Will Botox Relieve Your Migraines?

You may not have heard about botox being used for treating chronic migraines. So you might be surprised to know that injections of Botox can also treat migraines along with improving the facial wrinkles and fine lines.

Botox is no longer just an aesthetic treatment. It has been used for treating numerous medical conditions since 1970s. Today, it is used for the treatment of more than 20 medical conditions including excessive sweating, blepharospasm, cervical dystonia, bruxism as well as chronic migraines and many more.

 

Botox for migraines treatment

Like other treatments of migraines, the Botox treatment for migraines was discovered when the patients were treated with Botox for some other purpose and they reported improvements in their migraine headaches.

In 2010, Allergan provided FDA with a study based evidence for effectiveness of Botox for migraines treatment after which it was approved for the treatment of chronic migraines.  how Botox helps in treating migraines is not understood fully yet but it is believed that Btox works by relaxing the muscles which are sensitive to pain by blocking the transmission of neurotransmitters and it may also hinder the pain signals send to the brain.

What to expect from the Botox for migraines?

Botox treatment is usually considered for treating migraines when other medications and drugs fail to give any relief. For migraines treatment, Botox is injected into 31 injections sites all over your head and neck. A particular migraine injection protocol has been designed according to which the doctor administer Botox injections at specific sites.

• Walsh, S. "FDA approves Botox to treat chronic migraine". FDA Press Releases.
• Watkins, T. "FDA approves Botox as migraine preventative". CNN (US).

Before undergoing the treatment, it is important to have a discussion with doctor regarding the injection sites and should ensure that the doctor follow those sites while injecting Botox. If the doctor fails to follow the protocol for migraines, it can affect the effectiveness of treatment.

The botox for migraines treatment takes almost 15-20 minutes to complete. There is a slight pain like pin prick or bee sting during treatment. The patients can expect the injections to be slightly more uncomfortable around the eyebrows and on forehead as compared to the rest of the places.

After the first Botox for migraines treatment, the patient feel immediate headache or it may trigger migraine along with flu-like symptoms, muscles aches, discomfort , fatigue and nausea. Other commonly observed symptoms are pain in neck and headache. The patient needs to have 2-3 rounds of Botox injections in order to verify whether the Botox treatment works for him/her or not. This may take up to 9 months before the patient may feel any noticeable improvements.

The results of the treatment vary from patient to patient. Some patients may respond to the first treatment (1-4 months) while others may require having 3 Botox treatments for migraines before they confirm to have further treatments or not. If the patient does not feel any improvement after three treatments then it will be of no help to take further treatments.
Botox for migraines does not interact with the other medications taken for prevention of migraines, so they may be taken along with the Botox treatment after getting approval from the doctor.

If the patient successfully responds to the Botox for migraines treatment, there is a significant reduction in the frequency of migraines each month along with decrease in the severity and duration of the migraine days.