Botox for Migraine

 Botox for Migraine 

If you have been diagnosed with migraine and have experienced migraine headaches more often, you may be wondering if there is anything you can do to prevent it.

OnabotulinumtoxinA, or Botox, was approved in 2010 for adults experiencing chronic migraines. That means you have both:

History of migraine headache

Headaches (including type of discomfort) most days (15 or more) of 8 months of migraine.

It is not an approved treatment if:

Get a headache for 14 or a few days each month

Have other types of headgear, such as a cluster

What is Botox?

Botox is a neurotoxin, a toxin produced by bacteria called Clostridium botulinums. It can cause a fatal reaction called botulism if you eat it in the wrong food because it blocks the symptoms from your arteries and cripples your muscles.

But it is safe because the toxin is not digested in your stomach and the dose is much less than what you would get from spoiled food.

Doctors have found that Botox spray can help with wrinkles because it reduces facial tissue. It also helps people with tics and spasms due to a neurological disease such as cerebral palsy.

When people with headaches used Botox to treat their wrinkles, they told doctors that headaches were better. So doctors began studying it as a treatment for migraine pain.

Does Botox work with Migraine Headaches?

In a study of adults experiencing chronic migraine headaches, a Botox shot reduced the number of days they had or other types of headache. And they had many “unexplained” days - painless - every day, and they reported a few days off work.

In another study, about half the people who took two cycles of Botox pills reported that the number of days they had a problem per month was reduced in half. After five rounds of treatment, that increased to about 70% of people.

Doctors think Botox works for migraine headaches because it blocks chemicals called neurotransmitters that carry pain signals from your brain. Botox is like a roadblock on that road. It stops chemicals before they reach the edges of the nerves around your head and neck.

Botox Treatment

You will receive a lot of Botox on the head and neck once every 12 weeks to dull or prevent migraine headaches.

You may need 30 to 40 shots in total, and you will get the same number on each side of your head. If you have migraine pains in one place, you may need more shots there. You can see the results two to three weeks after your first treatment.

You should get this type of Botox treatment from a doctor who is trained to give these shots for chronic migraine pain rather than wrinkles or other cosmetic use.

Side effects

Neck pain and headaches are the most serious side effects for people who get chronic migraine headaches and use Botox.

It is not uncommon, but you may have an allergen reaction to Botox. Symptoms of this may be chest pain, shortness of breath, or swelling in your lower legs. Although there is no definite case where Botox spreads to other parts of the body, it can also be dangerous. Medication label includes this warning.