Botox As A Migraine Treatment

By Cali Marinaw


The use of botulinum toxin injections has advanced tremendously over the last few years. Not only do clinics offer patients options to enhance their appearance using botox, there are other disorders that are treatable this way as well, including muscle spasticity. For a short time now, some patients have been receiving botox injections in order to treat their migraines.

Below, we will be going over how botox treatments have been used as of late to for this reason.

Background

Paralyzation occurs in the muscles due to botox injections, and because of this, the muscles stay in a relaxed position as they don't receive the nerve signals. Clostridium botulinum is a bacterium contained in these injections, and that is the cause of the effect. Its primary use is to relax the muscles around the eyes and other parts of the body, helping restore muscle tone and improving overall function.

Botox in migraine

The release of the neuro-chemical serotonin is the main way for migraines to be mediated. This is not affected by botox, however, patients notice a decrease in pain from migraines after having the treatments.

This is still being researched and the reasons for the correlation are not clear at this time, but people are still pleased with the results they receive for their migraine issues. Botox has been suggested to be injected at 31 to 39 different points in the scalp. The most common theories that have been put forth:

Number one would be that pain signals in nerves are blocked by these injections.

Then, the blood pressure in the brain is reduced by the scalp muscles being relaxed.

Patients are reporting less headaches, and less severe when they occur, although the research to document this is still ongoing at this time.

If other treatment methods are not effective for a patient and they have at least 15 days a month of migraines, this is when botox injections are typically suggested by a medical professional. There is another condition that migraine sufferers sometimes are face with at times called analgesic overuse headaches, which are caused by the overuse of painkiller medication.

Each patient is different, so in cases where botox is administered 2 times and the patient has no benefit then other options should be considered, but if it makes headaches occur less than 15 days per month, this is another signal of success.

What risks are there?

Botox injections into the scalp may cause neck pain and allergic reactions, but these are rare.

Synopsis

The uses of botox are still growing and its application in migraine is novel. It's looking good for the future of botox for treating chronic migraine symptoms, but more studies need to be done to have more conclusive evidence.




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