Botox for Migraines

When most people think of Botox®, they might think of how it helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles on the face. But Botox® has proven helpful for a troubling medical condition that greatly impacts a person’s quality of life: migraines and chronic headaches. Botox® is an approved preventative treatment method that can comfortably help a person reduce the frequency of their chronic headaches. The Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas are able to quickly and safely administer a Botox® injection so their patients can spend less time worrying about their next migraine and more time enjoying a pain-free life. 

What is Botox®?

Botox®, also known as botulinum toxin, is a neurotoxin that affects nerves and causes muscle weakening. Botox® blocks nerves signals to muscles, and the muscle injected depends on the chief complaint, either cosmetic or pain management. 

Botox® has been a popular cosmetic tool for reducing the appearance of wrinkles, but the FDA has also approved it for use for treating chronic headaches and migraines. “Chronic” is defined as a headache that happens at least 15 days out of the month and that lasts for at least four hours. In fact, the more headaches a person has, the better the patient does with Botox®. 

How Does Botox® Work for Migraines?

The reason why Botox® works as a migraine treatment is that it targets nerves. It has been proven to help treat migraines by effectively reducing both the frequency and severity of the headache attacks. 

Botox® effectively blocks neurotransmitters that cause muscles to contract by paralyizing the muscles that contribute to migraine headaches. It also stops pain signals from reaching the brain by interfering with the signals from the nerves and muscles in the head, neck and face. It can also reduce the release of inflammatory proteins, most importantly calcitonin gene related peptide, or CGRP. It is thought that this protein is elevated in people who suffer from migraines or chronic headaches. 

Botox® has been proven to help prevent pain signals from being sent to the brain from the peripheral nerves and is also believed to reduce the activity of the CGRP by paralyzing the muscles that contribute to migraines in the first place by preventing them from becoming tense.

What are the Benefits and Risks of Botox® for Migraines?

The main benefit of Botox® is that it is a minimally-invasive treatment that helps patients avoid chronic headaches and migraines before they occur. This is different from other medications or treatment options that help to remedy symptoms after a migraine or headache attack. 

Not only can Botox® help to reduce the amount of headaches and migraines a person will experience, but it can also reduce the severity of the headache or migraine. This allows a person to resume their ideal quality of life without any surgical intervention. Additional benefits include: 

• Less severe migraine/headache attacks
• Migraine/headache attacks are easier to control
• migraines/headaches are less intense
• Higher tolerance to migraine/headache triggers (i.e. light, sound, etc.)
• The patient functions better overall

While risks are minimal, they are worth noting. Side effects can include: 

• Allergic reaction
• Muscle stiffness
• Neck or back pain
• Headache
• Itching
• Rash
• Difficult swallowing
• Shortness of breath
• Neck or shoulder weakness
• Drooping eyelids

It’s important to partner with an experienced pain management specialist who can review the best course of treatment for your chronic headaches and migraines based on your current health condition as well as your health history. 

What does the Botox® Procedure Involve?

The Botox® procedure is a minimally-invasive treatment option that requires very little, if any, preparation or recovery. The injection takes place in your pain management specialist’s office during a normal doctor visit appointment. The injection needle is small enough that the patient will only feel a tiny prick at the skin level. Another great benefit is that the injections can be repeated as needed (on a regular schedule) so long-term relief can be experienced, especially without any downtime. 

The injections could include up to 31 locations in the head and neck, which specifically include the forehead, temples, back of the head, upper neck, and shoulders. Each treatment could take around 10 minutes and the majority of patients have no complications with the injections. 

Botox® can be repeated every three months, depending on the severity of the symptoms and the patient’s need for headache and migraine relief. Not only does Botox® help to reduce the amount of headaches and how painful the headaches are, but it also helps the patient to reduce the need for taking migraine- or headache-relieving medications. 

Who is a Candidate for the Botox® Procedure for Migraines?

Adults who suffer from chronic migraines or headaches more than 15 days a month are an ideal candidate for Botox® injections. It is a great treatment method for patients who have tried alternative and conservative therapies but haven’t found much needed relief. 

While Botox® can be administered at a skin care or dermatology office for wrinkles or fine lines, it’s important to partner with a trained pain management specialist who can properly administer the injection for headaches and migraines. This is because there are certain people who are not candidates, including those who have medical conditions or are taking medications that don’t align with the Botox® medication. Also, those who have neuromuscular conditions or those who are at higher risk for side effects from the medication, including those who have had an allergic reaction to any botulinum, are not ideal candidates. It also is not an effective treatment method for patients who experience migraines fewer than 15 days per month. 

If you are suffering from chronic headaches and migraines and haven’t yet found relief, the Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas can help. Botox® has proven incredibly helpful for providing patients with much needed relief in the form of less headaches and less painful headaches. Please schedule an appointment today to learn more about Botox® treatments for headaches and to find out if you’re a candidate.

Botox therapy is the first and only preventative treatment approved by the FDA for adults with chronic migraine. It may reduce the number of headache days you endure each month. Botox injections are given right here in our office and take no longer than a regular doctor visit.

Our skilled providers at Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists are trained experts at accurately diagnosing specific types of migraines and using Botox to effectively treat chronic migraines. We prefer using a series of Botox injections, which helps prevent migraines, as opposed to using long-term daily medications, which only reduce the pain after the migraine starts.

What to expect during treatment:

• Injections take place right here in our office
• Treatment sessions take no longer than a doctor visit
• The needles are small so the injection only feels like a tiny pinprick
• Botox is repeated only once every 12 weeks
• Reduction in use of drugs and other migraine treatments
• Fewer headache days each month

Many of our headache patients rave about the successful impact that Botox has had on their lives. If you suffer from chronic migraines and would like to know if Botox can work for you, please contact our office for an appointment.

For more clinical information about Botox, please see Botox Chronic Migraine.

Botox brochure for download