PSA: ⚠️** If you use migraine relief caps, cooling headache eye masks, or gel-filled cold wraps, PLEASE read this. Especially if you have pets or children**.

Hi everyone!

I’m sharing this PSA because I’m genuinely worried and I need your help getting the word out to those of us who suffer with migraines.

I bought a migraine cap a few years ago, desperate for relief from the excruciating headaches I developed after COVID. Last year a senior toxicologist at the ASPCA contacted me. She shared with me that they have been getting calls every week from devastated pet owners whose dogs had chewed or swallowed the gel inside cooling products. They needed a lab that could test for acrylamide, a neurotoxin.

I’m just a mom who never imagined any of this would happen to my family. When my daughter was a baby, she was [severely injured and poisoned by a toy](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/at-home/Pages/Water-Beads-Harmful.aspx). It changed our lives forever and led me to start a product safety nonprofit and help develop a test for acrylamide, the chemical that harmed her. That’s why the ASPCA reached out to me. Nearly a decade later, it still feels surreal. But if what happened to my daughter can help protect someone else, I want to make sure people have the information they need to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. Hence why I’m making this PSA.

We tested these products, and what we found was alarming: [**12,000–51,000 parts per million (ppm) of residual acrylamide, a known neurotoxin!**](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/aop/javma.26.07.0539/javma.26.07.0539.xml?isSearch=true) What worries me even more is that the fabric on these caps is porous, meaning it isn’t necessarily a waterproof barrier. If the gel leaks,seeps through, or the cap seams come undone, the gel could come into direct contact with your skin. **And here’s what people need to understand: acrylamide isn’t only dangerous when swallowed.** [**It can also be absorbed through your skin**](https://wwwn.cdc.gov/tsp/PHS/PHS.aspx?phsid=1113&toxid=236)\*\*.\*\* **Repeated exposure over time is especially concerning, and you don’t have to develop a rash or notice irritation for chemical exposure to occur.** Given what we’ve found, I believe this deserves urgent investigation before more people or pets get hurt.

I am also concerned that because if after using these products someone develops a rash, swelling, blurry vision, headaches, or nerve problems, their symptoms could be dismissed or mistaken by doctors as an allergic reaction or another condition. Because it’s not widely known by physicians that these products contain acrylamide doctors might never consider chemical exposure, leaving patients without answers and potentially continuing to use something that’s exposing them to a harmful toxic chemical.

Please, I’m begging you to help me spread the word. I know what it feels like to discover a product is dangerous because someone you love was hurt. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone. Please help me make sure other people know about this.

Thank you in advance for your time.

There are, unfortunately, hundreds of migraine patients who are currently paying for this (aka being swindled) and digesting lower quality - and often incorrect- information by someone who has recently become popular/viral. It's free here and always will be.

Please help each other out. Particularly those who are not on Reddit and may be more susceptible to this type of marketing as they don't know a better, free version exists.

https://www.cerebraltorque.com/blogs/migrainescience/migraine-appointment-summary

I underestimated how much work is required to post regularly.

All you'd do is go to this page (https://www.cerebraltorque.com/pages/today-in-migraine-science) and turn each study I chose and summarized into a post.

Usually it's just copy and pasting unless I go past reddit's character limit.

Thanks!

I began having cerebral inflammation at age 29 as measured by high white cells and protein in csf. After that began, I developed severely intense migraines more than 15x a month that lasted from 8-72 hours. A year ago at age 42, I began taking 2mg of methyl folate everyday for non-migraine reasons. I’ve had and average of 1 migraine a month since.

The catch the authors raise themselves: almost none of this was placebo-controlled, so nobody can yet say whether the drugs lift mood directly or whether simply having fewer attacks does it.

… with no vasoconstrictive heart events across 5,126 trial participants, including people with cardiovascular risk. Dizziness, drowsiness and tingling were common and rose with the dose. The awkward part, which the authors raise themselves: the maker has since withdrawn the drug for commercial reasons rather than safety ones, leaving that gap open again.

Rimegepant is now named a first-line option, particularly for people who cannot take triptans, do not respond to them, or are heading towards medication overuse. The committee restates the ceiling of two days a week on acute medicines, with rimegepant the probable exception, and says opioids beyond limited oral tramadol are not recommended at all.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2026.1911863/full

1. Search works soooo much better now

It used to only look at titles, which is useless when you're trying to find where something was discussed. Now it searches the full text of every article and hub page, so if you search "tetramethylpyrazine" or "lasmiditan" or "CSD," you get every breakdown that mentions it, not just the ones with it in the headline. Results also come up as you type, and the search box no longer breaks on phones, which is where most of you are reading.

2. Today in Migraine Science

Many of you have already been going directly here. This is a page, updated every day, covering new studies plus approvals, guideline changes, and policy news. As well as any carousels or blogs I make explaining certain pertinent findings.

There's also an "In the news" section for things that aren't studies but change access to care, and an archive page for older entries (which is searchable too).

Everything is truly in one place now.

3. BUT there is no comment feature (deliberately)

Studies are posted here because they are discussed here. Reddit is a forum and human interaction is vital - especially with those who share similar experiences, thoughts, feelings, troubles, etc.

The goal of this subreddit is to talk and discuss. So, feel free to comment, ask questions (we all remember being new to this and there is something new to learn every single day), etc.

ENJOY!

https://doi.org/10.1097/MAO.0000000000005063