Has anyone tried Botox for migraines?
 

I have had horrible headaches since my concussion 13 months ago. Sometimes they would go on for days.

The doctors have tried numerous things, but I am very sensitive to the medicines that prevent headaches.

My neurologist tried me on six different medicines (anti-depressants, beta blockers and anti-seizure medicines). We always started with the smallest dose possible, and I still cut the pill in half. But all of them wound up making me nauseous.

So I have tried Co-Q 10 (for which there is some research as well). Two days after I started using it I woke up in the middle of the night with my room spinning. It could have been a coincidence, but when I looked up side effects of CoQ10, it did include dizziness.

I am trying vitamin B-2 right now, and it seems to help a little, but I still get the headaches. I know that maybe I haven't tried it long enough.

In case anyone is interested, the research was done using 400 mg. of B-2 a day. I do not take that much, and I find it still helps. Also, I was told never to take a B vitamin by itself, or you can unbalance the rest of the B's, so I take a liquid B-complex as well.

Because this has been going on for so long, my doctor suggested Botox injections, and I was just wondering if anyone had any experience - good or bad - using Botox....

Thanks for sharing any information that you do have.

ShellyK

Shelly,

Has your doctor checked you B-12 and folate blood levels? How is your blood pressure? Especially when you have a migraine.

In my experience, B vitamins have a long start up time. Two to four weeks to get max effect. There are many cascading biochemical effects that need to get rebalanced.

If you check my B vitamin post from some time back, it is based on the input of a few good doctors over the years. I add 100 mgs B-6 and 300 mcgs of B-12 to a B-100 complex. This works for my 175 pound body. The other anti-oxidants are also needed as is D3 and Omega-3's.

Trying to treat just the migraines is short sighted. Try to help the whole brain.

Have you had any chiro or PT work done on your upper neck? The neck muscles that connect to the skull behind the ears are often injured and in spasm. They can be a big cause of head aches. They are often the target of the Botox. TMJ can also contribute. Botox can be used to weaken the jaw muscles to lower that tension.

My heart goes out to you. I have a friend who has struggled with debilitating head aches for 20 years from a head injury.

My best to you.

I'm with Mark...I have been with the chiro again for 3 weeks and the migraines are better. I also think the prism glasses are helping too (you can google Dr. Debby Feinberg regarding them).

Mark,

Thank you for your reply. You always have so much information. I know that my B12 level was checked. I'm not sure about folate.

My blood pressure is normally a little on the low side. I have never checked it when I have a migraine. Would it be higher or lower?

I take vitamin D3, and I also take omega-3's, but I somehow can't stomach them when I'm having a bad headache. So the omega-3's are sometimes neglected.

I do take a sublingual liquid vitamin B-complex, because I have trouble taking the pill form of B-complex.

I do see both a chiropractor and a physical therapist. My chiropractor is also a kinesiologist. (She does muscle testing to see what your body needs.) The physical therapist that I see does cranial sacral massage. Both women help me immensely.

It's just that this PCS has made my brain so sensitive. I did have migraines before, but never like this. Now anything brings on a migraine. I am hoping that as the brain heals (too slowly for my taste), the migraines will get better.

I defintiely agree with you that trying to heal the whole brain is the way to go, but the migraines are killing me. I have tried many things before I considered the Botox. I took a headache class. I am taking vitamins and herbs, etc., etc.

I am so sorry about your friend that has suffered for 20 years with headaches. That is horrible.

Thanks you so much for your input.

ShellyK

Aireyden,

Thanks for your reply. What are prism glasses?

ShellyK

Shelly, If the migraines are blood pressure related, your BP will be higher when you have the migraine.

I have had head aches when my blood sugar is low. I have reactive hypoglycemia. That means my glucose level can swing wildly after a sugar ingestion. I also tend to be low blood sugar during fasting ( after 6 hours from having a meal) which lends to head aches. I find that eating small snacks (150 to 250 calories) helps.

For some people, the brain can be insensitive to glucose meaning it does not metabolize glucose properly. The treatment for that is MCT oil (Medium Chain Triglyceride). It is found in coconut oil and as a special supplement of MCT oil. This increases the availability of ketones to nourish the brain. Only nervous tissue can metabolize ketones. Ketones are the food reserve to keep the brain alive during life threatening famine. The ketogenic diet is formulated for this dysfunction that may be associated with seizure activity.

fyi, Prizm lenses are custom fitted by an optometrist who specializes in this need. They refract the image so it fits together better when the brain knits the two images into one. A lot of brain power is used knitting the two images together.

If the eye is weak on convergence (aligning both eyes so the images are better synchronized), the brain has to work extra hard and this stress can cause head aches. My father needed prizm lenses early in his progression in ischemic dementia.

Here is a brief discription of possible causes of convergence insufficiency

<The underlying cause(s) of convergence insufficiency are not clearly established. ..... A connection has been made between accommodative insufficiency and convergence insufficiency. Closed head trauma and lesions in the pretectal area of the brain have been associated with acquired convergence insufficiency. Lesions in the midbrain dorsal to the third cranial nerve nuclei may also cause convergence insufficiency with normal third nerve function.>

Eye struggles can be a pain. I have had them since I was young. I have a very difficult time getting lenses that allow my brain to relax as I see.

A good optometrist will adjust a lens prescription to allow a more comfortable focus. This is sort of a detuning of the prescription. It there is a slight blur, the brain can knit the two images together easier. For brains that cannot filter or gate visual information properly, this may be helpful.

TMI, but that is how my brain damaged works.

My best to you.

prisms glasses that you wear. The concept for PCS is that it helps to take some strain off the brain. I think used more for dizziness than headaches. They say its when the eyes are trying too hard to stay in focus (i think its called convergence...when the eyes want to go outward).

see if you can watch this video: (if not google debby feinberg)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYKvbYpM8b0

Thank you for the information on the prism glasses. I will have to look into that (and find an optometrist who knows about it). I was able to watch the video. It's very informative.

ShellyK

Mark,
Thank you for all of that information. I will definitely look into the prism glasses.

ShellyK

Botox
 

I have done Botox for migraines/chronic headaches. After over a year and a half of them I finally did it.

I had done chiro, massage, physio, personal trainer, anti-seizure meds, advil, antidepressants (elavil) and more.

My neuro and another doctor suggested it (occipital neuralgia - which can be like migraines).

I had the injections in my forehead, skull and all down my neck on both sides. After about a week, I noticed the level of headache reducing. After about 6-8 weeks, I have noticed them coming back stronger, and more pain in my eye (nerve) from light/movement.

My neuro said it is cumulative so may need a few rounds. Chronic muscle spasm and tension, sitting upright (I have a rib/shoulder injury as well) and stress just make them worse.

I was really nervous to do this, and after I got used to not being able to really control my neck it hasn't been a big issue.
I am now looking forward to my next round as it is supposed to last longer.

Hope that helps.