Botox Treatment for Migraines?
February 1, 2007 10:05 PM Subscribe
has anybody here had any personal experience (either yourself or someone close to you) with botox injections for the treatment of migraines?
my partner has had migraines for years; she usually gets at least one or two a week, and they are often quite debilitating. she took imitrex for a long time but now takes relpax at the onset of the migraine, as well as taking topamax and inderal daily. she's had her eyes checked, has had various neurological tests and hormonal treatments. nothing really seems to help.
someone recently told her that botox injections are effective in treating migraines, and we've looked around for information on that, but it doesn't seem to be used enough to be convincing.
if anyone knows anything about this, pro or con, i'd appreciate any info that might help us decide if this treatment is worth seeking out. thanks!
my partner has had migraines for years; she usually gets at least one or two a week, and they are often quite debilitating. she took imitrex for a long time but now takes relpax at the onset of the migraine, as well as taking topamax and inderal daily. she's had her eyes checked, has had various neurological tests and hormonal treatments. nothing really seems to help.
someone recently told her that botox injections are effective in treating migraines, and we've looked around for information on that, but it doesn't seem to be used enough to be convincing.
if anyone knows anything about this, pro or con, i'd appreciate any info that might help us decide if this treatment is worth seeking out. thanks!
My stepmother in New Mexico had this. My belief is that she had a very good result. Good luck to your partner. Migraines suck. Luckily for me mine have abated.
posted by miss tea at 4:48 AM on February 2, 2007
posted by miss tea at 4:48 AM on February 2, 2007
I'll be following this discussion, as I am interested, too. I wish I had a helpful answer to your question, but I thought I'd just share some of my own experience...
* I didn't have any luck with Topamax even though my doctor swore by it; it seemed to cause more problems it was worth, considering it didn't affect the frequency of my migraines significantly. If her frequency isn't decreasing despite being on Inderal and Topamax, maybe try a different drug cocktail would be good in the interim.
* Tell her to avoid tomotoes and onions to see if they may be an unknown food trigger. I'd never heard of those particular triggers before, but my neurologist said they were.
* My neurologist recommended CoQ10, 100mg 3 times a day. It's expensive, but you can buy large quantities at Costco. I was trying too many changes at the same time, so I can't say for sure if my migraine frequency was affected by avoiding these foods. Still, it's a good thing to watch for.
* Finally, I had terrible luck with Imitrex causing rebound migraines -- the best thing for me has been the Zomig 5mg nasal spray. It works like a charm, and the dosage allows for additional doses if I need it without going over the daily max. Kind of like taking 1 Tylenol -- it's unheard of for me! And no rebounds!
All my best.
posted by parilous at 7:27 AM on February 2, 2007
* I didn't have any luck with Topamax even though my doctor swore by it; it seemed to cause more problems it was worth, considering it didn't affect the frequency of my migraines significantly. If her frequency isn't decreasing despite being on Inderal and Topamax, maybe try a different drug cocktail would be good in the interim.
* Tell her to avoid tomotoes and onions to see if they may be an unknown food trigger. I'd never heard of those particular triggers before, but my neurologist said they were.
* My neurologist recommended CoQ10, 100mg 3 times a day. It's expensive, but you can buy large quantities at Costco. I was trying too many changes at the same time, so I can't say for sure if my migraine frequency was affected by avoiding these foods. Still, it's a good thing to watch for.
* Finally, I had terrible luck with Imitrex causing rebound migraines -- the best thing for me has been the Zomig 5mg nasal spray. It works like a charm, and the dosage allows for additional doses if I need it without going over the daily max. Kind of like taking 1 Tylenol -- it's unheard of for me! And no rebounds!
All my best.
posted by parilous at 7:27 AM on February 2, 2007
From personal experience I can tell you that Botox can make a garden variety headache go away (more expensive than a couple advil, but my appointment happened to be that day...). As far as migranes go, I've heard that it works (hell it was a plot point on an episode of Law and Order) but I don't know for sure. I do know that Botox is clinically proven to work for Cerebral Palsy and excessive underarm sweating. Amazing stuff.
Oh yeah and Carruthers is The Guy.
posted by ilsa at 9:19 AM on February 2, 2007
Oh yeah and Carruthers is The Guy.
posted by ilsa at 9:19 AM on February 2, 2007
I obviously am not qualified to give you any advice about Botox and it's application to your situation. I work as a researcher for a group of Neurologists who use inject Botox for migraine and tension headaches.
Some patients have great success with Botox for their migraines. Others, like my mother, have no significant reduction in the frequency or the severity of their headaches. It really depends on the patient.
The major points top consider are, 1) does the doctor have experience with injecting Botox for headaches. The actual injection process doesn't need to be terribly unpleasant and experience injecting can lead to better returns on the treatment. Some doctors use a "follow the pain" technique in which they inject according to your typical headache pain location. Some doctors use a standard injection template. The locations of injections can also vary if one of these techniques doesn't work. 2) The Botox causes discomfort in some people who find that not being able to move their eyebrows or facial muscles for other expressions is upsetting. Typically, the Botox "wears off" after 3 months and function returns. 3) You may want to find a physician who will evaluate your headaches and help you get the medication approved so that insurance covers some of the cost. Certain insurance companies will cover some of the cost of the medication and procedure and some will not even consider covering any of the costs. We have a medical assistant who works on getting Botox approvals at our office. She has been doing this for years and it is a difficult process, since Botox is not specifically approved for a lot of headache uses, although there is ongoing research and attempts to get Botox approved for different types of headaches. The approval process also can take months, so the sooner you pursue this avenue, the better, if you and your physician decide Botox is for you.
In summary, we use a lot of Botox for headaches and it is really helpful for those people. Many choose to pay for the procedure and the medication out of pocket. In any case, whatever you decide to do, good luck.
posted by battlecj at 9:42 AM on February 2, 2007
Some patients have great success with Botox for their migraines. Others, like my mother, have no significant reduction in the frequency or the severity of their headaches. It really depends on the patient.
The major points top consider are, 1) does the doctor have experience with injecting Botox for headaches. The actual injection process doesn't need to be terribly unpleasant and experience injecting can lead to better returns on the treatment. Some doctors use a "follow the pain" technique in which they inject according to your typical headache pain location. Some doctors use a standard injection template. The locations of injections can also vary if one of these techniques doesn't work. 2) The Botox causes discomfort in some people who find that not being able to move their eyebrows or facial muscles for other expressions is upsetting. Typically, the Botox "wears off" after 3 months and function returns. 3) You may want to find a physician who will evaluate your headaches and help you get the medication approved so that insurance covers some of the cost. Certain insurance companies will cover some of the cost of the medication and procedure and some will not even consider covering any of the costs. We have a medical assistant who works on getting Botox approvals at our office. She has been doing this for years and it is a difficult process, since Botox is not specifically approved for a lot of headache uses, although there is ongoing research and attempts to get Botox approved for different types of headaches. The approval process also can take months, so the sooner you pursue this avenue, the better, if you and your physician decide Botox is for you.
In summary, we use a lot of Botox for headaches and it is really helpful for those people. Many choose to pay for the procedure and the medication out of pocket. In any case, whatever you decide to do, good luck.
posted by battlecj at 9:42 AM on February 2, 2007
Response by poster: Thank you all so much for your responses! We're glad to hear from those who have had some experience and direct knowledge of the botox treatment, as well as your other suggestions on dealing with migraines.
I know there are many different ways to treat migraines and they don't all work the same for everyone; it helps to have input from real people who have tried some of these solutions.
We're going to look through all the links and info posted here and see what might help her get some better treatment options. Your help is greatly appreciated!
posted by doplgangr at 1:04 PM on February 3, 2007
I know there are many different ways to treat migraines and they don't all work the same for everyone; it helps to have input from real people who have tried some of these solutions.
We're going to look through all the links and info posted here and see what might help her get some better treatment options. Your help is greatly appreciated!
posted by doplgangr at 1:04 PM on February 3, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
If you were in Vancouver BC, the two names I would recommend you follow up are Drs Carruthers and Dr. Zloty. They are pioneers in several applications of Botox, teach at the University of British Columbia and lecture widely on the subject.
If interested, look them up on Google, see their sites and read the papers they have published on the topic. Indeed they mention the use of botox for migraines, and that it has brought positive results for their many patients.
posted by seawallrunner at 10:56 PM on February 1, 2007