Botox Injection Sites For Migraines

Technique For Botox Injections

Botox injections for migraine are performed on a day case basis. The recommended reconstituted dose is 155195 units, administered intramuscularly as 0.1 ml injections to between 31 and 39 sites around the head and back of the neck. The recommended re-treatment schedule is every 12 weeks.

Patients should be aware that the outcome of the procedure is variable and they may not receive the desired benefits. Similarly, they must be aware of the transient nature of the therapeutic benefits and that there may need repeated injections.

How Long Does It Take For Botox Treatments To Be Effective

Botox is an effective chronic migraine prevention option, but it takes time to work properly. The team creates a customized treatment plan based on the frequency of your headaches and your overall medical history.

The benefits of Botox can be felt in as quickly as 4-10 days and builds up to efficacious levels after 6 weeks. However in some patients studies found it may take up to three treatments to reach efficacy. Therefore, if you failed Botox in the past, you may need more than one treatment to truly benefit from the therapy. The treatment can last as long as 12 weeks and is repeated every 12 weeks.

During your consultation, your provider can determine how many Botox treatments you need to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine headaches, so youll know what to expect.

Doctors Begin Studying Botoxs Ability To Stop Migraine Pain

Doctors discovered that Botox could help manage migraine pain by coincidence while treating their patients wrinkles. Patients that were plagued by chronic migraines, currently being treated for wrinkles, began reporting to their doctors that they were experiencing fewer migraines which prompted additional research.

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How Doctors Give Botox

An experienced physician can administer all of the shots within ten minutes. They will give you some of the injections while you are sitting down. For other injections, the doctor may ask you to lie down.

After providing all the shots, they will observe you for a few minutes to ensure there are no adverse reactions to the injections.

Immediately following the injections, there will likely be swelling in your forehead. This is an expected reaction and will go away within a few hours. The Botox effects should be noticeable within ten days, and your doctor can repeat them in 12 weeks.

Is Botox Safe In Breastfeeding And Pregnancy

Historically, Botox has generally been avoided and saved as a last resort option in these scenarios, and often still is. The longstanding concern for using Botox during breastfeeding is based in theoretical concern that the Botox could seep into the breastmilk and effect the baby, although this really hasnt been reported. It has been shown that Botox is not detectable in the blood after intramuscular use, so excretion into breast milk is considered unlikely. In fact, there was a reported case of a lactating woman who had foodborne botulism. However, when the breastmilk and infant were analyzed, neither showed any botulinum toxin at all, and the infant was safely breastfed. With this in mind, the doses of Botox used medically are much lower than those that cause botulism. Therefore, the amounts ingested by an infant, if any, are suspected to be small and not cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants. Regardless, for extra precaution, it is suggested to breastfeed before the Botox treatment, store some milk, and then wait a few hours after the treatment before breastfeeding again.

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Indications For Use Of Botox In Migraine

Botulinum toxin type A is recommended as an option for the prophylaxis of headaches in adults with chronic migraine :

• that has not responded to at least three prior pharmacological prophylaxis therapies and
• whose condition is appropriately managed for medication overuse

Treatment with botulinum toxin type A should be stopped in people whose condition: is not adequately responding to treatment or has changed to episodic migraine for three consecutive months.

Evidence For Botox In Chronic Migraine: The Preempt Trials

Two Phase 3 Research Evaluating Migraine Prophylaxis Therapy trials recruited 1384 patients with chronic migraine, and randomised them to treatment with Botox® or placebo. These patients were suffering on average 20 days of headache each month, of which 18 were moderate or severe. Those randomised to Botox® received fixed-site, fixed dose injections every 12 weeks over 56 weeks. These injections covered seven specific areas of the head and neck, with a total dose of between 155-195 units. At six months, after two cycles of treatment, those treated with Botox® had on average eight less days of headache each month. After 12 months, 70% of those treated had 50% the number of headaches that they had done originally. Botox® was well tolerated, the commonest side effects being neck pain , muscular weakness , and drooping of the eyelid . No serious irreversible side effects have ever been reported in trials of Botox® in headache.

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Botox An Effective And Painless Way To Treat Chronic Migraines

Do you suffer from chronic migraines? If so, Western Missouri Medical Centers Liz Elwell, FNP-BC, now offers Botox® treatment for migraine support. Learn more about this new service and how you could benefit from it in this Q& A with Liz.

What is Botox®? Botox® is an FDA-approved chronic migraine preventative treatment. This treatment is administered every three months across seven specific head and muscle areas.

Who qualifies for treatment? You must receive a diagnosis for chronic treatment in order to qualify. Chronic migraine is a serious condition. Its distinguished by 15 or more headache days a month, eight or more migraine days a month, with headaches that last at least four hours for at least three months. Unlike acute medications, which are used to treat a headache or migraine after its begun, preventive treatments are taken on a schedule to prevent the headaches and migraine attacks before they even start.

What are some signs and symptoms of migraines? Migraines are typically unilateral and last four or more hours. They will typically have characteristics such as stabbing pressure, throbbing, and tightness, as well as nausea/vomiting and sensitivity to light/smell. Patients may also experience an aura before migraines, such as visual disturbances, numbness, or difficulty talking.

How often should someone come in for treatment? Botox® treatments are administered every three months with patients typically seeing benefit/improvement after the second visit.

How Does Botox Work

Botox is injected around pain fibers that are involved in headaches. Botox enters the nerve endings around where it is injected and blocks the release of chemicals involved in pain transmission. This prevents activation of pain networks in the brain.

Botox prevents migraine headaches before they start, but takes time to work. I look to the second and third treatments to maximize effects, says Dr. Andrew Blumenfeld. Patients see in

creasing benefit with an increase in the number of treatment cycles. One treatment lasts for 10-12 weeks, and patients reported that two Botox treatments reduced the number of headache days by approximately 50%.

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How Does Botox Help With Migraines

Botox is a neurotoxin, a poison made by bacteria called Clostridium botulinums. It can cause a deadly reaction called botulism if you eat it in spoiled food because it blocks signals from your nerves and paralyzes your muscles.

But its safe because the toxin isnt digested in your stomach and the dose is much smaller amount than youd get in spoiled food.

Doctors found that shots of Botox can help smooth wrinkles because it relaxes muscles in the face. It also helps people who have tics and spasms because of a nerve disease like cerebral palsy.

When people who had migraine headaches used Botox to treat their wrinkles, they told their doctors that their headaches were better. So doctors began to study it as a migraine pain treatment.

In a study of adults who get chronic migraine headaches, shots of Botox cut down the total number of days they had them or even other types of headaches. They also had more crystal-clear pain-free days each month, and they reported fewer days off work.

In another study, nearly half the people who took two rounds of Botox shots reported that the number of days they had a headache each month was cut in half. After five rounds of treatment, that increased to about 70% of the people.

What Is Involved With The Procedure

The Botox procedure to treat migraine headaches takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. Injections are given by a healthcare provider in your doctors office using very fine needles.

Before the injections, your provider will ask if you have any muscle tenderness. He or she will then examine your muscles and ask you to contract them prior to injection.

Next, your provider will begin injecting the Botox into 31 sites spread across seven head and neck muscle areas. A total of 155 units are used and distributed among the muscles as follows:

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Is There A Needle Size And Saline Dilution That You Find Most Useful

The ideal needle to use is a 30G or 31G, half-inch needle. Longer needles are problematic as they encourage deeper injections, which can increase the risk of muscle weakness, and most of the side effects such as neck pain stem from muscle weakness. Perseverative-free normal saline is the only diluent that should be used. There is a case study of a patient who died when onabotulinumtoxinA was mixed with a local anesthetic agent. The pivotal trial established an effective dose using 2 mL/100 units of onabotulinumtoxinA. A fact that is often overlooked is that the mean dose in the trial was 165 units. The patients all received 155 units with a fixed dose, fixed-site injection protocol, and an option of an additional 40 units to follow the pain. This resulted in a mean dose of 165 units, which is the standard that should be used to achieve the efficacy results reviewed above.

What Can I Expect During Botox Injections

Botox injections are administered in a comfortable office environment. Your provider injects small amounts of the prescription medication into 31 key injection sites around the head and neck. If necessary the patient may request the use of a topical numbing cream to keep you comfortable during the procedure.

Because Botox is a highly successful treatment option for chronic migraine prevention, approval rates for insurance authorization are high. The staff at The Center for Neurology and Neurophysiology also offers options for patient in need of a patient-assistance program to ensure you get the treatment you need.

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Who Are Appropriate Candidates For Botox Treatment

OnabotulinumtoxinA is the only treatment approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of headaches in adult patients with chronic migraine . CM assessment involves a detailed history to rule out secondary sources of headache, establish migraine features, and assess the total number of headache days. In order to diagnose migraine, the patient should have had at least five attacks that involve migraine features, as outlined below. In adults, untreated attacks usually last 4 or more hours.

A migraine requires only two of the following headache features: a unilateral distribution , pulsatile quality , moderate or severe pain , and aggravation by physical activity . In addition, to diagnose migraine, only one of the following is required: nausea or vomiting or sensitivity to light and noise.

Migraine can be subdivided depending on whether there is an aura or not and also on the frequency of the headaches.

What Botox For Migraines In Sarnia Costs

Remember, treating migraines with Botox® means you also have the option of:

• Reducing the number of prescription or over-the-counter medications youre taking.
• Getting a better nights rest, without waking up with headache or jaw pain.
• Taking less time off from work because of painful migraines.
• Long-lasting results that are easy to maintain.

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Will It Work For Me

Botox aims to reduce how often you have migraine attacks and how severe they are.

Most people have at least two treatment cycles before deciding if Botox is effective. A good response to Botox is usually a 30-50% reduction in how many headaches you have. Doctors will also consider any improvements in your quality of life. Some people notice an improvement in their quality of life with Botox even if they dont have a big reduction in headache days.

How Often Do I Get Botox Injections For Migraine

In general, most people start with 2 treatments, 12 weeks apart, and then treatment is continued every 12 weeks. You will receive injections 4 times per year or as directed by your healthcare provider.

Some patients may feel headache results as soon as 4 weeks. Follow your doctor’s instructions exactly.

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The Botox Procedure: Back Of Head

For these injections, I prefer to have the patient sitting up on the exam table with their legs hanging over 1 side. I stand on the opposite side of the exam table behind them. The cervical paraspinal muscles are injected 1st on each side. The 1st cervical injection site is located by feeling the occipital protuberance , and going 2 fingerbreadths down and 1 over. This happens to be where the greater occipital nerve pierces through the musculature, and is also the first site of where occipital nerve blocks are done. The 2nd cervical injection site is located just superior and lateral to the 1st injection site.

Next come the 4 occipitalis muscle injections. These are done along the skull base and are evenly spaced out. The 1st site is just lateral to the occipital protuberance. The 2nd site is lateral to the 1st over the occipital groove . This is where the occipital nerve travels, and is also the 2nd site where I normally do an occipital nerve block. The 3rd site is lateral to the 2nd site. The 4th site is lateral to the 3rd site and is located just posterior to the mastoid bone in another palpable groove. This also happens to be where the lesser occipital nerve travels, and is typically the 3rdspot I usually do for an occipital nerve block.

How Does Botox Work In Treating Migraine

Onabotulinumtoxin A, also known as Botox-A, was approved in 2010 by the FDA for the treatment of chronic migraine.

Botox is injected into specific areas of your head and neck involved in migraine pain. The effect lasts for about 3 months.

Botox injections were developed to block neurotransmitters that tell your muscles to contract. By blocking these signals between your body and your brain, Botox diminishes the appearance of wrinkles.

However, blocking neurotransmitters is also a way to prevent migraine attacks. Botox blocks the release of these chemicals from reaching your nerve endings and causing pain.

Migraine attacks are typically best treated right at the very beginning of an attack but it can really difficult to do that.

If you try to treat a migraine with oral medication, you can end up taking too much of it. This can result in medication overuse headache and sometimes even trigger more migraine attacks.

Botox can work as a preventive treatment that keeps your brain from receiving the initial migraine signals, without the risk of rebound headache that comes with many oral medications.

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Urinary Retention In Adults Treated For Bladder Dysfunction

Due to the risk of urinary retention, treat only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization posttreatment, if required, for urinary retention.

In patients who are not catheterizing, PVR urine volume should be assessed within 2 weeks posttreatment and periodically as medically appropriate up to 12 weeks, particularly in patients with multiple sclerosis or diabetes mellitus. Depending on patient symptoms, institute catheterization if PVR urine volume exceeds 200 mL and continue until PVR falls below 200 mL. Instruct patients to contact their physician if they experience difficulty in voiding as catheterization may be required.

Overactive Bladder

In clinical trials, 6.5% of patients initiated CIC for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX 100 Units, as compared to 0.4% of patients treated with placebo. The median duration of catheterization for patients treated with BOTOX 100 Units was 63 days , as compared to a median duration of 11 days for patients receiving placebo.

Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX were more likely to develop urinary retention than nondiabetics. In clinical trials, 12.3% of patients with diabetes developed urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX 100 Units vs 0% of patients treated with placebo. In patients without diabetes, 6.3% of patients developed urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX 100 Units vs 0.6% of patients treated with placebo.

Who Is Not A Good Candidate For Botox Treatment

There are some people who should not get Botox for migraine attacks or for any other reason.

You arent a good candidate for Botox if any of the following apply to you:

• known sensitivity or allergy to botulinum toxin
• signs of infection at or near the injection site
• neurological conditions that make you more prone to muscle weakness, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or myasthenia gravis
• youre pregnant or breastfeeding

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How Botox For Migraines Works

BOTOX, or Botulinum Toxin Type A, disrupts the normal function of the neuromuscular junction, blocking the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Researchers believe that by blocking acetylcholine, BOTOX disrupts pain pathways. Research continues to discover the exact mechanism that makes BOTOX so effective on chronic migraine pain.

Get Relief From Your Migraines With Botox Injections

If you experience frequent migraine headaches, you understand how debilitating the symptoms can be. You may find yourself willing to try just about anything to get relief from the excruciating pain.

Something you may not have already considered is controlling migraines with Botox injections. Although Botox is best thought of as a wrinkle-reducer, the FDA approved the use of Botox for chronic migraines in 2010. Take a moment to learn why from Dr. Joshua Kennedy of Turnagain Dental.

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