In 2010, the FDA approved the use of BOTOX® for chronic migraines patients experiencing 15 or more headaches a month. Its effect on migraines was discovered coincidentally when people who were having the injections to lessen lines and wrinkles in their foreheads noticed that their headaches were improved. It is considered a preventive, not abortive, medication for debilitating migraine headaches. Botox Injections show maximum effect with repeat treatment every 12 weeks over a period of 6-9 months.
The FDA approves the use of BOTOX® to treat chronic migraine in adults who are age 18 or over. Before your insurance company will approve BOTOX® as a treatment for your chronic migraine, you typically must have tried and failed to respond to two other preventative treatments.
When you receive your first BOTOX® treatment, expect the appointment to take about 20 minutes. The doctor uses a very small needle that feels like a pinprick. He or she injects small amounts of BOTOX® around pain fibers that are involved in headaches. It enters the nerve endings around where it is injected and blocks the release of chemicals involved in pain transmission. Each treatment typically involves 31 injections in seven key areas of the head and neck.
It can take up to six months to see the maximum benefit from BOTOX®. In the meantime, you can continue your regular medications with no risk of a drug interaction. The most common side effect from a BOTOX® injection is a sore neck. We recommend using an ice pack to reduce the discomfort.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, BOTOX® prevents migraine headaches before they start, but takes time to work. It can take up to six months to see the maximum benefit. One treatment lasts from 10 to 12 weeks, and patients reported that two treatments reduced the number of headache days by approximately 50%.