Severe Migraines: Injections of botulinum toxin (Botox) to prevent chronic migraine sufferers

San Jose Care Resource Guide: Botox has gained traction as a severe chronic migraine treatment. The Wall stree Journal has published an article on this. 

 San Jose Care Resource Guide: So, does it work?   Results are mixed but for some people it might help.

Quoting the WSJ: “…Botulinum toxin is a bacterial protein that scientists say blocks chemicals responsible for muscle contractions and pain….”

Let us go to the FDA’s anouncement of it’s approval of Botox as a treatment for certain kind of  chronic migraines, click here

Quoting the FDA:

“…Migraine usually begins with intermittent headache attacks 14 days or fewer each month (episodic migraine), but some patients go on to develop the more disabling chronic migraine. ….To treat chronic migraines, Botox is given approximately every 12 weeks as multiple injections around the head and neck to try to dull future headache symptoms. Botox has not been shown to work for the treatment of migraine headaches that occur 14 days or less per month, or for other forms of headache..”

Then again the FDA issued ”Drug Safety”  warnings about botulinum toxin treatments:

“Information for Healthcare Professionals: OnabotulinumtoxinA (marketed as Botox/Botox Cosmetic), AbobotulinumtoxinA (marketed as Dysport) and RimabotulinumtoxinB (marketed as Myobloc)” Click Here for FDA warning

Overview of the litterature:

1. Method of injection of onabotulinumtoxinA for chronic migraine ,  Headache Center of Southern California.  Quoting them:’..have yielded insight into appropriate patient selection, injection sites, dosages, and technique. Initial approaches used a set of fixed sites for the pericranial injections…” Mmmm.., pericranial injections.., that tells you that Botox injections method weeds out your casual migraine sufferers..
2. OnabotulinumtoxinA for treatment of chronic migraine: results from the PREEMPT 2 trial.
3. A double-blind comparison of onabotulinumtoxina (BOTOX) and topiramate (TOPAMAX) for the prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine
   1. ==>” ….OnabotulinumtoxinA and topiramate demonstrated similar efficacy in the prophylactic treatment of CM. Patients receiving onabotulinumtoxinA had fewer Adverse Events and discontinuations..”

Serious treatment for a serious problem

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