Botox\u00ae \u2014 the renowned wrinkle smoother \u2014 is proving its value as a headache soother. FDA-approved in\u00a02010 for treating chronic migraines in adults, Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) is offering new hope for the estimated\u00a014 million Americans who suffer from chronic migraine1 \u2013 and for whom all other treatment options have failed.<\/p>\n
\u201cChronic migraine is defined as debilitating headaches that have gone on for at least three months, occurring at least 15 days per month, and lasting four or more hours each of those days,\u201d explains Cooper Neurological Institute neurologist Larisa Syrow, MD.<\/p>\n
\u201cA certain percentage of patients have intractable migraines,\u201d she continues. \u201cThey\u2019re feeling hopeless and so are their physicians, since they\u2019ve tried so many treatments and nothing is helping. Botox gives them a really good chance for improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The FDA\u2019s approval of Botox for use in treating chronic migraine was based on results from two studies that reported patients treated with it experienced a major decrease in the frequency of headache days.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese original reports, however, don\u2019t sound as impressive as the results I\u2019m seeing in practice,\u201d Dr. Syrow says. \u201cMany patients experience a
\nradical improvement in the frequency and severity of their migraines.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treatment \u2014 administered every 12 weeks \u2014 entails a total of 31 injections into muscles in several areas in the forehead, the sides and back of the\u00a0head, neck and shoulders, pro-effects \u2013 as with any injection \u2013 include a chance of localized bleeding, infection or soreness at the injection site. There also is a small possibility of asymmetric forehead and other temporary cosmetic effects. More serious side effects are extremely rare. Pregnancy is the only significant contraindication for this\u00a0preventive treatment.<\/p>\n
Importantly, most insurers cover Botox treatment when it\u2019s documented that the patient meets the criteria for chronic migraine and that multiple other treatment modalities have failed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not just the procedure lady,\u201d she stresses. \u201cI\u2019ll do a comprehensive evaluation and if I don\u2019t think Botox is the right approach, I won\u2019t administer it. Sometimes it\u2019s not a matter of medications at all but lifestyle modifications, such as diet and stress management.<\/p>\n
\u201cBotox prevents the vesicle where acetylcholine is stored from binding to the membrane where the neurotransmitter\u00a0can be released. This blocks the release of acetylcholine by theneuron, effectively weakening\u00a0the muscle for up to three months.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u201cBotox prevents the vesicle where acetylcholine is stored from binding to the membrane where the neurotransmitter can be released,\u201d Dr. Syrow explains. \u201cThis blocks the release of acetylcholine by the neuron, effectively weakening the muscle for up to three months.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also notes that Botox has fewer side effects and contraindications than other medications prescribed to treat chronic migraine. The most common side effects \u2013 as with any injection \u2013 include a chance of localized bleeding, infection or soreness at the injection site. There also is a small possibility of asymmetric forehead and other temporary cosmetic effects. More serious side effects are extremely rare. Pregnancy is the only significant contraindication for this\u00a0preventive treatment.<\/p>\n
\u201cBotox prevents the vesicle where acetylcholine is stored from binding to the membrane where the neurotransmitter\u00a0can be released. This blocks the release of acetylcholine by the neuron, effectively weakening\u00a0he muscle for up to three months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Importantly, most insurers cover Botox treatment when it\u2019s documented that the patient meets the criteria for chronic migraine and that multiple other treatment modalities have failed.<\/p>\n
While Botox is relatively expensive \u2014 insurers are covering it because the alternatives, such as going to the emergency room or taking tons of medications, are no less expensive,\u201d Dr. Syrow notes. \u201cAnd if it helps patients prevent their migraines, it\u2019s a small price to pay.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you have a patient with intractable chronic migraine headaches who has exhausted other treatment options, you are encouraged to refer him or her (the majority of migraine sufferers are women) to Dr. Syrow for evaluation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not just the procedure lady,\u201d she stresses. \u201cI\u2019ll do a comprehensive evaluation and if I don\u2019t think Botox is the right approach, I won\u2019t administer it. Sometimes it\u2019s not a matter of medications at all but lifestyle modifications, such as diet and stress management. I\u2019ll talk about these options with the patient, if appropriate.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if Botox injections are indicated, we can provide them,\u201d she continues. \u201cIf nothing else has worked, it\u2019s well worth trying. It\u2019s important for patients \u2014 and their doctors \u2014 to know that there\u2019s hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Botox\u00ae \u2014 the renowned wrinkle smoother \u2014 is proving its value as a headache soother. FDA-approved in 2010 for treating chronic migraines in adults, Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) is offering new hope for the estimated 14 million Americans who suffer from chronic migraine1 \u2013 and for whom all other treatment options have failed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,55],"tags":[143,144],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-dzarnosky","4":"has-excerpt","5":"post-1304","7":"format-standard","8":"category-medical-education","9":"category-new-initiatives","10":"post_tag-botox","11":"post_tag-chronic-migraine"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1304"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1648,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1304\/revisions\/1648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cooperhealth.org\/sjmedicalreport\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}