Free Article: Botox for Migraines

You are here:
Directory | Migraine |

Botox for Migraines Provides Relief to Most Users
By M. A. Fulmar

Botox has been used for treating muscle conditions and, after 2002; the FDA had also approved it for the treatment of wrinkles. A few years earlier in 2000, Botox was found to be useful in temporarily treating a condition that had affected nearly 28 million Americans known as migraine. A migraine headache is so severe that a person affected by it will describe it as being paralyzing or even, blinding.

Clinical Studies Confirm Its Efficacy

Botox for migraines was found by clinical studies to have provided relief to the great majority of users who took Botox injections for four to six months. These users had less as well as milder migraines during this time. Further studies showed that people that injected Botox for migraine in different sites on their bodies such as the brow, eyes, forehead as well as side of the neck and, back of the head, reported getting instant relief from migraines.

One of the benefits of using Botox for migraine is that, besides relaxing the muscles, it also interferes in the conduction of nerve pain signals and, so prevents a person from further migraine pain. However, Botox for migraine does not have, as yet, the seal of approval of the FDA. Therefore, a lot of research into its effects is being carried out, though latest findings suggest that as many as 60.5 percent of Botox injected users experienced satisfactory pain relief. This has raised the level of optimism regarding further use of Botox.

An advantage of using Botox for migraines is that unlike other medications, it does not produce side effects such as upset stomachs, weight gain or drowsiness and, almost all patients that have been studied, revealed no side effects from taking Botox injections. However, Botox is expensive and there are other cost effective oral medications available. A single session of Botox would set the patient back at least US$350 per targeted area and, this cost does not have insurance coverage.

Nevertheless, taking Botox injections could have long lasting positive effects against migraine pain that could last as long as six months. In the case of persons suffering from frequent migraine attacks, it may be cost effective and, could well be worth the price, considering how much pain is involved.

More Studies

There are still some unanswered questions regarding Botox for migraine and, these include knowing what is the optimal dose as well as where should the Botox be injected in order to get maximum benefit and quickest relief. In this regard, there are two studies being conducted at headache clinics all across America to get to the crux of the problem and, come up with satisfactory answers.

Author Details:
M. A. Fulmar writes about health matters for various websites including, The A to Z of and Information Junkie.

Source: Top Articles

NOTE: This article may be reproduced ONLY if this note, the author details and source are also included with all links remaining active.

Related Migraine Articles:

See also our Headache articles

You may also be interested in The A-Z of Headaches