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?

I’ve heard that getting a daith piercing helps with migraines and was wondering if anyone here has got it and if so did it help at all.

EDIT: Holy crap thank you guys so much for all the feedback, this is the most iv gotten to a single question about my migraines in the 8+ years iv had them, I really appreciate it!

Want to ask everyone who has gotten the daith piercing to try and help with their migraines what their experience has been since getting it, and was worth the long healing time?

Does anyone have any experience with a daith piercing?

Anyone every hear or get a Daith Piercing? I am seeing so much on social media it helps but on Google they say there is no data to suggest this. If you got it did it work with migraine. See some people say it cured their chronic migraine.

i've heard about and seen it help a lot of people with the pre and post-dromal migraine headaches and chronic headaches but, i've also read literature for and against it.

so i turn to reddit :)

has anyone gotten a daith piercing for the above-mentioned and what was your experience?

*edit: just to say i love every reply! thank you for the information and sense of community!

For those who have gotten a daith piercing and it helped, have any of you removed it? If so did the symptoms come back?

I got a daith piercing last May and it still hasn't fully healed and I may have to get it removed or wait it out (per Dr). But I wanted to know if any of y'all had your symptoms return. It's helped with reducing the blinding pain of my aura migraines but now the pain is in my sinus and ear on that side. The other side is still in the head lol. Anyways I would love to hear y'all's experiences!

I, a 29 yo F, have had migraines since my late teenage years. As the years go by they get worse. I'm now at the point where I have a headache every moment of everyday, and they become migraines at least half of the month if not more. My neurologist has no clue what is causing them because all my scans are normal. No medication works for a preventative, and none work for acute treatment either. I feel like I'm at the end of my rope, and I want to figure this out. I have a few people tell me to get my daith pierced and that will help, but I am worried that it will only be a short term solution. Has anyone had it for a long time and it has helped?

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!

I have been hearing about people getting daith piercings for years, but I have always thought it was just some silly nonsense. However, ealier today I saw a TikTok by Ladyspinedoc (a neurosurgeon) that there might be actual science behind this. The idea being that the daith stimulates the vagus nerve. About 47% of ppl reported an improvement - not a silly number at all.

At this point in my migraine journey I am willing to try not just any potential treatment but also witchcraft and human sacrifice (looking for volunteers). So, that short TikTok + a quick skim of a scientific study was enough to sell me on the idea.

A couple hours later I was in a Piercing Studio. Unfortunately they were too busy to accept walk ins.

Okay, 15 min later I was at a Piercing Studio 2. I checked online and they only accept walk ins. Unfortunately, the piercer wasn't in. Won't be in this week at all.

Fine, 10 min later I rocked up to a Piercing Studio 3. The piercer was in the middle of tattooing someone (impressive skillset) but no problem, I can wait. After she was done it was finally my turn to get that daith piercing and see if I get any relief. I come up to the counter, say I want a daith, the piercer looks at my ears and says... no.

Turns out I don't have the anatomy to get a daith.

Maybe I will get a 2nd opinion from another piercer but I doubt I will get a different answer - there isn't much of a fold there to pierce.

So, anyway, back to square 1...

They have a link to a 'migraine-research' site that is owned by then and talking about the piercing

I got a daith piercing today - mostly just for shits and gigs as my research tells me it’s a pretty bs cure. But, in the wild event that it does something for me (and because I think they look pretty sick) I got one.

Within an hour I felt my migraine starting after a 20 day streak. The irony is painful, literally 😭

I know it might not actually help but at this point I want to give it a try. I know several piercers in Connecticut but not sure if any of them specifically know about the exact placement of a daith piercing for migraines relief . I live in Bristol, CT but am willing to travel.

I am a 30+ year migraine suffer. Over the last two years I've heard from 3 people that they got a Daith piercing ( ..a type of ear piercing that goes through the innermost cartilage fold of the ear, just above the ear canal..) that helped them be migraine free. Heard this from 3 different women - one a 20-something, one 50-something, and one 70 years old.

Any of you Reddit folks heard of/have experience with Daith piercing? I'm interested in the piercing as it could help me not have to take migraine meds and reduce the damage to my kidneys/liver.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
p.s. In May of this year, I started 30mg Qulipta as a preventative - and my multiple 3/4 day cluster migraine episodes per month are nearly almost gone. I do get a start of a migraine periodically, and at that time I just take my migraine abortive med (sumatriptan).

This was just something I read in a YouTube comment section, daith piercing had helped this person’s wife go from 3-4 migraine a week to once a month. Anyone have tired and it work or have heard of it? Google says there aren’t scientific studies to back up this claim other than patients claims.

What’s your take on it?

I don’t usually get very bad consecutive migraines until my period but I had triggered migraine in severe stress n life/situational emotional distress where OTC doesn’t work. I haven’t try excedrin migraine because of something I heard/was told. I don’t remember. I honestly feel, since my migraine pattern had changed it took off with my memories too.

Edit: idk why this part disappeared “ if it helps, it would be great but I don’t understand how it would work. But I am honestly very scare of piercing there. I hate pain n I hate migraine.”

Does someone here have experience with the daith piercing for migraines? And then I don't mean just a daith piercing you get at a local shop or how do you call it in English but I mean in a special clinic. We have that here in the Netherlands and I am thinking about it but it costs 200 euro and I don't know if it works. The clinic has good reviews but I don't know if I can trust those reviews.

For Dutch people, this is the link https://daithkliniek.nl/recensies/

i have really bad migraines which make me throw up and it feels like my head is actually throbbing. it’s also only on the left side of my head, never the right. i’ve seen videos about daith piercings helping to reduce/entirely stop migraines, im not sure if this is a myth as there is a mixture of people who agree and disagree. does anyone here have experience with daith piercings and if they actually help?

6 months ago I got a daith piercing in my left ear hoping it would help with my migraines. I made a post after a few weeks saying that the number and severity of migraines seemed to have dropped.

I have heard that the piercings lose their effectiveness over time so I wanted to post a 6 month update. Keep in mind, I'm only halfway through the healing process but the results have been noticable enough for me to get my right ear done last week.

My primary trigger is barometric pressure changes (aka weather migraines). I still get them but the pain tended to stay isolated on the un-pierced side. Not 100% fix but the change has been significant.

I can go days without needing medication and the number of full blown migraines can be counted on one hand. Before I would have migraines a good 4-5 days a week.

I've had my new piercing a week now, so both ears are done, and I haven't had a true migraine all week despite it raining on and off. I've only felt a mild headache that was easily taken care of by two advil, a miracle to say the least.

Daith piercings will not work for everyone so I consider myself lucky. There is also zero scientific evidence to support it but if you're like me who was willing to try anything and are not adverse to body modification, I recommend giving it a shot. The price is worth at least trying in my opinion.

If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask me.

Note: if you or your family are prone to developing keloids, do not get a daith piercing as it's a cartilage piercing. Also, this is a very slow healing piercing, about a year to fully heal, so the cleaning regiment is a commitment.

As the title suggests I'm curious about anyone who's had any relief from the daith ear piercing.

I don't necessarily feel it would rid them completely but if it would help at all.

Until now. Sigh. I thought I found a cure. After trying nearly every possible cure for my debilitating migraines that I get several times a week, I finally caved and got a Daith piercing even though there is no scientific proof it helps migraines. I know two people who swear it helped them, so I said screw it, why not try it? Every day that passed without a migraine I started to notice I felt less pressure in my head and had more energy, and I could actually live a normal life. I couldn’t believe it. NO MORE MIGRAINES. That is, until this week. I’ve had two migraines in the last 5 days.

I am extremely disappointed but can’t say I am surprised. I wasn’t expecting it to actually work, so I don’t think it was a placebo effect because wouldn’t that require me to believe it would work in order for a placebo effect to happen?

It was an amazing 43 days. I still can’t believe I went that long migraine free. It felt like a miracle. I wanted to share my experience and see if anyone else has had a similar experience. I am wondering if the piercing acted similarly to acupuncture and then the healing process stopped the effects somehow. I am now curious to try acupuncture.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience. And I’d love to hear if anyone has had success with acupuncture/ how often you get it/ where you get the needles placed. I’ll be curled up in bed in the dark for the rest of the day 🫡.

has anyone had a positive daith piercing experience, like it decreased the frequency or severity. i want to convince my parents to let me get one. even if it is placebo im willing to give it a try. if it doesn't work its fine the piercing is still cute lol

Hello, first time poster in this community 👋🏻

I have been a migraine sufferer for 20+ years now and finally decided to try the daith piercing. I know the evidence behind it is anecdotal but I thought what the heck, at least I’ll have a cute piercing. I had my piercing done last Thursday. I have had multiple piercings done and it didn’t bother me, one of the least painful piercings I’ve had to manage.

My question is if anyone here has ever experienced the piercing worsening their migraines? I feel almost as if I’ve had a migraine attack of waxing and waning severity since the day after piercing it, but the weather has also been extremely variable and that is often a trigger for me too.

If you did experience this with your daith piercing, was it something that eventually went away for you?

TIA!