Re: botox for migranes - Charlie

In Reply to: Re: botox for migranes posted by charlie on November 03, 2000 at 21:19:47:

: : Hi Abbi,
: : I sent you e-mail about he Botox. Please let me know if you get it.
: : Kay
: : : I have been suffering from migranes since i was about 13, i am now 18. This past week has been sheer hell for me, I have been in such unbearable pain due to migranes i was even placed on a morphine drip. Today (11-2-00) I read about the botox injections for migranes, and would like to know if anyone out there has had this done, and if so if it has been sucessful. Thank You. Abbi, please respond to me via email.
: : : aztektripgrl@hotmail.com

:

: Hi Kay;

: Are you able to post the information you have about botox? I have been suffering for years and while I am not too sure about having something like that injected into me, I am running out of options and want to read everything I can on it.

: Many thanks//Charlie

Hi, Charlie, Here's some of what I know. It's been used for people with blepharospasm and torticollis and has been used by cosmetic surgeons to smooth out wrinkles. A Dr. was using Botox (Botulinum Toxin Type A) for this purpose and noted that a number of patients reported decreases in migraine headache. Now there is sigmificant clinical evidence that Botox reduces the pain in migraine, muscle contraction headache, and chronic tension headache. Ususlly, patients do not begin to experience relief from their headache for two to three weeks but the effect may increase and have a duration of three to four months. Also, if a second and third injection is performed the effect appears to last longer-- up to four to six months. More studies need to be done to prove this. According to the paper my neuro gave me (which the info from above comes) this is a new treatment for migraine. It works in chronic muscle tension-type headache in up to 75 percent. I just found out yesterday my insurance won't pay for this treatment because they consider it experimental (I'm from NC). The nurse at the doctor's office told me that's unfortunate because I fall in the tension-type headache group and in their office those are the patients it's been used most successful on. I'm not giving up. I'm going to appeal to my insurance and see what happens. Hope this helps you. I also looked up more info by typing in botox and headaches in a search. Take care and let me know what you decide. I'm looking for anyone who's had this done and whether it helped them.