Quick Relief: Botox for Migraines
The anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacteria Clostridium botulinum produces botulinum toxin type A, a neurotoxic protein that can paralyse muscles by preventing the release of the chemical neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Under the trade name Botox Cosmetic, it is commercially available for the cosmetic treatment of facial lines and wrinkles. In its cosmetic application, Botox is injected into underlying muscles to minimize the appearance of wrinkles. It is now also touted as a remedy for migraine headache.
Using Botox for migraines is nothing new. Findings from scientific studies conducted as early as 1999 show that Botox is safe and effective for the treatment of the symptoms of migraine headaches. The symptoms of migraine headaches include severe head pain, nausea and visual or light sensitivity problems. In severe cases sufferers can have slurred speech and temporary paralysis.
A number of patients receiving Botox injections for the treatment of deep wrinkles on the forehead stopped having migraine headaches or had significantly fewer migraine headaches since starting the injections. About half of them completely recovered from migraines and there was partial improvement in about a third. When this was discovered by doctors, research on the use of Botox for migraines was begun.
In a formal study conducted in 1999 by Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. William Binder and three other doctors, 100 patients were classified into three groups. One group consisted of those who had true migraines. Those who probably had migraines made up another group. The composition of the third group was of those who did not have migraines. After several months, migraine headaches in half the patients had completely disappeared. 37 per cent reported that they were suffering migraines half as often, or that the severity of their migraines was halved.
8 patients out of 13 who had acute migraines said that they experienced complete benefit within one or two hours. In addition, patients who reported that they no longer suffered from migraine headaches said that their symptoms had disappeared about four months after receiving Botox injections. Adverse effects were also reported in the use of Botox for migraines but these were minimal and comprised only slight bruising and temporary local pain caused by the injections.
The study proponents were surprised at the response of migraine headache patients to Botox treatments, although previous research had shown that Botox effectively reduces tension type headaches by relaxing the muscles. This is because tension is not the principal cause of migraine headaches. Based on the results, the conclusion researchers arrived at is that the administration of Botox for migraines certainly helped relieve the symptoms but it can not be said to be a cure.
Slightly different results were shown in other researches which were done more recently on the use of Botox for migraines. 18 out of 24 patients experienced four to six months of migraine relief following injections of Botox in a study conducted in 2000 by Dr. Richard Glogau, professor of dermatology at the University of California San Francisco. In a study conducted by Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Arizona’s Dr. David Dodick in 2005, the frequency of migraine headaches in patients dropped from an average of 14 to only 6 a month after receiving Botox injections.
The medical use of Botox for migraines is not yet approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration but is approved for neurological disorders such as cervical dystonia (also known as spasmodic torticollis), blepharospasm, and strabismus. Migraine headache is also a neurological condition. The fact that Botox is an effective therapy for certain neurological syndromes indicates that there really is a positive connection between Botox and migraines.