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Botox for Chronic Migraines
At Well & Being for Women we want to encourage all women to be aware of their physical and mental health. Among the neuromodulators, Botox is only FDA-approved for chronic migraines, which means headache on 15 or more days a month. Botox is not recommended for patients who experience fewer than 15 headache days a month.
Botox is injected around pain fibers that are involved in headaches. Botox enters the nerve endings around where it is injected and blocks the release of chemicals involved in pain transmission. This prevents activation of pain networks in the brain.
Botox prevents migraine headaches before they start, but takes time to work. One treatment lasts for 10-12 weeks, and clients reported that two Botox treatments reduced the number of headache days by approximately 50%.
Please note that before your insurance company will approve Botox as a treatment for chronic migraines, clients typically must have tried and failed to respond to two other preventative treatments. These might include anti-seizure medications, antidepressants, or blood pressure medications that are typically used to prevent migraine. We recommend that clients check with their insurance provider to get an outline of coverage.
Recommended Botox dose per treatment: 155 units (divided between 31 sites)
The FDA approves the use of Botox to treat chronic migraine in adults who are age 18 or over.
The Process of Migraine Relief
Appointments for Botox treatments for Chronic Migraines is typically 45-60 minutes in duration. A very small needle is used for injections that feels like a pinprick. A small dose of Botox is injected into the shallow muscle in the skin. Each treatment typically involves 31 injections in seven key ares of the head and neck.
The most common side effect from treatment is a sore neck. We recommend using an ice pack to reduce the discomfort.
Initial improvement can be experienced by clients with a reduction in migraine frequency or severity within a few weeks after the initial Botox treatment, but this is not always the case.
However, the approach is more of a building effect, whereas beneficial results are seen and expected in clients after 2-3 treatment cycles, with repeated treatments spaced 12 weeks apart.
It can take up to six months to see the maximum benefit from Botox. In the meantime, clients can continue to use their regular medications with no risk of a drug interaction.
Botox One Current recommendations include: PREEMPT = Phase 3 REsearch Evaluating Migraine Prophylaxis Therapy. TOTAL DOSE: 155 Units (divided between 31 sites)