How Botox® Relieves Migraine Pain and Why It May Be What You Need

Botox® is a popular cosmetic injectable that’s often used to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. However, in recent years, the FDA has approved its use for the treatment of migraines.

Migraines are severe headaches that are characterized by pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and even nausea. Migraines often have symptoms before the headache and can leave you feeling fatigued after the headache has passed, with the migraine itself sometimes lasting for days. This means this condition is taking away huge chunks of your life at a time.

If you’re ready to find some relief from your migraines, in this blog, our team at the Florida Pain Management Institute lets you know exactly how Botox works to treat your migraines. 

How Botox addresses migraines

Botox is an injection that’s made up of onabotulinumtoxinA. When used for cosmetic purposes, it targets fine lines by paralyzing the muscles that cause the wrinkles in the first place. Botox can work in a similar way for treating migraines. It’s able to block your pain signals and reduce muscle contractions that are triggering the headaches.

When the Botox is injected, it enters the nerve endings around the area where it’s been administered. It then starts to block the chemicals that are sending pain signals to your brain. All in all, this means Botox is able to stop migraine pain before it ever starts, leaving you with fewer days with debilitating headaches.

What to expect from Botox administration

Our team at the Florida Pain Management Institute expertly places the Botox injections in specific areas around your head and neck. The number of injections you receive depends on what kind of migraines you get and where they’re located. You can expect no downtime after the injections are completed.

Most people begin noticing results over the first few days following their first treatment, and they can last for up to three months. For optimal results, we recommend getting two or three treatments. In fact, in one study, patients reported a 50% reduction in headache days after two Botox treatments.

Find migraine relief with Botox

The FDA has approved Botox to treat migraines in adults who have at least 15 headaches a month. In fact, the more migraines you have, the more likely it is that Botox will work well for you. 

Every Botox treatment plan that we offer for chronic migraines is completely customizable. We take a close look at your headache history and the symptoms you have to design a plan that works best for you. For instance, if you get consistent headaches in one area of your head, we may recommend more injections in that area to block pain more effectively.

It’s important to keep in mind that Botox isn’t a permanent treatment, so you need regular injections to continue preventing migraines. Make sure to follow our care plan carefully and get regular treatment to dramatically decrease the number of migraines you experience.

If you’d like to find out if Botox is the right treatment for your migraines, contact our team to set up an appointment. You can do this by contacting us at 561-331-5050 or by using our online scheduler today.