Botox ?

merelle · May 15, 2004, 2:46am

On my 4th day of this migraine - we've had drastic weather changes each day - darn! Does anyone here have any experience, or know of anyone who has had experience, with Botox treatment for migraines???? I've read they could help tremendously, and I'm going to see my neurologist for a qualified referral. Expensive .....

janiceflo · May 15, 2004, 4:20pm

Hi! Merelle,I have an aunt that gets the botox shots.that has been the only thing that has helped her.she was having migraines 3 and 4 times a week.she had tried everything before she tried this........this was a last resort because it is so expensive.......I think it was something like 300.00 dollars a shot.....and they put the shots in her forehead.

I have migraines to, but not that often...I started having them when I started going threw perimenpause....if i make it to July!!!It will be a year since I've had a my cycle....

but if you have any ???? you want me to ask her i will...

Good luck,

take care, Janice

Love, Janice

Don't be your worse critic. Wipe away those negative thoughts. Be kind to yourself and do something positive.

merelle · May 15, 2004, 5:19pm

  Thanks Janice for the good news about your Aunt's Botox
treatment! I'm looking forward to having it/them done - even
though it is about $300-$350 a pop!   I've heard it lasts up to
14 weeks though.   I can't believe I had to take another Zomig
today - this is my fifth in a row. At least it helps me deal a bit
better.

loschiavodk · May 24, 2004, 1:45pm

Hi Merelle,

My name is Dan and I am new to this site. I saw your post and thought I could give you some insight on Botox. My wife has been receiving Botox treatments from the Cleveland Clinic for approximately 2 years now and so far we have seen mixed results. Overall, the treatments have been positive. It is true that when the Botox takes effect, she experiences long lapses between migraines (8-12 weeks). And if she does get a headache, it is far less severe and only lasts a few hours VS several days. But it is also true that it is expensive and is often not covered by insurance. She gets about 3-4 treatments a year. This adds up pretty fast.

As for the procedure, she receives about 4-8 shots in the back of the head and neck and several shots in the forehead. She says that they can hurt, but the doctor gives her a local anesthetic (cold nitrogen spray) to help reduce the sting. It takes up to a week for the injections to kick in, so do not expect immediate results. On several occasions, the treatment caused a migraine or made the migraine worse before it eventually got better. The best thing about the treatment is that, after the first week, she experienced no other side-effects... unlike many of the drugs she takes.

Let me know if this helps or if you have any other questions or concerns.