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Beneficial use of Botox for migraine – healthmag.gr

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In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox as a prescription drug treatment for people with chronic migraines.

THE Using Botox to treat migraines has been shown to be beneficial for patients who experience 15 or more migraines per month, but using Botox does not come without risk.

Read more about using Botox to treat migraines, including its benefits and risks:

What is Botox?

Botox is a botulinum neurotoxin, a poison that affects the nerves, produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. This is the same type of bacteria that causes botulism, a progressive, potentially fatal infection that can lead to muscle paralysis, slurred speech and droopy eyelids, among other things. symptoms. However, when this neurotoxin is given by injection, its effect is focused and not dangerous.

Chronic migraine is diagnosed when you experience 15 or more migraine and headache attacks per month for at least three months in a row. This condition is relatively rare, affecting only about 3% of all patients with migraine.

In addition, Botox may be indicated for many other medical conditions:

  • Urinary incontinence (overactive bladder) due to multiple sclerosis (MS) or other neuromuscular diseases
  • Upper extremity spasticity, in which the hands and arms become tense and hyperactive
  • Primary hyperhidrosis her axillary characterized by excessive sweating in the palms, hands and other parts of the body
  • Blepharospasm (eye twitch disorder) and strabismus (crossed eyes)

How is Botox used to treat chronic migraine?

Essentially hitting the nerves, Botox is probably best known as a cosmetic treatment for smoothing facial wrinkles. For chronic migraine, botulinum toxin injections target nerve endings associated with pain, preventing them from releasing chemicals that activate the brain’s pain network.

The results of Botox injections are not permanent and additional treatments are recommended every 12 weeks.

The benefits of Botox

Since Botox was approved by the FDA for use in people with chronic migraine, it has been shown to be successful against a condition that is notoriously difficult to treat. Currently, the consensus in the medical field is that approx 65% of patients see reductions in symptoms after three rounds of injections.

This has many benefits for migraine sufferers. A study which was published in The Journal of Headache Pain in 2018 noted that, when successful:

  • There was a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of headache pain.
  • The use of migraine medications decreased significantly.
  • The treatments were well tolerated and effective in the long term (up to three years).



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