Botox injections for migraines? Anyone tried it, any bad reactions?

I personally haven't tried it (insurance doesn't take care of it), but my sister has.  She likes it because she was able to stop Topamax which she absolutely hated.  The only thing I ever saw wrong with her was her eyebrows sagging after her first injection because of the way her face was.  It gave meaning to the expression our mothers would say "your face will stay that way!".  Anyway, she has to go every three months for injections and if she waits too long, the headaches get worse.  I think I would definitely be more cautious though if using it on a child.

I haven't tried this procedure myself, but I have been doing research on it and it is supposed to be helpful.  I am considering giving it a try but am aftraid of bad reactions.  So far as I have researched, more people have had positive results than negative.  It also stated over and over to research the clinic and the doctor extensively before going ahead with it.  Many unfortunately don't have proper credentials...how scary. 

25 Year Migrain Sufferer

Antigo, Wi

I have tried botox injections with no success for reducing migraine pain.  It does however have an effect on your forehead and the look of your face - so this is a big consideration especially for your son.

I have not tried it yet but discussed it with my headache doctor yesterday and have an appointment for a consultation in a few weeks with their Botox doctor.  My headache doctor is a specialist who I found from this site, just happened she was in my area, southern NJ.  She said that botox injections don't help as much with severe migraines as it does with chronic headaches.  I suffer from severe migraines, which I can control pretty well with Topamax.  I also have had a chronic daily headache 24/7 for the past 7 years.

I am very hopeful that this will help because I've not gotten relief from anything else I've tried for the daily headaches.

Hope this info helps.  I'll let you know if Botox helps me but it won't be for about a month or so.

Patty

yes i tried it several years ago had no reactions but no relief either, still almost dailiy migranes

hi~~ sorry to hear of your son having migraines.... poor kid!! 

i have taken botox for my chronic migraines for 2 years now....about every 4 months.  the 22 shots of pinching in 5 minutes have been a blessing for stress and weather pressure induced migraines.  they didn't help horror-moan-al migraines, but i've heard time will... *insert prayer here* ... 

i went to a dermatologist, and yes, insurance will NOT cover it from a derm...it's "cosmetic" .... oy yoy yoy...    however, i was told by my dermatologist that there are now neurologists that give botox shots for migraine patients and that there's a chance insurance  m i g h t  cover it from them.  check out your doctors....

depending on how old your son is... yes, caution for children!!  i had to switch dermatologists because my first one quit giving botox shots after the incident of a child dying up in canada. 

do your research, ask questions! 

they gave me back 95% of my life and they were totally worth every penny!   anyway, i would have had to spend about $450 on 10 pills of frova and you can only take up to 2 of them a week.  not so great when you get them daily~~ time thieves! 

take care and God's blessings and hope you can find relief for your son's~~

sincerely,

deb

Hello,

I had given Botox a chance for migraines. I recieved shots over a period of 2-2.5 years. The first time I did it I was given 40 some odd shots all over my head and face. The results were a miracle. My migraines cleared up for 4 months straight. I thought I found a cure and my family was ecsatic. I went back for my follow up appointment and had the shots again. This time there was only 30 some odd shots. My migraines krept up in some, but still reasonable relief.

I had follow up appointments every 4 months and had to receive the shots. They started working less and less. I asked my doctor to take a break and reluctantly she agreed. She was convinced I needed more where I was convinced my body adjusted and needed a break. So after a 6 month hiatus I tried the shots again and nada. My migraines just were not responding. This time, however, I had a reaction to it. The right side of my face was droopy. My eye lid drooped so badly I couldn't see out of it. I even got an infection in my eye. It swelled, became red and had lots of soreness. It remained this way for 4-5 months until the Botox wore off.  My doctor was not concerned at all. In fact she wanted to continue the regimen!

I finally stopped the Botox all together and found a new doctor who agreed that Botox was just not the way for me. A few months later I heard about the FDA warnings and was really glad I was not with my previous doctor any longer. She never discussed the warnings and would still have me getting useless shots.

I believe Botox may be useful to some people and it is worth a chance. Sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks, but it may depend on how bad the pain is and how often. My migraines are weekly and leave me incapacitated. You might want to think about how bad your son's migraines are, his age, and do a little more research.

p.s.  my first dermatologist got migraines and used botox for herself! knowing the stress points, she would always give me 2 extra shots, 1 on each side of the bridge of the nose, just above where the bone ends.  that relieved the sinus area.  just fyi~~

I get botox injections every 3 months down the back of my neck from my skull to the base of my neck and part of my shoulder. I have been getting these for about 10 years and have had no problems at all.

I used Botox for migraines several years ago. I had the injections approximately 16 weeks apart. The miraculous effects lasted the full sixteen weeks the first time, but shorter each subsequent time. We had to increase dose and talked about changing type of bocculism. I did not personally have any other side effects that I noitced. In any case, the insurance company stopped covering it. Good luck

Hi,

My 15 YO son just had them last week.  He has been suffering from Chronic migraine after a mild head injury 3 1/2 years ago. Tried several medications and nothing has worked.  I did contact Allergan the makers of Botox to find someone in my area who is approved to use it for this purpose.  He is not a Neuologist but pain management. The day he had the injections he did not have a migraine.  He did come down with one the next day and still has it now at day 5 after injections.  His migraines run for 5 days. We were told that it does take a few weeks to work.  I am praying this is it for him as he has missed a lot of school since they are so debilitating. 

If your son is suffering  terribly I think it is worth it providing you have the right Doc-Preferable Ped Neurology.

My Dr worked with Insurance and it was approved for this treament.

Good Luck