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Jemma O’Donovan discovered that a retro candy helps ease her migraine symptoms within 15 minutes
She experiences severe migraines twice a week with symptoms like aura, dizziness, vomiting and intense pain
O’Donovan shared her candy hack on TikTok, inspiring others with migraines to try similar sweet and fizzy remedies
One woman is stopping her migraine symptoms, thanks to the help of a retro candy she relies on.
Jemma O’Donovan first started experiencing migraines about three years ago. Now, the 28-year-old says she tends to encounter at least two each week with tough symptoms.
“One of the first symptoms I get is migraine aura, which is flashing lights and colors, usually in one eye,” she shares, according to Kennedy News & Media. “This is my warning sign that I’ve usually got about half an hour to get myself somewhere safe and situated before I really start to suffer.”
Jemma O’Donovan.
Credit: Kennedy News/@jemmaodonovan
O’Donovan, who lives in the U.K., says she also can encounter vomiting, dizziness, double vision and intense pain throughout her body.
While she takes “heavy-hitting” medication for the migraines, O’Donovan also has to deal with tough side effects.
“Sometimes I’d rather live with the headache as the medication basically makes my body go to sleep and everything about my body stops working,” she explains. “In about 20 minutes, I feel like I can’t lift my arms or walk properly, and my whole body feels like cement.”
Recently, O’Donovan ate a Barratt Sherbet Dip Dab during one of her migraines and realized she felt better.
The candy includes a strawberry-flavored lollipop that you dip in the white Sherbet powder. It’s a classic British sweet treat, similar to a Fun Dip as a U.S. comparison.
“[The sweet hack] was a complete accident. I had gone to Tesco and I picked up a few sweets from the kids’ section, which included a Dip Dab,” she says. “I had the Dip Dab and I think the fizziness of it distracted my brain for a little bit and within about 15 minutes after I finished, I had a moment where I questioned, ‘Do I feel better?’ “
Jemma O’Donovan.
Credit: Kennedy News/@jemmaodonovan
O’Donovan thought the experience might have been just a coincidence, so she tried another one during another migraine she was having. She claims that her symptoms, including the blurred vision, seemed to “plateau a bit so it’s easier to get up and get on with your day.”
“It’s not a complete fix, but it makes it more manageable to go about my day as I work full-time,” she adds. “You feel you can get out of bed and open the curtains. It allows you to function with a migraine and relieve some of the awful symptoms.”
Now, she has a pile of the Sherbet Dip Dab candies in a drawer in her room, so she’s ready whenever she encounters a migraine.
She explains that it’s a similar solution to having a “coke and fries” with a migraine, combining something salty and sweet. Although the candy isn’t overly salty, she says it has a “baking powder taste.”
“I can’t tell you how or why, but I BEG you try it at least once. I’ve noticed it can help take the edge off for me personally,” she captioned in a video detailing her migraine hack on TikTok.
Others with migraines were surprised by the discovery. “Running to stock up on these rn,” one user commented.
“Omg blast from the past I forgot how good they were,” another added.
Jemma O’Donovan.
Credit: Kennedy News/@jemmaodonovan
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A third wrote, “U may be onto something here, [my] dr once told me really really sour & fizzy sweets can work, isn’t this kinda a bit like that?”
Some also offered their own food hacks, suggesting everything from a soda from McDonald’s and salty chips to black coffee and energy drinks.
Read the original article on People