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.

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 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

RHONDA

7/ 2/11 9:02pm

I too have been suffering from daily migraines for almost 3 years.  I was told I don't meet the criteria for receiving botox injections - but I don't know why.  The neurologist's office didn't give me a satisfactory explanation.

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

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.

Jonee'

5/ 7/09 5:40pm

  I took Botox injections for over a year from a neurologist at a Headache center.  I had no relief from migraines, but it did help with TMJ pain.  My ins. would not cover the medication unless I picked up the Botox myself with prescription from Dr.  It is very expensive, not painful, but not for needle phobic people for sure or those w/ bleeding issues.  I did occasionally have a couple small bruises, and I would feel like my eyebrows would furrow while having migraine, but looking in mirror muscles would not look like it.  I looked great, people asked what kind of stuff I was using on my face, tightens up skin.  However, I have heard one must use Dr. very experienced in use of Botox or end up looking like Bell's palsy or stroke victim.  I did experience relief in neck and shoulder muscles where pain occurs.  Lasted about 2-3 mos at a time.

  In the long run, it was not worth it to help migraines; I still needed my back-up medication.  It is very expensive without insurance, must use experienced neurologist who uses Botox regularly.  I never had any bad reactions, but not helpful either.

eliz

5/11/09 1:14pm

May I ask if your injections are covered by insurance?

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

Hope44

11/18/09 6:19pm

Hi There,

I got botox injenctions 1.5 weeks ago for the first time.

It took 5days to see any relief.  At this point I would say my CDH intensity has improved about 30% and the intensity of migraines which I get on top of the CDH has decreased in frequency and intensity by about 40%.

 

I go back in 3 weeks for a review.  I am going to a pain management doctor who works in the same clinic as my neurologist.

I can only imagine how heart breaking it is for a mother to watch her son suffer so much.

I hope he gets great improvement, and don't give up until 3 rounds of botox.

 

Jersey Mom

11/28/09 11:57am

Thanks for your reply-  Do you know how many units you received? My son got 100units and was given 2 injections above the ears in the skull and 2 injections in the back of the neck area?  I am curious as to what other Dr's do.  It has been 2 weeks since the treatment and has had had 2 attacks of migraine each lasting 4-5days which is typical for him.

Mom of Many

5/19/10 1:37am

I get 60 units and all of them in the forehead area.  I started with 30 units about 6 months ago and while it reduced the migraines, I still had a few that broke through.  I got 60 units about 3 months ago and I was migraine free!  Just last week the migraines started coming back so I went in and got another 60 units.  I'm back to being migraine free.

I've had chronic migraines for years and tried every drug out there to prevent them and I even got a hysterectomy.  Nothing worked until I went to a Physicians Assistant who has a passion for using Botox to cure migraines.  While she doesn't have the doctorate, she has received a lot of training in the area and has a lot of experience. 

She and I have both found that some doctors are too proud to get the proper training to have good results.  From everything she's told me, there are a LOT of doctors out there who don't know where and how to inject for migraine relief and they will inject up to 200 units all over the head to try and cure the migraine but they aren't doing it properly.

My suggestion is to not give up if you don't have success with one doctor.  It's just too debilatating to not find relief.  Research others and find one who has both the training and the success.  

My PA said her patients typically get longer relief the longer they get treatments.  Her longest patient has been seeing her for 8 years and only needs Botox shots every 6 months.