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If you’re thinking about BOTOX® to treat your Chronic Migraine, you may be wondering what treatment is actually like.
How BOTOX® for migraines work?
BOTOX® works by blocking the release of certain brain chemicals including acetylcholine and by blocking the movement of certain nerves and muscles. It is not completely known how BOTOX® reduces headache pain and stiffness. A potential reason might be that BOTOX® blocks nerves that send pain messages to the brain and relaxes muscles so they are less sensitive to pain.
BOTOX® treatment is injected by Dr. Michael Long – who is experienced in treating Chronic Migraine with BOTOX®.
Injections take about 15 minutes, are done in your doctor’s office, and you can go home right after. It’s a small needle; injections feel like tiny pinpricks.
You start with 2 treatments, 12 weeks apart—a proven way to see how well BOTOX® works for you. (You may feel results as soon as 4 weeks after treatment.)
You continue with one treatment session every 12 weeks thereafter (or as recommended by your doctor).
BOTOX®‘s Effectiveness
Patients have differing levels of success with each type of treatment. Some feel reasonably better quickly, while others find their migraine symptoms completely go way. BOTOX® was evaluated in 2 well designed studies that included people who were not using migraine prevention medicines but who were experiencing more than 15 days of probable migraine headache per month lasting at least 4 hours per day. Results included measurable and meaningful differences after 24 weeks as compared to people who received sugar injections including:
- Number of headache days per 28 days : patients receiving BOTOX® had approximately 2.3 fewer headache days compared to the placebo group (7.8 to 9.2 fewer days for the BOTOX® group, versus 6.4 to 6.9 days for the placebo group, respectively)
- Patients receiving BOTOX® also experienced a reduction in total headache hours compared to the placebo group.
What is a chronic migraine?
Chronic Migraine is defined as having 15 or more headache days each month, with migraine on at least 8 of those days, with headaches lasting 4 hours or longer. Chronic Migraine is a distinct condition from other types of migraine, like episodic migraine. Chronic Migraine occurs more frequently, and the pain is more severe.
Is Relief Instant?
Unfortunately, no. Relief occurs within 10 to 14 days following administration. Additional treatments are sometimes necessary for those who do not experience relief from their first BOTOX® session.