How Botox Can Treat Your Headaches

Having constant episodes of pain in your head, face, jaw, and neck can make life miserable. People who suffer from migraine or cluster headaches often go through years of trying different medications without relief. Fortunately, a well known cosmetic injectable could prove the best solution of all. 

At Ventura Eye Institute in Camarillo, California, our professional team of eye care specialists provide other services that could surprise patients: headache relief with Botox®.

Chronic head pain

Chronic headache disorder is typically the diagnosis given when a patient suffers half or more days out of the month with a headache or episodic migraine, and it is thought to affect up to 4% of people worldwide. 

As you can imagine, losing 15 days out of thirty to crippling head pain can severely disrupt your life, making it hard for you to work, go to school, or enjoy time with your family. When oral medications and injections fail, it might be time to talk to a professional Botox administrator.

Wait — Botox is a migraine treatment? 

Most people are aware that Botox was originally identified as a dangerous toxin found in spoiled foodstuffs. However eye doctors discovered that a purified version of the toxin could be injected to paralyze tiny muscles in the face, making it a great treatment for people with lazy eye (strabismus.)

From there, the applications for both medical and cosmetic use expanded rapidly. By 2002, Botox Cosmetic® had been officially approved by the FDA for use on facial muscles that cause dynamic wrinkles. 

When some people who got Botox for this purpose reported that their frequency and severity of migraine decreased, it opened up a whole new avenue of possibilities for people with chronic headaches. In 2010, Botox Chronic Migraine® was finally also FDA-approved to treat chronic headache and migraine episodes.

The Botox regimen for headaches

To qualify as a candidate for Botox treatment for migraine, you’ll need a diagnosed history of headache occurring 15 days or more each month. If your situation is appropriate for Botox, we evaluate your condition and ask about where the pain is worst.

Depending on this evaluation, we plan and complete a series of injections targeting different pressure points in your face. We may also target specific spots at the back of your neck, and in your shoulders or upper back. 

After the first series of injections, we wait 12 weeks. You’ll be asked to keep a strict headache journal that details your symptoms. We repeat the injections at the 12 week mark, regardless of whether or not your symptoms recede, since some people’s bodies don’t respond until a second round.

After the second 12 week period is up, we review your headache journal with you and see if there is a reduction in the number of days each month that you have experienced migraine symptoms, as well as how severe your symptoms are. If you have improved, we put you on the schedule for repeat injections every 12 weeks.

If you’re ready to try a new way to get relief from chronic headache syndrome or migraine episodes, get in touch with the team at Ventura Eye Institute. You can call the location closest to you, or book an appointment online.