Nerivio: A Non-Drug Migraine Treatment

Nerivio is a cool drug-free migraine treatment option that can stop attacks in 2 hours. Plus, it can’t cause medication overuse headaches.

Treating migraine attacks can be a long game of trial and error. Once you get in to see a doctor, sometimes you have to try a lot of different medicines before you find what works best for you. Another difficult part about common abortive medications like triptans is that they can cause medication overuse headaches. It can be a very hard balancing act of when to try an abort a headache and when you hay have taken too many already.

How Nerivio Works

Nerivio is a non-drug option that works by taking advantage of a brain phenomenon called conditional pain modulation. Your brain can only process one pain at a time, so when you experience a new pain in one location it inhibits pain in another place. This is also why if you stub your toe and quickly apply pressure it can lessen the pain.

Nerivio is small Bluetooth device that sticks to your arm. You control it with your phone and the treatment last for 45 minutes. It sends out electrical pulses that are a noxious stimulus that interrupts the pain signals from the migraine and can stop the attack. It’s basically a TENS unit if you are familiar with that.

You use Nerivio at the first sign of an attack whether that’s an aura or the first sign of head pain. The treatment can be used within the first hour of the attack and it should resolve in about 2 hours.

How to Get Nerivio

You do need a prescription for Nerivio, but it is easy to get through their website online. At it’s pretty accessible if you don’t have a neurologist or PCP to work with. There is a $45 fee to talk with a doctor and get a prescription. They confirm that you are having migraines and that you do not have a heart condition that could make using this device dangerous. Then they will write you a prescription and the pharmacy will contact you to fill it. It’s very unlikely it will be covered by insurance, but they give you the first one for $10. Each device has 12 treatments, so it seemed like it was worth a shot for 55 dollars. If it works well for you the refills are $49, and they mail it to you.

How it Feels

The main device sticks to your outer upper arm and the strap that comes with it to keep it in place makes it look like a blood pressure cuff. Once you activate Nerivio the intensity is controlled with your phone. When I talked to the doctor, he told me that you really want it to be uncomfortable to make it work. It shouldn’t hurt, but if you don’t turn it up enough than it may not work.

The session runs for 45 minutes and automatically shuts off. I have worn this while I was laying down and trying to sleep as well as at work. It feels like a mix between vibration and a static electricity shock. I would say weird or annoying at most. Plus, I’m using it during an attack when I’ll put up with just about anything if it will make me feel better. The main possible side effect is a reaction to the adhesive, but even with me sensitive skin I haven’t had a problem.

I have used this about 20 times and only once did I need to follow up with an prescription abortive. I love it because it has helped pull me out of attacks that probably would have kept progressing. I can wear it at work and it doesn’t draw too much attention. That’s why I chose to try this first over Cefaly which sticks to your forehead.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I love Nerivio and I’m really glad it came up in my searches. Even though you need a prescription, it’s more of a formality since it can all be done online. Everyone I talked to from the doctor to the people at the pharmacy were very friendly and helpful which means a lot when you spend a lot of time back and forth with insurance. It’s affordable in the grand scheme of medicine coming out to about $4 a treatment. Best part is it works just as well or better than triptans without any side effects. Plus, you can use it as often as you need without worrying about medication overuse. If you are feeling stuck in your migraine treatment, I definitely think Nerivio is worth a try. If you’re looking for other non-drug options, check out my other post about tools for migraine attacks.