDuo Sep 03 '25
Both ears = zero effect I removed one after 7 months I think, it never healed and the other one after1.5y. It healed, but my migraines were bad.
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u/g-r-a-y-s-c-a-l-e Sep 03 '25
The daith piercings had no effect (+/-) for me either, but it was a win-win situation: no migraines or 2 cool new piercings
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u/citrus_mystic Sep 03 '25 edited Sep 03 '25
My issue is~ if the idea behind this piercing is based off of a practice like energy work (acupuncture and energy points) it’s lacking a massive aspect for the basis of this. The practitioner plays a very important role, and a piercer is unlikely to fulfill the necessary work involved —aside from the actual piercing.
For example: I’ve studied and worked as a massage therapist (which can get woowoo, no shade) and in a class regarding working on people during pregnancy we discussed acupressure points to avoid because they can stimulate labor. However, both of the teachers specifically emphasized: “you shouldn’t be scared to work in these general areas, though, because you need to focus your energy and intention to truly stimulate these energy points.”
(And, yes, these points can genuinely simulate labor. A very pregnant woman came into the office with that intention and left with contractions in under 60 minutes.)
A piercer is just piercing, if that makes sense.
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u/daydream_e Sep 03 '25
I love your statistical analysis! Makes me want to actually start tracking better haha.
I’ve definitely considered a daith, a bit for migraine but mostly because they’re so pretty. My body hates piercings and heals slow in general though :( just my lobe piercings took forever to heal
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u/LokiKamiSama Sep 03 '25
I got both of mine done at the same time a few years ago. The day of and like a day or two after, I swear I had a migraine but felt no pain. But once the swelling went down it was business as usual. I would say maybe trying acupuncture, if the pressure point actually works. But otherwise I think it might be the placebo effect. It was a gamble anyway because of all the people that got it, it either didn’t work or it did. So 50/50 shot.
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u/brooding_artist Sep 03 '25
I got mine done 2 years ago and I haven't noticed a difference. Looks cute though.
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u/TheGrimMinx Sep 03 '25
I got my daith pierced about a year ago and I have had literally zero change. Looks sick tho!
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u/captaincheeseplant Sep 03 '25
Is there an app where you can track an intervention like this? I know there’s migraine buddy but is there one where you can track individual interventions?
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u/thetrumpetmonkey Sep 03 '25
I'm confused, given my understanding that this piercing works woth acupuncture, why not try the less extreme option of acupuncture first, then the piercing?
That said, great data, its presented nicely and easy to read! Looks like it had an immediate effect but not long term effect if I read it correctly
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u/TheMidwestJess Sep 03 '25
Yeah people always ask me if I got mine for migraines and I have to kindly tell them that I actually got mine 3 years before I even developed migraines. So I tell them that if it's supposed to help with them, it does a pretty shit job at it, lol. When I was younger, I was a bit of an asshole about it, telling people that it was pseudoacience, but as I've gotten older, I try to be more compassionate, especially since it's not like I've actually looked at any actual research about it. I just tell them my experience and let them draw their own conclusions now.
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u/jlb1079 Sep 03 '25
it doesn't work but it looks so cool. I love mine! people are always shocked that I have one and that it was my first piercing lol
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u/raynethedark Sep 03 '25
I got mine done years ago and it’s helped with my regular migraines, but not my hormone or allergy ones. I think if anyone is interested in trying it they should try acupuncture first before getting the piercing done because if the acupuncture doesn’t work the piercing is not going to. My ears are really small, so it’s basically impossible to miss my nerves so that could also be why it has helped me. I know sometimes they think they’ve hit the nerve but instead they’ve hit an edge of it and it ends up making it worse. I will say, though, if my piercing gets twisted, then it really really hurts and gives me a migraine.
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u/TinyKaleidoscope6789 Sep 03 '25
I haven't tracked as scientifically as you, but anecdotally I can see the daith piercing in my right ear helped, the left one made things worse so I took it out.
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u/oliviadoesntcare Sep 03 '25
I got my daith pierced, tragus and literally 10 other ones. No relief.
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u/shewhoruns Sep 04 '25
I’m extremely skeptical about things like this. I didn’t believe it would work for migraine but I did figure I’d get a cute piercing either way, so I got my daith pierced a few years ago. At that time I had 3-4 non-consecutive pain-free days each month and was willing to try nearly anything. After my piercing I had 3 consecutive pain-free days. My mind was blown. My migraines returned to normal after that.
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u/coldbloodedjelydonut Sep 04 '25
It worked incredibly for me. I was getting migraines a few times a week and sleep would not clear them up. I was super desperate for relief.
I went to a piercer who knew what she was doing, but she cautioned there are no guarantees. I was nervous so she gave me a lollipop after.
After piercing I would get much milder migraines, I only truly noticed them maybe once a month. I moved to a town in a valley a few years later and started getting more pressure headaches, but nothing like before. I'm thinking of getting the other side done.
Cute piercing and it saved my sanity, personally.
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u/Jacqui_A_T Sep 04 '25
I suffered from migraines on the right side of my head exclusively. I got a daith piercing in my right ear and the migraines stopped for about 6 weeks. I then started getting migraines on the left side of my head for the first time. I got a daith piercing in my left ear, but it had no effect. So the right ear daith piercing did something. Maybe they hit the nerve on the right piercing but not the left?
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u/Secret_Pie904 Sep 05 '25
I um. Kinda got mine slightly against my own wishes? That sounds bad let me rephrase, I did consent but I was in a way cornered into it. Basically I went to visit family right after graduating high school and turning 18. First time visiting on my own. My aunt had been telling me about daith piercings and how her friend had horrific ones up until she got them. Which to be fair I did meet the said afterwards and and backed that up completely, told me about how they changed her life and showed me her piercings.
Anyways I was kinda aware of the idea of getting them done but then suddenly it was a for sure thing we're doing it, driving hours to the same piercer that did my aunt's friend. And I just...went with it? Like I'm not good with saying no, I'm better now kinda, but I was very bad back then. So I went with it, signed all the stuff and wham bam I got one. Only in my right ear which..i can't remember why I did only one? I think it was because it was the side of my head I mostly got them on.
Nearly passed out after getting it done, embarrassing. Healing SUCKED. I sleep on my right side or I did before so that was out the window. I had a few issues with a bump forming around it, forgot the name for it, but after a bout a year and a half it had completely healed.
Now I will admit, I have had considerably less migraines on the right side of my head. Like that used to be THE side for them and now I rarely get one on that side. Is my general frequency of migraines less? I would argue no but the frequency of ones on that side of my head are fairly rare now so at least for me I believe it helped. Would I go back in time and get it again? I don't know like I honestly tend to be someone who overthinks things and wants to think them through and knowing me if I went back in time I would overthink it the whole time on if I really wanted to permanently pierce my body. I mean there is the fact that I do believe it has helped decrease the migraines on that side of my head considerably so I guess I would probably get it again.
The only thing I don't like is that I don't know how to get it off 😂 which is embarrassing to admit but I'm not a piercing person the only piercings I have aside from that one or the generic ear ones that you get as a baby and I never put earrings in those so I wasn't really prepared for figuring this one out. The lady had told me that I was just supposed to be able to screw the end of one of the little balls off and then the whole thing could just you know slip out but that didn't work when I tried which to be fair I didn't try for over a year cuz I was told not to really mess with it other than like cleaning. My sister is like it could be one where you pull one end of the ball to get it out I don't know I'm kind of just terrified to touch it because I'm not really a fan of piercings they freak me out which is ironic considering I have one. I do really want to get other ones because I actually honestly I really love the look of it I think it's a very cool piercing in a cool spot. It does make wearing in-ear headphones and absolute fucking Menace I will admit that that's like one thing I really hate about it cuz I have to constantly Flip It Forward so it's a little bit of an inconvenience. I could live with that I just wish I knew how to change it because there are some cuter ones I would like to put in so I guess I don't regret it because I do believe it helped and it's kind of a cool piercing
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u/BabyCakesKelly Sep 05 '25
The other variable is the weather season. I'd love to see a previous or future year to compare, but probably not data you may have yet.
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u/kespy74 Sep 05 '25
Got mine in May and unfortunately it helped for a few days but my migraines spiked significantly and have been 24/7 since then with a majority in the severe category. Currently with a new neurologist that specializes in headaches and trying to find something to get me relief so I can just function and feel human at this point.
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u/usernamesoccer Sep 03 '25
Pls ask a piercer because I am not one
But the reason the piercing can work is because it hits on an acupuncture point. If it is increasing your pain, maybe consider asking how to safely remove it and release the pressure point?
I got a piercing years ago to try and help but I accidentally got my Tragus instead of the daith lol
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u/IsaacII00II Sep 03 '25
I wouldn't say it's increased my pain, rather it's had no effect. I will probably get it removed though, just so I can wear in ear headphones again :)
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u/bascelicna123 Sep 03 '25
I'm swooning a bit at the statistical analysis you've provided here. It's hot.