- Botox has been approved by the FDA in 2010 as a treatment for chronic migraine headaches.
- It is mainly used for those who have headaches for 15 or more days a month.
- The effect of the injection usually lasts for about two and a half months.
Migraine is one of the most common health problems in the world. To offer an alternative to patients, Mayo Clinic experts designed an effective method that could help solve this discomfort. Although there are newer medications, it has been proven that Botox injection helps control chronic headaches.
How does the treatment work?
Onabotulinumtoxin A, or botox, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 for the treatment of chronic migraine headaches. It is not a cure. People who get the headache shots usually get the treatment about every three months.
For some of them, Botox is all they need to control their headaches. For others, other medications or other headache therapy are needed. Research is being done on new types of therapies for migraine.
Botox is a medication that uses a type of botulinum toxin to temporarily paralyze muscle activity. Known primarily for its ability to diminish the appearance of facial wrinkles, it has also been shown to prevent chronic migraine headaches in some people. It is mainly used for those who have headaches for 15 days or more per month.
Since 2002, doctors from Mayo Clinic have provided Botox treatment effectively and safely to thousands of patients with chronic migraine. The medication is usually injected into the muscles of the forehead, scalp, neck, and shoulders.
Specific details about how Botox works to prevent headaches are unknown. However, pain receptors are likely to pick up the botox injected into the nerves of the muscles. The medicine then turns off the pain receptors and blocks the pain signals that the nerves send to the brain.
How often should a Botox injection be applied?
However, the pain does not go away permanently. After several months, the nerves develop new pain fibers and the headaches tend to return. The effect of Botox usually lasts approximately two and a half months. Because there are three months between injections, some people need other headache treatments during the last two weeks of a Botox cycle.
Providing Botox treatment for headaches every three months is a national standard, as recommended by the American Headache Society. Treatments are not given more frequently because there is a small chance that if you receive botox more frequently, your body could develop antibodies against botulinum toxin. In theory, these antibodies could prevent Botox from working with future injections.
For many people, Botox treatment alone is enough to control chronic headaches. However, other people need more medical attention, including other medicines to prevent migraine attacks. These medications may include cardiovascular drugs, such as beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers, certain antidepressants, and some anti-seizure medications. Medications taken when a migraine headache occurs may also be helpful.
The most common side effects of the Botox injection include swelling or bruising at the immunization site. Rarely, the medication can spread into surrounding tissues and cause problems such as drooping eyelids, eyebrows that look out of place, dry eyes, or excessive tearing.
These problems tend to occur more often in people who have already had droopy eyelids or who are more sensitive to botulinum toxin. Sometimes giving the injections in a slightly different place can lessen this side effect.
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